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Forbidden two-color pairings shown as five overlapping square pairs on a black page, each crossed with a red diagonal and a red DON'T USE note explaining why.
Summary
The pairings-to-avoid page: five overlapping two-square combinations on a black page, each struck through in red with a short "DON'T USE" reason, beside a white explainer.
Visual description
Two-page 16:9 spread. The white left page has the "03 BRAND COLORS" eyebrow, a three-line headline "USAGE" (blurple) over "COLOR PAIRINGS" and "TO AVOID" (near-black), and two paragraphs explaining the combinations fail when text sits on top. The black right page holds five overlapping rounded-square pairs, each captioned with the combination and slashed by a thin red diagonal: Blurple + Fuchsia, Fuchsia + Green, Yellow + Green (top row), White + Yellow, Fuchsia + Red (bottom row). Under each, a red "DON'T USE" label and one line of reasoning (too hard to read, too vibrant, too similar, not enough contrast). The far-left blurple stripe carries the rotated caption and page 31.
Key takeaway
Mirroring the approved-pairings layout exactly but adding a red diagonal and a one-line reason per combination, so "why not" is explicit rather than implied. Naming the failure (contrast, vibration, similarity) teaches the principle, not just the rule.
Reuse notes
The negative counterpart to the suggested-pairings page. Keeping identical swatch shapes and grid makes the allowed-vs-forbidden contrast immediate. The short reasoned captions are worth copying; they turn a prohibition into guidance.
From this deck: Color pairings to avoid
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