Avoid capitals in long copy

Summary

A "don't" page: a long block of body copy set entirely in capitals, slashed through with a single red diagonal line, with a short corrected note below reserving capitals for headlines.

Visual description

Off-white page, standard running header with "Visual Identity / Typography" top left, "Typography details / Use of caps" center-left, page number 79 top right, under a hairline rule. The center is dominated by a large center-aligned paragraph set in all-caps that argues, half-jokingly, against uppercase in long copy ("WE AVOID CAPITALS IN LONG PIECES OF COPY... IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE YELLING"). A single thin red diagonal line cuts across the whole block as a strike-through. Below, in smaller mixed-case type, a corrected note reads "Ah, that's better. Reserve capitals for short, sharp, attention-grabbing headlines."

Key takeaway

Demonstrating a typography don't by committing it at full scale and crossing it out with one red strike, then immediately showing the fix in the corrected case below. The rule is felt (the all-caps block is genuinely hard to read) rather than just stated.

Reuse notes

A reusable "don't" device for any guideline: enact the mistake large, strike it red, correct it small. The red diagonal pairs naturally with a red brand accent. Keep the bad example real enough to actually feel wrong.