Illustration don'ts grid

Summary

An illustration-usage "don'ts" page: a white slide with a black "ILLUSTRATION DONT'S" headline ending in a red X, over three captioned illustration samples each struck through with a large red cross.

Visual description

White background. The black all-caps headline "ILLUSTRATION DONT'S" runs across the top with a bright red X as its final glyph. Below sits a three-column grid; each column has a short bold-lead caption ("Don't use illustration that is static and clinical...", "Don't speak to the wrong audience...", "Don't use illustration to visualize complex metaphors...") above a sample illustration. Each sample image is overlaid with a thick red diagonal X marking it as a prohibited example: a flat cartoon dog with a sneaker, a crowded comic-style record-shop scene, and a stylized profile with a runner. The standard utility header (Nike swoosh centered) and footer (©2021 NIKE INC.) frame the page.

Key takeaway

Using a single red color and a literal X to encode prohibition, so a viewer reads "do not do this" before reading a word. Pairing each don't with an actual rejected example makes abstract guidance concrete and hard to misinterpret.

Reuse notes

A reusable pattern for the don'ts pages of any brand or design guideline, especially illustration, photography, or logo misuse. The red-X-over-example device pairs naturally with a green-check or clean "do" slide. Keep the rejected examples specific and realistic so the rule is unambiguous.