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<!-- SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025-2026 Marcus Quinn -->

# Design System: Corporate Traditional — Do's and Don'ts

## Do's

1. **Do** use the navy/gold palette consistently — navy for structure, gold for emphasis
2. **Do** maintain strict vertical rhythm with the spacing scale
3. **Do** use serif headings to establish authority and hierarchy
4. **Do** keep animations minimal and functional (200ms opacity/colour transitions only)
5. **Do** use the 12-column grid for all layout decisions
6. **Do** ensure all interactive elements have visible focus states with the gold outline
7. **Do** use white space generously between major sections (48px minimum)
8. **Do** maintain a clear document hierarchy: one H1 per page, sequential heading levels

## Don'ts

1. **Don't** use gradients, background patterns, or decorative illustrations
2. **Don't** round corners beyond 6px — this is not a playful design system
3. **Don't** use bright or saturated colours outside the semantic palette
4. **Don't** animate layout properties (size, position) — only opacity and colour
5. **Don't** use all-caps for body text or headings (only for overline labels)
6. **Don't** stack more than two font weights on a single screen section
7. **Don't** use icon-only buttons without accessible labels
8. **Don't** place gold (#B8860B) text on white backgrounds — insufficient contrast for body text
