# Do Not Do

The explicit no-list. Violations of any of these invalidate the asset.

## Brand architecture

- Do not use "Signal" as a product name
- Do not use "Signal by Hey Borton"
- Do not collapse Hey Borton and Pulse into one interchangeable label
- Do not capitalize pulse inside the lockup (lockup reads: Hey Borton / pulse)
- Do not build a second parallel brand name
- Do not say "the Borton"

## Voice

- Do not say "AI-powered"
- Do not say "artificial intelligence"
- Do not say "co-pilot"
- Do not say "assistant" (it is a counterpart)
- Do not say "smart" or "intelligent" as adjectives
- Do not say "revolutionary," "game-changing," "breakthrough"
- Do not say "productivity," "get more done," "save time"
- Do not say "the future of work"
- Do not use exclamation marks
- Do not use em dashes (single hyphens only)
- Do not use semicolons in ad copy
- Do not manufacture urgency

## Visual

- Do not use pure white (`#FFFFFF`) as the main canvas. Always shell (`#FAF7F4`).
- Do not use coral for body text
- Do not use coral on more than one word per headline line
- Do not use coral and peach together in the same emphasis
- Do not distort the wordmark
- Do not rotate the wordmark
- Do not add stroke, shadow, or gradient to the wordmark
- Do not place the Pulse mark on coral background
- Do not use pure black (`#000000`). Always charcoal (`#1F1F28`).

## Photography

- Do not use stock smiling portraits
- Do not use conference room imagery
- Do not use handshake imagery
- Do not use laptops facing camera
- Do not use photos of people laughing at nothing
- Do not use ring light or studio flash looks
- Do not use pure black-and-white
- Do not use photos with visible text, brands, or signage

## Overlay

- Do not use more than 4 overlay elements per card
- Do not place overlays in copy negative space
- Do not use generic overlay labels ("Insights," "Data," "Analytics")
- Do not use emoji inside overlays
- Do not animate overlays as decoration (only purposeful pulse)

## Copy

- Do not start headlines with a verb ("Try," "Get," "See," "Join")
- Do not end headlines with a question mark
- Do not use "the future of" anything
- Do not use "your next meeting" - use "your next room"
- Do not use "meeting prep" - use "walk in ready"
- Do not use generic job titles in personas ("Manager," "Leader") - use specific roles

## CTAs

- Do not use "Sign up"
- Do not use "Get started"
- Do not use "Learn more"
- Do not use "Try it free"
- Do not use "Book a demo"
- Do not use "Schedule a call"

## Landing pages

- Do not use a splash or cover page before the product
- Do not use cookie banners that block the fold
- Do not use modal popups for email capture on first visit
- Do not use chat widgets that auto-open

## If you break one of these rules intentionally

Document why in the asset's spec file. If the rule is broken three times without documentation, raise the pattern to the brand lead to decide if the rule should change.
