The CI · Chapter 10
Rules
“White on orange for large type only”, “never the logo on red”: every style guide has sentences like these. In nexbrand, three of the four kinds of rule point at colours, logos and fonts of the version and are checked.
The Rules tab
Two columns, Do and Do not. Each rule stands as a sentence, with a sample for colours, and marked Checked or Not checked.
Four kinds
In the editor, tab Rules, four buttons add a rule.
| Button | Rule | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Colour pair | Allowed or Forbidden: text in one colour on a ground, for body text or large type only | yes |
| Logo on ground | Only on or Never on, with at least one ground from the palette | yes |
| Font | Use or Do not use, for all sizes, for headings or one use; with Use also at least so many pixels | yes |
| Free rule | Do or Do not with a topic: Logo, Colour, Font, Imagery, Tone of voice or no topic | no |
Each rule may carry a note of up to 400 characters. A version holds at most 60 rules.
What the checks report
- An allowed colour pair is too faint: below 4.5:1 for body text, below 3:1 for large type.
- The same pair is both allowed and forbidden.
- A logo shows a forbidden pair, stands on a ground a rule rules out, or does not reach 3:1 on an allowed ground.
- A size is set in the wrong or a forbidden font, or it is smaller than required.
- A rule points at a colour, logo or font that no longer exists.
Rename a colour or a font, and the rules follow the new name; so the last case only happens when something was deleted. The hints stand at the rule in the editor and in the tab Checks. Programs get the same hints through the API and MCP, and the check of code against the CI measures colour pairs in CSS against the forbidden pairs.
Suggestions from the checks
The button Suggestions from the checks writes rules from the palette: white on each colour is allowed where it reaches 4.5:1, for large type only from 3:1, and forbidden otherwise. Two free rules on the logo come with it: keep the clear space free, and do not stretch, turn or recolour the logo.
Pavo saysNobody checks free rules, nexbrand included. Whatever can be put as a colour pair, a logo or a font is better written that way.