# Indigo Due Diligence · Consulting STYLE DESIGN SYSTEM

## PART A — Category Baseline (General Minimum)

A professional, information-dense consulting presentation benchmarked against top-tier strategy consulting firms (McKinsey/BCG), with a premium editorial aesthetic.

Content and layout:
1. Rich data visualization: Pages are filled with sophisticated, precise charts (stacked columns, waterfall charts, line charts) and detailed data tables with complete row and column structures.
2. Structured frameworks: Include strategy maps or 2×2 matrices built with fine, crisp lines.
3. High information density: Use complex, multi-column layouts that resemble real-world business analysis presentations rather than cover pages dominated by empty space.

Visual style:
1. Aesthetic: Balance a technology-forward feel with information density. Clean, clear, and authoritative.
2. Typography: Use a serif typeface for primary titles (render with {latin: Oranienbaum, ea: 思源宋体}) to evoke a premium financial-report aesthetic; use a clean sans serif for chart labels and data figures.
3. Color palette: Pure white background and pure black text; use deep royal blue for charts and graphic elements, with different gray values to distinguish hierarchy.
4. Graphics: Use fine borders for tables and precise vector lines for charts.

Structure and discipline (distilled from work we consider best-in-class):
1. Every content slide title must be a complete assertion (a conclusion statement), followed by a one-line scope/method subtitle explaining what the slide covers and how to read it.
2. Every content slide must include a chapter breadcrumb/tab bar with the current chapter highlighted, so any slide can be located within the narrative.
3. Use one named analytical framework per slide, never a loose collage: pressure columns, phased timelines with a TODAY marker and stage gates, three-scenario tables (conservative/base/accelerated), Five Forces diagrams, heat tables, difficulty × impact 2×2 matrices (with an observation zone), three-part upstream/midstream/downstream value chains, or multidimensional profile matrices—select the framework to fit the content.
4. Present parallel evidence in 2–3 equal-width columns; number independent judgments (1/2/3), each with a bold assertion line + one concise explanation.
5. Chart annotation discipline: Place data labels directly on marks; add growth/level callouts (such as “+42% p.a.”), a TODAY marker, dashed lines for forecasts, and named observable indicators for uncertain quantities. Never rely on the legend alone.
6. Conclude most slides with a synthesis bar at the bottom (“How to read this slide” / “Profile interpretation” / a one-sentence so-what) that converts the evidence above into a single takeaway.
7. Fixed three-part slide furniture: source and footnote lines at bottom left, page number at bottom right; never omit these or treat them as decoration. Generated decks must never include watermarks, confidentiality notices/stamps, copyright lines, or logo placeholders.
8. Open with a one-slide executive-summary overview + a numbered table of contents with page numbers; close with numbered conclusions (claims, not summaries) + an implications slide divided by audience type (such as policymakers/operators/buyers), with each column ending in actions.
9. Every number must include its unit, time range, and measurement basis; express uncertainty through observable monitoring indicators rather than hedging language.

Default baseline (distilled from the layout skill; PART B may override): Content slides use information-dense, multi-column layouts and must contain at least one complex chart or one multi-row, multi-column data table. Never use “one oversized sentence + a large empty area” as a content slide. Build framework diagrams (strategy maps/2×2 matrices/driver trees) with fine, crisp vector lines rather than stacked color blocks. Tables use fine borders without heavy fills; limit each slide to ≤2 primary hues.

**Title read-through test**: Reading only the slide titles should tell the complete story; if they do not flow coherently, the structure has not been established.

> Priority note: This section defines the minimum baseline for consulting scenarios. Where the signature system below (PART B) conflicts with it, the signature system takes precedence—especially for background, color palette, and typography. The typography/color guidance above applies only as a default when the signature system is silent.

### Global Prohibitions (AI Default Patterns · Mandatory)

1. **No cards by default**: Unless the user explicitly requests them, do not use rounded rectangles or rectangular cards to establish hierarchy or alignment—containers with a functional information role (status indicators, assumption boxes, quotation boxes) do not count as cards. Lines, whitespace, type size, and weight contrast are preferred.
2. **No equal-split compositions**: Unless no other layout is viable, do not default to three equal columns, four equal columns, or a two-by-two matrix. Equal division must be justified by the content structure (three scenarios naturally warrant three columns; explicitly named frameworks in the body are exempt).
3. **No arbitrary AI color palettes**: Institution-specific palettes defined in the content are exempt. Prohibited choices are bland, common, unsupported defaults—blue-purple gradients, cyan-purple neon, rainbow flares, glass cards, and glowing borders.
4. **No elements inconsistent with the overall style**: Do not introduce off-style treatments, such as rounded icons or rounded rectangles in an angular visual system.
5. **Keep chart backgrounds transparent**: Use transparency or the slide background color, except for reversed content on a dark background.
6. **No empty content regions**: Do not leave entire planned regions blank; every allocated area must be filled with real content. Failure to fill a region is the most severe form of visual roughness.

## PART B — Signature System (Distinctive Template Signature; Overrides PART A in Case of Conflict)

One-sentence style signature: A white and cool-gray foundation, deep navy, and royal blue create a composed due-diligence tone; serif conclusion titles, sans-serif data, and a right-side judgment panel connect dense evidence into one clear path.

【Color Palette】#FFFFFF for content backgrounds; #E5E6E5 only for the right half of contents slides / right-side judgment panels. Text and titles use #000000. Primary accent #2151FF highlights selected columns, key figures, and target boxes; secondary accent #00A9F4 highlights active navigation and secondary series. Structural dark #041C2C is used for chapter bands, sidebars, numbered circles, and table headers; supplementary series colors are #282C70, #99C4FF, and #B2B3B2. Positive #2151FF (upward icons may occasionally use #92D050), negative #E4536C; reserve #FF0000 for warnings only. Use black/gray + 1 blue hue per slide, with no more than 3 blue steps; never flood the slide with accent color.

【Layout Skeleton】Source canvas: 1467×825 pixels, 16:9. Content slides typically use a left evidence area of 64–72% + a right judgment panel of 28–36%. Place a serif assertion title at top left, a sans-serif scope line beneath it, then charts/tables below a horizontal rule. Beneath a fine bottom rule, place footnotes at left and institution text plus page number at right. Reading order: title → scope → left-side evidence → right-side judgment → so-what. Contents slides always use a white left side and gray right side, with a deep-navy horizontal band on the right highlighting the current number. Chapter transitions with a deep-navy left panel + white chart area on the right are reserved for special slides.

【Typography】Only the combination of bold, high-contrast serif titles + neutral sans-serif body/data has been verified; the font families cannot be confirmed. Render with {latin: Oranienbaum, ea: 思源宋体} (serif titles) and {latin: Liter, ea: MiSans} (sans body/data). Scale: body 1x, subtitle 1.1–1.25x, title 1.8–2.2x, large figures 1.4–1.8x, footnotes 0.55–0.65x. Figures must include unit/period; distinguish actual/estimate with A/E, lighter tones, or dashed lines. Chinese and English abbreviations may be mixed; do not set titles in all caps.

【Chart Language】Repeatedly use stacked columns, dual-axis lines, waterfall charts, heat tables, ranking bars, scatterplots, donut charts, flows, and fine-bordered tables. ⭐Above trend columns, draw a black diagonal arrow labeled “+x% p.a.”; use 4–6 blue steps in heat tables and outline target rows/columns in pink. Use lighter tones/dashed lines for forecasts; apply a pale-blue row fill or pink outline to the entire target object. Call out key points with leader lines/ellipses/dots. Present expert evidence with round quotation marks + italicized quotations. Write values directly inside charts; legends must not carry the conclusion.

【Signature Components】Place a numbered circle (#041C2C fill, white text) at the far left of the title, typically 1 per slide. On sequential detailed customer-profile slides, arrange five navigation pills horizontally across the top, with only the active item highlighted in bright cyan-blue. The right-side gray judgment panel sits flush to the edge at approximately one-third of the slide width and contains 2–4 takeaways/quotations. Use deep-navy, square-cornered label blocks for profile, SWOT, and risk-table row labels. Use fine-bordered elliptical pills for percentages/CAGR, no more than once per metric. The source material does not rely on photography; do not add photos.

【Prohibited】No blue-purple gradients, neon, or rainbows; do not expand gray panels into a full-slide card wall; do not mix multiple blue palettes without a legend; do not replace square-cornered headers/fine rules with rounded cards (navigation pills are exempt); do not turn the right panel into a second main chart or use color blocks that obscure data. Use red sparingly and only for warnings; all other prohibitions inherit from PART A.

【Slide Types and Layouts】
Conclusion + main chart + gray panel｜Trend/share/profitability｜Left 64–72% chart, right 28–36% judgment｜4–8 blocks｜Diagonal arrow/elliptical value/quotation｜Not suitable for a single small table.
Detailed customer profile｜Single-entity relationships/metrics｜Approximately 50% each side: segmented black table + cyan bars on the left, four rows of mini charts + past/future commentary on the right｜8–16 blocks｜Five-item navigation/dark labels｜Not suitable for an overview.
Heat table/scoring matrix + gray panel｜Multidimensional comparison｜Left 68–72% matrix, right conclusion｜8–12 rows × 6–12 columns｜Blue steps + pink target outline｜Not suitable for fewer than 4 entities.
Two-column framework/flow｜Risks, initiatives, current state—target state｜Two/three columns with consistent subheads and fine rules｜4–9 blocks｜Numbers/arrows/dark headers｜Not suitable for a continuous timeline.
Contents/chapter slide (occasional)｜Navigation/chapter break｜White left + gray right or dark left + white right｜1–6 blocks｜Split screen/fine rules｜Do not place content data.

【Density Baseline】A standard content slide uses 1 main chart + 2–4 explanatory blocks, with another 2–4 takeaways or 1–3 quotations in the sidebar. Detailed customer-profile slides are denser: 5–7 segmented bars on the left and 4 rows of mini charts on the right, with 2 judgments per row. Heat tables typically contain 8–12 rows × 8–12 columns, with values written in cells and the target column outlined. Label every column/point in column and line charts, place totals above columns, and show CAGR with arrows. Whitespace is permitted only between the title and rule, in the narrow gap between the chart and sidebar, and above the footnote band; do not leave any large blank region in the content area.