brand-guidelines

What this skill does

## Building a Brand Voice Document

A thorough voice reference covers the following areas. Use this structure to help teams articulate their voice from scratch or to interpret an existing voice configuration.

### Brand Personality Profile
Describe the brand as though it were a human being. What character traits define it?

Example: "Our brand is the sharp-but-generous mentor — someone who breaks down hard ideas in plain language, takes genuine pride in your progress, and never condescends."

### Communication Attributes (3-5)
Each attribute needs four elements to prevent ambiguity:
- A plain-language definition of what it means in practice
- A boundary statement explaining what it does NOT mean
- A sample sentence that embodies the attribute
- A sample sentence that violates the attribute

### Target Audience Profile
- Primary and secondary audiences the brand addresses
- Core concerns and motivations of each audience
- Level of domain expertise to assume
- Communication expectations and preferences

### Messaging Pillars (3-5)
- The recurring strategic themes the brand reinforces
- Relative priority among pillars (which leads in any given context)
- How each pillar maps to an audience need or pain point

### Contextual Tone Range
How the voice flexes across situations while remaining unmistakably the same brand. See the Tone Modulation section below.

### Editorial Style Rules
Concrete grammar, punctuation, and formatting standards. See Editorial Standards below.

### Vocabulary Controls
Approved and prohibited terms. See Vocabulary Governance below.

## Defining Communication Attributes

### Attribute Spectrum Reference

Positioning attributes on a continuum helps teams calibrate. Common spectrums include:

| Dimension | End A | End B |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| Register | Formal, institutional | Relaxed, conversational |
| Expertise | Authoritative, expert | Collaborative, peer-level |
| Warmth | Empathetic, personal | Direct, no-nonsense |
| Technicality | Precise, specialized | Plain, universally accessible |
| Intensity | Bold, high-energy | Calm, understated |
| Levity | Playful, witty | Serious, measured |
| Orientation | Forward-looking, innovative | Established, reliability-focused |

### Attribute Documentation Template

For every selected attribute, record:

**[Attribute Name]**
- **In practice**: [concrete behavioral description]
- **Not to be confused with**: [the common misinterpretation]
- **Sounds like**: [example sentence demonstrating it well]
- **Does not sound like**: [example sentence that crosses the line]

Example:

**Welcoming**
- **In practice**: inclusive, clear, free of jargon, equally respectful to newcomers and veterans
- **Not to be confused with**: oversimplified, excessively informal, or lacking depth
- **Sounds like**: "Getting set up takes about five minutes — here is how."
- **Does not sound like**: "Yo! Even a total beginner can figure this out lol."

## Tone Modulation

The brand voice is the constant; tone is the variable that adjusts based on context. Tone represents the emotional calibration applied to the voice.

### Tone by Communication Channel

| Channel | Tone Shift | Illustration |
|---------|-----------|-------------|
| Blog | Educational, conversational, exploratory | "Here is a walkthrough of how this works and why your team should care." |
| LinkedIn | Professional, thought-provoking, compact | "Three takeaways from running 50 campaigns last quarter." |
| Twitter/X | Sharp, concise, occasionally playful | "Your landing page gets 3 seconds. Spend them wisely." |
| Email marketing | Personal, supportive, action-oriented | "We built something we think will save you real time." |
| Sales materials | Assured, benefit-focused, evidence-backed | "Teams on our platform cut reporting overhead by 40%." |
| Help documentation | Patient, sequential, unambiguous | "If this error appears, follow these steps to resolve it." |
| Press releases | Formal, factual, newsworthy | "The company announced today the general availability of..." |
| Error states | Understanding, constructive, non-blaming | "We hit a snag on our side. Our team is already investigating." |

### Tone by Scenario

| Scenario | Tone Adjustment |
|----------|----------------|
| Product launch | Confident, enthusiastic, forward-looking |
| Service disruption | Transparent, accountable, empathetic |
| Customer win | Celebratory, specific, customer-centered |
| Industry thought leadership | Nuanced, evidence-driven, authoritative |
| New user onboarding | Encouraging, clear, welcoming |
| Unwelcome news (price changes, deprecations) | Honest, respectful, solution-focused |
| Competitive positioning | Self-assured, factual, never disparaging |

### The Dial Principle
Voice attributes remain constant. Tone turns their intensity up or down depending on the moment. For a brand that is "confident and warm":
- At a product launch, confidence takes the lead
- During an outage, warmth takes the lead
- Neither quality vanishes; the emphasis shifts

## Editorial Standards

### Grammar and Mechanical Choices

Consistency matters more than any single choice. Document and enforce these decisions:

| Decision | Alternatives | Sample |
|----------|-------------|--------|
| Serial comma | Include / Omit | "fast, reliable, and secure" vs. "fast, reliable and secure" |
| Heading capitalization | Sentence case / Title case | "How to get started" vs. "How to Get Started" |
| Contractions | Permit / Avoid | "we're" vs. "we are" |
| Em dash style | No surrounding spaces / Spaces | "this—and more" vs. "this — and more" |
| Numeral rules | Spell out one through nine / Always use digits | "five features" vs. "5 features" |
| Percentage notation | Symbol / Word | "50%" vs. "50 percent" |
| Date styling | Month DD, YYYY / DD/MM/YYYY / other | "January 15, 2025" |
| Time styling | 12-hour / 24-hour | "3:00 PM" vs. "15:00" |
| List punctuation | Terminal periods / No periods on fragments | "Set up your account." vs. "Set up your account" |

### Formatting Conventions
- Heading hierarchy rules (when H1, H2, H3 are appropriate)
- Bold vs. italic purpose (bold for emphasis, italic for titles or introducing terms)
- Hyperlink text standards (always descriptive; never "click here")
- Image alt text requirements
- Code formatting norms (for technical brands)
- Use of callout or highlight boxes

### Punctuation and Emphasis Policies
- Exclamation marks: use sparingly, never consecutively
- Ellipses: avoid in professional content
- All-caps: prohibited for emphasis; use bold instead
- Emoji: prohibited in professional channels; acceptable in social where context warrants

## Vocabulary Governance

### Standardized Terms

Maintain an authoritative list of correct forms alongside common mistakes:

| Approved Form | Incorrect Form | Rationale |
|--------------|---------------|-----------|
| sign up (verb) | signup (verb) | "signup" is the noun/adjective form |
| log in (verb) | login (verb) | "login" is the noun/adjective form |
| set up (verb) | setup (verb) | "setup" is the noun/adjective form |
| email | e-mail | No hyphen; industry standard |
| website | web site | Single word; modern convention |
| data is (singular) | data are | Unless publication style mandates plural |

### Product and Feature Naming
- Canonical capitalization for every product name
- Rules for when to use the full name vs. an abbreviated form
- Whether "the" precedes product names
- How version numbers appear in copy
- Trademark and registration symbol usage (where required and where to omit)

### Language Inclusivity
- Default to gender-neutral pronouns (they/them for individuals of unknown gender)
- Eliminate ableist expressions ("crazy", "blind spot", "lame")
- Favor person-first phrasing where relevant
- Steer clear of culturally-bound idioms that resist translation
- Prefer "straightforward" or "simple" over "easy" — difficulty is subjective

### Technical and Industry Terminology
- Catalogue which sp