The importance of style (guides)

English has an extraordinary capacity for reinvention and adaptability, and new words are created every day. Keeping track can be a daunting task for a company’s staff and customers alike. One solution is a style guide, which establishes the ground rules in how your company communicates.

The importance of consistency in your corporate communications
Inconsistencies in language can indicate a lack of professionalism, even incompetence. As a result, customers can lose faith in your company or brand. The language you choose should be consistent across the board, from brochures and websites to packaging and advertising. Get it right the first time and you’re establishing the right tone from the outset.

But with language in a seemingly perpetual state of flux, it’s easy for a company’s communications to become littered with inconsistencies. This is especially true for industry-specific terms. A few examples:

Shipping: Is newbuild actually a word or should it be new build?
Printing: Should you write narrow-web printing or narrow web printing?
Energy: Is hydropower one word or two? And what about windpower?
Advertising: What's the difference between a tagline and a tag line?

(To find the answers, see the bottom of this article.)

A style guide for the entire organization
Creating consistency is made a lot easier with a style guide. This is a one-stop reference shop for your whole organization containing all an employee needs to write in the company style. It contains everything from how your company writes industry-specific words to whether you should spell out per cent or use the % symbol and if you use American English or British English.

And it need not stop at style. A guide can set out recommendations on how staff can engage with clients, email dos and don'ts, email signatures, words and jargon to be avoided at all costs, the list is potentially endless.

By the company, for the company
It can be a collaborative process. Why not email everyone in your organization and ask for suggestions? Staff members are likely to have some of the most pertinent ideas. The end product is a potentially invaluable tool which will help shape your company's future communications.

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Eye for Image has compiled style guides for many Danish companies. But the level of our involvement can be entirely up to you. Give us a call on +45 4492 4444 or drop us a line, and we can design the solution that best matches your company needs.

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Answers

Shipping: Newbuild is a word in the industry, even if not in many dictionaries.

Printing: Many companies are increasingly moving towards narrow web printing.

Energy: Hydropower tends to be one word, wind power two.

Advertising: When talking about a slogan, both tagline and tag line can be used, although many dictionaries do not recognize the word tagline.

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