Writing: the Key Bits

This style guide goes into depth on many subjects. It may be more information than you need. Here are the most important things to know.

Principles

Good content is:

• Clear
• Useful
• Friendly
• Appropriate

Voice and tone

Decoded's voice is:

• Human
• Familiar
• Friendly
• Straightforward

Our tone changes depending on the situation, but it's generally informal. We have a sense of humour, but we value clarity over entertainment.

Our priorities are to inform or educate readers without patronising or confusing them.

Writing about people

We write with a person-first perspective. Being aware of the impact of your language will help make Decoded a better place to work and a better business to work with.

• Avoid gendered language and use the singular “they.”
• Don’t reference age or disability unless it’s relevant to what you’re writing.
• When writing about a person, use their preferred pronouns; if you don’t know those, just use their name.

Related resource: The Conscious Style Guide.

Grammar and mechanics

• Some people will read every word you write. Others will just scan. Help everyone by grouping related ideas together and using descriptive headers and subheaders.
• Focus your message, and create a hierarchy of information. Lead with the main point or the most important content.
• Use active voice and positive language.
• Use short words and sentences.
• Avoid unnecessary modifiers.
• Use specific examples.
• Avoid vague language.
• Be consistent. Adhere to the copy patterns and style points outlined in this guide.
• Feel free to use contractions.
• Use the Oxford comma. Otherwise, use common sense.
• Don’t use underline, and don’t use any combination of italic, bold, caps, and underline.
• When in doubt, read your writing out loud.