Website Style Guide

General Web Info

  1. Font Family: Tungsten, Arial
  1. Color:
    1. Blue 
      1. HEX: 4DA6DE
      2. RGB: 77-166-222
    2. Gray
      1. HEX: 555758
      2. RGB: 86-88-89

Website Copy Tips

  1. Use conversational style of writing.  You can use “we” and “you.”
    Old:  Residents can register at the Service Center. 
    New:  You can register at the Service Center.

  2. Use active versus passive voice in sentences. Passive sentences typically use was/were:
    Passive: The man was bitten by the dog.
    Active: The dog bit the man.
    Passive: Atlas software was used for qualitative data analysis.
    Active option: We used Atlas software for qualitative data analysis

  3. Make Titles Short:  3 - 5 words (50-60 characters)

  4. Use Addison (rather than Town of Addison or City of Addison) when possible/appropriate:
    Incorrect:  The Town of Addison announces the entertainment line-up for Taste Addison.
    Correct:  Addison announces the entertainment line-up for Taste Addison.

  5. Council Member:  We use two words, both capitalized.

  6. Use Sections or Bullet points to help define text. 

  7. Acronyms: Acronyms are fine to use as long as they have already been defined already on that page, but try to avoid when possible.
    Example: The Addison Arbor Foundation (AAF) sponsored the event. AAF also provides quarterly educational events.  

  8. Avoid Jargon: Imagine that someone who has no idea about the work you do will be reading this.

  9. Grammar Check: Use Grammarly and download the Chrome Extension to help you as you write. Download: https://www.grammarly.com/.  Since Grammarly sends your writing to a
    remote server on the cloud, please be mindful about legal or confidential documents. 

  10. Write at an 8th grade level: Content should be easy to read for all users.  You can use this website to help you edit copy so that it is close to an 8th grade level: https://hemingwayapp.com/

Numbers/ Addresses

  1. Phone Numbers:    Use dashes for phone numbers. 
                                     Example: 972-450-7000

  2. Times:           Use 5pm NOT 5:00pm, 5:00 PM, or 5PM
                           Use 5:30am NOT 5:30 am or 5:30 AM

  3. Dates: Use December 4 NOT December 4th

4. Addresses: Spell out Drive, Court, Boulevard, Circle, Road.
                     Example: 5300 Belt Line Road, not 5300 Belt Line Rd. or 5300 Belt Line

5. Belt Line is two words:  Belt Line NOT Beltline

Headings

  1. Main Heading: Use Heading 2 (Heading 1 is for the page title).

  2. Subheading: Use Heading 3 

  3. Body Text: Use Normal.

  4. Shift/Enter TWICE will allow a single line break between paragraphs and headings.

  5. Capitalize all words in a headline except articles:
    Examples: The Dog Left the Park, Wes Ate a Pie

Hyperlinks

  1. External Links:  Make sure that the “target” is set to “New Window”

  2. Internal Links: Make sure that the “target” is set to “Same Window”

Photos

  1. Use the Properties option to set the gutter space around a  photo to be 15 pixels (it can be as low as 10 or as high as 20 if needed).

  2. Online Photos:  Be careful pulling photos off the web.  There are some free photo sites you can use, but we need to be sure that we are legally allowed to use any photo on our website.  Make sure any photos say they are free for commercial use. 

  3. DO NOT ADD TEXT to photos: It will not be ADA compliant.

  4. Make sure to add alt copy. Copy does not need to be detailed unless the photo is important to explaining the story (black and white dog vs Henry, the dog who saved a boy from a burning building).

Resources

https://help.opencities.com/hc/en-us

https://hemingwayapp.com/

Introductory Training: https://granicus.zoom.us/rec/share/PT3F8oQOn0iL9vQrPGfO_od3xP6_ppsIkNL_s5dBwPu3vOpiGHTrXnyBvLZbH5pP.Gr4xxGe1xGpz-MMg

 

Back to top