Voice & Tone
We write the way our subjects talk on a Tuesday morning – directly, with a point of view, in specific nouns. Voice doesn’t change. Tone shifts to match the room.
| Voice | Constant – four attributes |
| Tone | Variable – by context |
| Reading age | 13–15 (Flesch 60+) |
| Sentence length | ~14 words avg |
| Voice | Active, present-tense |
| Pronoun | ”You” – never “the user” |
Voice – what stays
Voice is the personality. It’s the same in a hero headline, a 404 page, a legal footnote, and a tweet. Four attributes – each defined by what we are and what we’re not, so the line is unambiguous.
Considered, not corporate.
We write like editors, not like a press release. Say what you mean. Skip “leverage”, “unlock”, “synergy”, and every other word that exists only to fill space on a slide.
Specific, not generic.
”A 47-year-old chief of staff” beats “an executive”. “Eight issues a year, 240 pages” beats “in-depth coverage”. Concrete nouns and real numbers do the persuading that adjectives can’t.
Direct, not deferential.
Active voice. Present tense. We have a point of view and we share it. We don’t apologise for taking up space, and we don’t pad with “perhaps”, “might”, “could possibly”.
Warm, not casual.
We respect the reader’s time and treat them as an equal. That’s warmth. It is not the same as “Hey there!”, emoji confetti, or pretending to be their friend.
Tone – what shifts
Tone is the volume knob. A celebratory headline on the issue page should not sound like an error message – but both come from the same voice. Match the moment without changing who you are.
| Context | Tone | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial – feature open | Confident, observed, slightly literary | ”For three years she ran the calendar of the man who ran London.” |
| Marketing – subscribe page | Direct, specific, no hard sell | ”Eight issues a year. Long interviews. No pop-ups.” |
| Product UI – primary action | Plain, verb-led, two words where possible | ”Save draft” · “Send to editor” · “Read the issue” |
| Empty state | Helpful, oriented, never apologetic | ”Nothing here yet. Start by saving an article from issue 87.” |
| Error – user-recoverable | Plain, owns the problem, points to the fix | ”Couldn’t send. Check your network and try again.” |
| Error – system fault | Plain, takes responsibility, sets expectation | ”Our end. We’re looking. Try again in a minute.” |
| Success / confirmation | Brief, factual, never triumphant | ”Saved.” · “Sent to your inbox.” |
| Legal / policy | Plain English, full sentences, no jargon | ”We keep your email until you ask us to delete it. Then we do.” |
In practice
Same idea, two drafts. The “yes” column is the line we’d ship. The “no” column is the one that keeps slipping into our drafts when we’re not paying attention.
Mechanics
Standard rules so two writers, working on different pages, end up with copy that reads as one publication. When in doubt, follow the Guardian style guide.
Lexicon
Not exhaustive. The point is the principle: prefer specific verbs and concrete nouns. Avoid corporate cliché, hedging, and language that flatters the reader instead of informing them.
Use
- ”read” – not “consume content"
- "interview” – not “conversation piece"
- "issue” – not “edition"
- "save” – not “bookmark for later"
- "chief of staff” – proper title, no quotes
- ”we” – for the publication
- ”sent” – not “successfully delivered"
- "can’t” – not “is unable to"
- "now” – not “at this time"
- "about” – not “regarding”
Avoid
- ✕Leverage, unlock, supercharge, empower
- ✕Solutions, offerings, experiences
- ✕Best-in-class, world-class, cutting-edge
- ✕Seamless, frictionless, holistic
- ✕Curated (unless an actual curator did it)
- ✕Journey (unless it’s literal)
- ✕Robust, scalable, enterprise-grade
- ✕“Hey there!”, “Oops!”, “Yay!”
- ✕“The user” (in user-facing copy)
- ✕Exclamation marks (in UI copy, ever)
Accessibility
WCAG 3.1.5 asks us to write at a lower-secondary reading level for general audiences. Plain language is also better for translation, screen readers, and the roughly one in ten English speakers with dyslexia (British Dyslexia Association).
”We keep your email until you ask us to delete it. Then we do.”
Two short sentences. 13 words total. Reading age 12.
”We retain personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and as required by applicable laws and regulations…”
28 words, three subordinate clauses, two passive constructions. Translates to: “we keep it until you ask us to."
"We sent the issue.”
Subject does the verb. Reads in one breath.
”The issue has been successfully delivered.”
Hides who did it. “Successfully” is filler – if it failed, we’d say so.
”Save · Send to editor · Read the issue”
Verb-first labels parse instantly for screen readers and keyboard users.
”Save options · Editor submission · Issue reading”
“Save options” makes you scan: option for what? Verb-first removes the puzzle.