How we write

Basic principles

Proper grammar and formatting promotes clarity and helps us speak in a professional voice

Contractions

• Contractions are encouraged. They add a friendly, informal tone e.g. instead of 'it is' you can use it's and instead of 'do not' you can use 'don't'

Active voice

• Always use active voice over passive voice e.g.

Headings and subheadings

• Headings and subheadings help structure content
• Always use sentence case. Sentence case is when only the first letter of the first word in a title (and any proper noun) is capitalised, such as: "This is a sentence case title"
• No punctuation unless the title is a question
• A page should only have one heading (H1)
• Use subheadings (H2, H3, H4, etc.) to make content more scannable
• Headings should follow a natural hierarchy. An H3 should be nested under an H2
• Relevant keywords should be included in headings, but SEO should not be the only factor considered when writing. We should speak like humans

Unordered (bullets) and ordered (numbers) lists

• Use for steps and sets of relevant information
• Use punctuation if one of the list items is a complete sentence
• Number lists when order is important (instructions, sequential processes)
• Do not use full-stop at the end of lists

Links

• Include a link whenever referencing external content
• Avoid phrases like "click here." Instead, use language that describes the content you're linking to. For example: download our catalog

Buttons

• Always include an action
• Always use sentence case
• Always be clear and concise

Emoji

• We love emojis, but do not overuse them
• The occasional emoji can help convey emotion and add visual interest
• Use emojis tastefully and in moderation. Remember the timeless principles 'less is more'

Slang and terminology

• Avoid slang. Write in plain English
• Use emojis tastefully and in moderation. Remember the timeless principles 'less is more'

Acronyms

• Always spell out acronyms word-for-word the first time they're used
• First use: Automatic Teller Machine
• Second use: ATM
• No need for a parenthetical

Numbers

• Always spell out numbers (e.g. three, and not 3)

Ampersand

• Do not use the ampersand (&) in sentences. Always write out the word "and"
• It's okay to use ampersand (&) occasionally in headings or when you are restricted by the number of words

Google Docs

For consistency and to make sure we deliver content, communication internally and externally Mamo has created the following writing style principals.

Google Docs is a very powerful real-time collaboration and document authoring tool. Multiple users can edit a document at the same time, while seeing each others' changes instantaneously. Users can produce text documents, slide presentations, spreadsheets, drawings, and surveys. In Google Docs we use a specific style for our documents which include correct fonts, headers and other formatting please set the following document styles as your default. The instructions on how to do this are included in the document link below.

Sentence case

We use sentence case capitalization. In sentence case, most major and minor words are lowercase (proper nouns are an exception in that they are always capitalized e.g. a name of a company, partner, product, service or a person).

Here's how we implement sentence case. In sentence case, lowercase most words in a title or heading. Capitalize only the following words:

• the first word of the title or heading
• the first word of a subtitle
• the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading
• nouns followed by numerals or letters
• proper nouns (such as name of a company, partners, product, service or a person)

UI/UX writing

Aim for your text to be understandable by anyone, anywhere, regardless of their culture or language.

UI/UX text can make interfaces more usable and build trust. Text should be clear, accurate, and concise.

Periods