The word style guide gets tossed around quite a bit, but what exactly is it, and why do you—or your organization—need one?
From bloggers and corporate businesses to book editors, style guides create consistency in text and format that makes your organization and brand recognizable at first glance.
What are they, and why are they important?
A style guide is a document that categorizes a business’s language and grammatical priorities in all of its documentation. Many guides are structured into sections that focus on the publishing industry, inclusivity, spelling, punctuation, and even how to format a document.
A style guide is accessible to anyone writing or editing any form of communication. It reminds a communicator when doubt sets in, allowing them to focus entirely on the message they want to portray instead of fretting over the grammar behind it.
For editors, style guides are a reference when a communication question comes into play. Often, editors create a style sheet based on a style guide, allowing them to quickly glance at a preferred choice as they review a document.
Depending on the business, communication professionals may decide to use an established style guide, like the Chicago Manual of Style, Editing Canadian English, and, as many students (former and current) can attest, APA and MLA, which provide strict guidelines on how to present references to instructors. Other businesses, however, may opt to create their own as they can customize it to their brand—but sometimes finding the right in-house person or group to create this agreed-upon guide is difficult.
And this is where Scriptorium steps in.
At Scriptorium, we can analyze text to determine which style guide is beneficial for your business. We can also create guides specific to your business and projects to ensure your brand has that recognizable approach.
We walk step-by-step with our clients to ensure internal and external communication remains consistent. We also offer training sessions for businesses to help develop their communication strategies and internal documentation processes--which, yes, includes style guides.
Need some consistency in your writing and style? All our writers are great at getting creating consistent style guides that lead to professional products for your organization. Contact us for a consultation.