# How to write the voice and tone section of brand guidelines > Name a few voice traits, show each one in a real sentence and in one that goes too far, and say how the tone changes by situation, with published examples. People and AI agents follow a voice only as far as it is specific. “Friendly” gives them nothing to work with, but “we say ‘you’, never ‘users’” does. The guides below make their traits specific in different ways. Some pair each trait with its limit. Some connect the tone to the state of the reader. Some give a test that a writer can do. ## What the voice section needs - Three to five traits, each with a name of one or two words. - For each trait, a sentence in the voice and a sentence that misses. - What each trait is not, and where the tone changes: errors, apologies, and legal text. - Who the voice is for, in one sentence. - Word lists and approved standard text, as text that people and tools can copy. - When the section last changed, and who decides new cases. ## How published guides write it If you want one guide to copy, start with [the Mailchimp guide](https://aibrandguidelines.org/examples/mailchimp). Each voice trait in it comes with the line that the trait must not cross. Mailchimp publishes it under a Creative Commons license that asks only for credit. ### Mailchimp > Our sense of humor is straight-faced, subtle, and a touch eccentric. We’re weird but not inappropriate, smart but not snobbish. We prefer winking to shouting. Has: where it applies. Each trait comes with the line it must not cross. Source: [Mailchimp Content Style Guide, “Voice”](https://styleguide.mailchimp.com/voice-and-tone/), checked 2026-11-11. ### GOV.UK > incisive (friendliness can lead to a lack of precision and unnecessary words) – but remain human (not a faceless machine) Has: where it applies, reason. Says why friendliness is held back, then sets the opposite limit: still human. Source: [GOV.UK style guides and writing guidelines, “Use the right tone”](https://guidance.publishing.service.gov.uk/writing-to-gov-uk-standards/writing-guidelines/right-tone/), checked 2026-11-11. ### Microsoft > Warm and relaxed—We’re natural. Less formal, more grounded in real, everyday conversations. Occasionally, we’re fun. (We know when to celebrate.) Has: where it applies. Names the trait, then caps the fun at ‘occasionally’. Source: [Microsoft Writing Style Guide, “Three voice principles”](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/style-guide/brand-voice-above-all-simple-human), checked 2026-11-11. ### NHS > If you are writing to patients and the public, make sure your style is both personal and direct. Your written communication should be capable of being spoken out loud and sound as if it is being addressed to an individual. Has: exact value, where it applies. Gives a test a writer can run: read it aloud as if to one person. Source: [NHS Identity Guidelines, “Tone of voice”](https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhsidentity/identity-guidelines/tone-of-voice/), checked 2026-11-11. ### Mozilla > We may use humor to capture attention and aid understanding, but we never punch down. Has: where it applies, reason. Says what humor is for, and sets a clear limit on who it can target. Source: [Mozilla Brand Guidelines, “Welcoming”](https://brand.mozilla.com/document/240#/-/voice-tone), checked 2026-11-11. ### Atlassian > Delight means little flourishes, not humor or being cheeky. Has: where it applies. Says what delight is not, so nobody reads it as permission to joke. Source: [Atlassian Design System: Content and Logos foundations, “Delight with unexpectedly pleasing experiences”](https://atlassian.design/foundations/content/voice-tone), checked 2026-11-11. ### Shopify > Use business casual language. Be plain-spoken, not pretentious or overly playful. Has: where it applies. Each voice trait is paired with the ways it goes too far, here and in the heading. Source: [App design guidelines: Content (successor to the Polaris content guidelines), “Be real, but not too tough or overly familiar”](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/design/content/voice-and-tone), checked 2026-11-11. ### Dropbox > Stay real and relatable. Write the way you talk. Avoid jargon. Remember that actual people will be reading your words. Has: reason. Short commands with a reason attached. The sample lines nearby show right examples but no wrong ones. Source: [Dropbox Brand Guidelines, “Our tone of voice is simple, helpful, human, & magic”](https://brand.dropbox.com/voice-and-tone), checked 2026-11-11. ## Wording to copy Copy this text into your guide. The example is for Larch Coffee, a made-up coffee roaster. Replace the highlighted parts with the facts for your brand. ```text Voice We are [warm]. [We talk to customers as neighbors, not as a company.] In our voice: "[Your beans left the roaster this morning.]" Too far: "[OMG your beans are on their way!!!]" We are [warm], but not [cute]. Tone by situation When [an order is late]: [say sorry one time, give the new date, and stop]. When [the reader is in a hurry]: [give the answer first]. In legal and policy text: [plain words, no jokes]. ``` ## Common gaps - The traits have no example sentences, so every writer and every agent imagines a different voice. - There is one tone for everything, so error messages sound like launch announcements. ## Going further Rainbrand articles give more detail on voice. [How to write brand voice guidelines AI tools can follow](https://www.rainbrand.com/blog/write-a-brand-voice-guide-for-ai?utm_source=aibrandguidelines.org&utm_medium=satellite&utm_campaign=voice-guide) builds a voice guide from real edits. [Brand voice examples, and how to write rules AI can follow](https://www.rainbrand.com/blog/brand-voice-examples?utm_source=aibrandguidelines.org&utm_medium=satellite&utm_campaign=voice-examples) looks at seven published voice guides. --- Source: https://aibrandguidelines.org/parts/voice Last updated: 2026-11-11 Published by Annotated Guidelines. Annotated Guidelines is run by the team at Rainbrand.