Style Guide examples
- Applies to:
- All versions
- Role required:
- N/A
Many style guides exist, but it is important to create a company-specific guide that captures the writing rules that everyone in your organization should follow. Content governed by a style guide, even when written by many authors, appears to be written by the same voice with consistent conventions.
Elements of a style guide
A company style guide is a living document that evolves over time, and should always contain some important components.
Choose an existing style manual, such as AP Stylebook or Chicago Manual of Style, that fits best with your industry and contains comprehensive standards for grammar and word choice.
Your company style guide does not need to be as comprehensive, but should include:
- Documented exceptions where your company writing style deviates from the external style guide
- Replicated or modified entries for the most commonly referenced elements of writing style
- A usage dictionary of terms or jargon relevant to your business and writing
Example company style guides
Some companies have developed and shared their own style guides that are excellent base models: