Style guide

The Style guide is designed to help all of us to work together to present a consistent, approachable and positive image of Hampshire County Council in our written communications. It should be used alongside our corporate identity.

The Style guide primarily covers communications produced in-house on a personal computer, eg:

• emails
• memos
• letters
• faxes
• Hantsnet and Hantsweb communications
• reports
• departmental newsletters
• leaflets
• other publications.

When using a professional copywriter or designer to produce publications and marketing materials, you should make sure they abide by our house style.

Departments with their own house style templates should still comply with this guidance. There are also some corporate templates available in Word and Hantsfile, which incorporate this style guidance and the corporate identity. See Learn.IT or ask your departmental template administrator for more information.

This guide takes the Equality Act 2010 into account, which aims to protect disabled people and prevent disability discrimination. This means that all our goods, services and facilities must be accessible to people with disabilities. Specific guidance on clear communications, including large-print publications, is also available, known as Access for all.

This version of the Style guide includes a list of 15 golden rules - a useful guide to the most important points to remember from the Style guide.

Style guide contents

• 15 golden rules
• Introduction
• Essentials
• General layout and style
• Plain English
• Further information
• Appendices

Download the complete style guide  373kb