In essence, a style guide sets the standard for the writing and design of a document or other deliverable. Style guides vary from company to company, but here are some basic categories to consider including:
- Accommodation requirements (American Disabilities Act, Section 508 Compliance)
- Document and asset repositories (file locations, shared sites)
- Editorial
- Capitalization
- Grammar
- Punctuation
- Spelling
- Formatting and style
- Assessment format (question types and format)
- Fonts and colors
- Storyboard/Screen layout conventions
- Text formatting
- Titles and subtitles
- Media conventions (audio, image, video)
- Naming conventions
If you are creating a style guide for the first time, keep in mind that you don’t have to start from scratch. You may be able to start from a corporate style or marketing guide that addresses items commonly encountered in that particular company.
With regards to spelling, grammar, and punctuation, you can also consult a published stylebook as a secondary guideline. Some popular stylebook options are:
- Chicago Manual of Style (preferred in book publishing)
- Associate Press Stylebook or AP (preferred in magazine and newspaper writing)
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association or APA (preferred in academic
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