As in everything to do with brands, projecting an appropriate personality and tone of voice work only if used consistently. But there is an obvious problem with that.

If we have one personality and tone of voice, how can we address all our many audiences and perform our varied tasks?

IT'S A QUESTION OF EMPHASIS

When talking about governance or addressing a government, institution or business audience, you may want to stress the focused, independent, confident and authoritative aspects of our personality and tone.

Whereas with an arts event or an audience of undergraduates you might prefer to emphasise the creative, engaging, enthusiastic and inspiring aspects.

Always be aware of cultural sensibilities and adapt the tone accordingly. Think about how you might treat straightforward factual material and how this would differ from the one you might use to convey more personal, emotional or aspirationally driven messages.

Although the emphasis may change, the personality and tone of voice should remain the same.

Download our latest style guide and editorial standards.