British Council staff are currently using a range of e-mail signature styles, which vary enormously in the quantity of information included and its presentation.

The British Council must be seen to present a consistent and professional image in all our communications. As e-mails are used frequently in the organisation, they play a significant role in projecting our corporate brand.

Just as our corporate letterheads and business cards follow a standard format, our e-mail signatures must do so too. We plan to draw up some mandatory rules and submit these to all staff for discussion. A global communication will be sent out to everyone after feedback has been considered.

NOTE ON ACCESSIBILITY

As an organisation, we are duty bound to make our information as accessible as possible. In terms of e-mail signatures, the typography must be legible without being over-sized unnecessarily. The minimum size for text should be 10 point.

OUT-OF-OFFICE NOTIFICATIONS

Think carefully when leaving your out-of-office notifications. Be clear and concise with dates and contact information. Ensure any contacts you give are actually in and not also out of office. Do not leave any personal or witty remarks; out-of-office should appear professional.

DO INCLUDE

*Please note: the inclusion of your BCTN is mandatory.

DO NOT INCLUDE

Icons to represent contact or recycling paper messages.

YOU MAY INCLUDE

Web addresses, but only if it is a business or marketing requirement
Straplines, but these should be restricted to approved project or corporate messages
Messages regarding conservation, but without icons
A translated signature.

EDITORIAL STANDARDS FOR E-MAIL ADDRESSES

We currently operate four standards for e-mail addresses:

tony.bains@britishcouncil.org
tony.bains@britishcouncil.org.[ISO country code]
tony.bains@britishcouncil.[ISO country code]
tony.bains@[ISO country code].britishcouncil.org

The last version is the preferred corporate style. The order of the first name and last name may be reversed in line with local custom. Initials may be used where this is local custom. Women may use alternative conventions for their names where there is concern about possible harassment arising from awareness of their gender.

GENERAL E-MAILS

Write general e-mail addresses as follows:

[optional city]activity@[domain follows conventions shown]
berlin.info@britishcouncil.de
exams@britishcouncil.org.nz
info@in.britishcouncil.org

The organisation’s title is ‘British Council’ and should not be preceded by the word ‘the’ or ‘The’ when writing addresses, copyright, signs or job titles:

British Council, 10 Spring Gardens
London SW1A 2BN, UK
© British Council
British Council
Director Communications, British Council

In all other cases, our title should be preceded by the word ‘the’:

I work for the British Council
opportunities offered by the British Council.

A capital ‘T’ should be used only at the start of a sentence or heading:

The British Council connects people worldwide with learning opportunities
The British Council and you.

When reference is made to the organisation’s name in all internal and external publications or communications, the full title must be used. Staff should never shorten the title to ‘the Council’ or ‘BC’. Although use of the full title, when occurring frequently, is tolerable in formal texts (e.g. financial documents), when used frequently in more informal publications (e.g. newsletters), the effect may be inappropriately repetitious. In some instances, substituting ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’ for the full title of the organisation will be effective. The examples on the next page show how text can be rewritten to accommodate this ruling.

INTERNAL SIGNATURE STYLES

Internal use signature with address and BCTN number. The use of BCTN is mandatory but the address can be deleted if not applicable.

EXTERNAL SIGNATURE STYLES

External use signature with the exclusion of the BCTN number. Mobile numbers and URLs should be included only as a business requirement.

NOT ACCEPTABLE

This mail uses an inappropriate sign-off, the incorrect substitute font and icons to indicate telephone, fax and e-mail details. Use of colours is also uneccessary.