Our voice and tone come through in both the words we use and the way we design our content. It’s important to maintain a consistent voice through our content, and to modify our tone based on our audience and the context of our message.

When visitors come across our content it should be immediately clear to them that it is WSU Human Resource Services. We communicate our unique identity as a part of the overall WSU brand. Our content doesn’t have to look and sound exactly like the rest of WSU, but it must adhere to the University-wide standards.

Voice

Our voice is welcoming and down-to-earth. Clear without being pretentious, we avoid overbearing language and jargon. We know what it’s like to be an employee trying to balance work life, home life, family, and life changes. That’s why we speak with compassion and expertise.

We treat every current and prospective employee seriously. We strive to educate without patronizing and to collaborate on finding the best solution to every challenge.

All of this means that when we write we are:

  • Down to earth: There’s no pretense about us. We’re honest, speak plainly, and listen to all points of view.
  • Spirited: We’re defined by a never-say-die attitude and can-do mindset.
  • Resilient: We adapt and evolve as needed, keeping our eyes on the goals we’ve set.
  • Original: We passionately believe in and explore big and out-of-the-box possibilities.
  • Welcoming: We strive to ensure all voices are heard and provide equitable opportunities to everyone.

Tone

Our voice is always the same, but our tone can change from one piece of content to another. Our tone is usually professional and friendly. The balance between the two will vary depending on the content and the expected visitor’s state of mind.

Take note of your audience. Are they other human resource employees, department hiring managers, or other internal users? Then it’s okay to use more technical language. Are they new WSU employees? Then you should aim for more straightforward descriptions that don’t assume prior knowledge of WSU systems.

Visual Tone

HRS’s visual tone, like our writing, is professional and friendly. Like the WSU brand identity, it should be down to earth, spirited, and welcoming.

When designing content this means we:

  • Make intentional, minimal use of colors. Rely mostly on black text on a white background. Use colorful elements only to highlight one or two specific elements on a page.
  • Use engaging, meaningful images. Use photos and images to enliven your content and help communicate your message. Prefer action-oriented, WSU-specific images and avoid overusing stock photography.
  • Follow the component guidelines when employing web elements. The HRS website is carefully designed to maintain a clear and universal tone. If you modify or tweak a default element it’s your responsibility to make sure it maintains that tone.
  • Use complex web elements judiciously. Some of the web elements we have available — such as callouts, notifications, buttons, and accordions — can quickly clutter the visual tone of a web page, making it dense and busy.