Style

Before I joined as the sole Content person, Unbabel didn't have a comprehensive style guide. With a globally distributed team and several collaborating agencies, it was nearly impossible to have a single coherent brand voice and ensure consistency in spelling and grammar.

My first (and most urgent) task was to create a comprehensive style guide. We needed to move from abstract concepts and give concrete examples. It was going to be a collaborative effort; there were always going to be questions from anyone who writes and creates content for Unbabel.

I studied other successful tech websites and audited our content to find gaps in consistency. I studied industry standards when communicating with our audience before settling on our voice. I also surveyed the agencies about their experience working with Unbabel and where they felt they needed more direction. I worked with Product to ensure that product terminology, microcopy, and language all reflected our brand voice and tone. As an AI-powered product, Unbabel ran the risk of alienating the customer service leader persona with jargon and complexity. So I ensured that our voice is concise and to the point, but friendly and approachable.

I then collaborated with Creative to ensure that these changes were reflected in our rebranding efforts as well as branding guidelines.

It's still a living, breathing document. To date, my biggest achievement is getting everyone involved in a spirited discussion on whether we should hyphenate "e-" words.