top of page

Content style guide for an online travel platform

Developing brand voice and tone, and content guidelines for UX copy, trip itineraries, and images

Project overview

A startup travel company had multiple communication platforms and needed a content style guide to standardise brand language, voice, and tone.

​

The document included ​guidelines for writing style, grammar and mechanics, vocabulary and word choice, FAQs, trip naming, UX microcopy, and platform-specific guidelines along with do's and don'ts with examples.

My role

Translated brand vision & philosophy into guidelines​

Developed a content style guide document as a single source of truth

Conducted a workshop to familiarise team members with the style guide and its usage

Style guide creation process

01

Content audit & analysis

I began by conducting a comprehensive audit of existing content across the product UI, marketing materials, and website, to identify inconsistencies and areas for improvement.

02

Stakeholder interviews

I interviewed key stakeholders from various departments to understand their content needs, challenges, and goals. 

03

Drafting guidelines

Based on the research findings, I developed comprehensive guidelines covering voice and tone, grammar and mechanics, UX copy standards, terminology, and image guidelines.

04

Structure & components

05

Review & iterations 

The draft guide underwent review with stakeholders, incorporating feedback to ensure it met the needs of team members while remaining practical and easy to use.

I designed the structure of the style guide to ensure it was both comprehensive and easy to navigate, with clear examples and counterexamples to illustrate each guideline.

06

Implementation

Once the document was finalised, I conducted a workshop to introduce the style guide to team members explaining its purpose, structure, and how to apply it in different content contexts.

Guide components: brand tone & voice

Knowledgeable but not pretentious

We're travel experts who share insights without being condescending. Our expertise comes through in helpful recommendations, not showing off.

​

Conversational but professional

We speak like a trusted friend who happens to be a travel expert. We're approachable but maintain credibility through polished communication.

​​

Enthusiastic but genuine

We're genuinely excited about travel and the experiences we help users discover, but we never oversell or use hyperbole that feels inauthentic.

​

​Clear but warm

We prioritise clarity in all communications while maintaining a friendly, personable tone that builds connection.

Do

  • Incorporate personal touches like "we think you'll love" rather than generic statements

  • Be concise and clear, especially when providing instructions or important information

  • Address the reader directly using "you" to create a personal connection

  • Use contractions (you'll, we're, don't) to maintain a conversational flow​

Don't

  • Use a generic corporate tone that could apply to any travel company

  • Include lengthy, complex sentences that are difficult to follow

  • Adopt a commanding or presumptuous tone that tells users what they "should" do

  • Be negative about destinations, travel choices, or competitors

Guide components: grammar & mechanics

General Rules

  • Use British English spelling and conventions consistently (e.g., "organisation" not "organization", "travelled" not "traveled")

  • Apply the Oxford comma in all list contexts for clarity (e.g., "We offer flights, hotels, and experiences")

  • When using non-English words like local names of dishes, add a translation in brackets where appropriate​​

Punctuation Guidelines

  • Use a full stop/period at the end of complete sentences, including in bullet points that form complete sentences

  • Colons to introduce lists or explanations

  • Use em dashes (—) for breaks in thought

​

Capitalisation

  • Use title case for headings and subheadings (capitalise all major words)

  • Capitalise proper nouns, including specific place names and branded terms​

Guide components: trip naming convention

Tour titles

  • The destination / country name should appear in the tour title

  • Don't use any articles (a/an/the) to start tour names so influencer name addition can be seamless

  • Titles can either just be the destination (North India / Turkmenistan etc) or slightly descriptive (Taste of Kerala)

Sub-title

  • A subtitle is mandatory every trip which can be either of the following:

- tour highlights (eg Souks & Sands)

- cities included (eg. Jodhpur & Jaisalmer)

- descriptor (eg. A Whiskey Trail / A Culinary Trail)

Like this

  • Kenya: Into The Wild

  • Scotland: A Whisky Trail

  • Royal Rajasthan: Jaipur to Udaipur

Challenges & key takeaways

Challenges

Evolving company vision

​As a newly founded start-up, the vision of the company changed over a few months while the style guide was being worked on. This meant redoing the brand voice guidelines as the target users changed.​

​

Small team

The style guide aimed to standardise content across creators. However, in our startup environment where employees juggle multiple responsibilities, strict adherence wasn't prioritised, necessitating final reviews and quality checks for most communications.

Not like this

  • Nepal, Ghorepani to Ghandruk Trek

  • Wild Apes of Rwanda

  • Backwaters and Heritage Escape

Key takeaways

A style guide is a living document

Content is ever-evolving & a style guide needs regular updates to stay relevant as the product evolves and new content needs emerge.

​

Use examples everywhere​

Providing clear examples and counterexamples for each guideline helps team members understand and apply the guidelines correctly, especially those not comfortable with writing.

bottom of page