York University’s brand narrative, Positive Change, exudes hope, optimism, action and inclusivity. To establish a strong relationship with our audiences, our content must consistently communicate these attributes, across all channels, online and offline.
More than ever, audiences want to make an emotional connection with the brands they follow or engage with. You need to know your target audiences and how to make that content resonate. Most importantly, speak directly to them – not at or past them.
Your tone of voice should encapsulate all that your audiences value, while maintaining consistency with the York brand.
Please note that the documents linked below are to be used as a guide in conjunction with the full version of the Messaging Guide.
A core element of the University’s brand strategy, the brand house will help inform content choice to bring the brand to life in your content creation.
Download Institutional Messaging
As shared in the Messaging Guide, this document outlines the actual words to get inspiration from our brand story, general institutional messaging and multi-campus messaging.
Download Audience-First Approach
An audience-first approach to content and messaging is critical to bring our brand to life.
Download Writing Style Guide Desktop Version
Download Writing Style Guide Mobile Version
Consistency is key to create trust with our audiences. Use this style guide as your first reference when communicating to both the York University community and the general public in English. Within, you’ll find standards for capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, use of titles, language, and other style guidelines.