Open DS

Voice and tone

Five questions every design system answers about voice and tone. These are Content first’s answers, and each one points back to the reasons that chose it.

View all 5 voice and tone tokens ↓

The reasons this scheme answers from

  • R1Content and dataLong-form text, one idea at a time
  • R2Human factorsAttention on the content, they see it fresh each time
  • R3Team and deliveryA small team, rarely
  • R4People and work contextOccasional visitors, AA
  • R5BrandWarm, present

Question 1

Which kinds of copy does it need?

  • Labels and messages
  • Labels, messages and help
  • Labels, messages and articles (chosen)
  • Labels, messages and headlines

Why Content first picks it: Articles are the product; the UI copy must match them.

becauseR1

action“Save” · “Not now” · “Remove” · “Try again” · “Browse guides”

Question 2

How many tones does it use?

  • One
  • One per moment (chosen)
  • One per brand

Why Content first picks it: Warm by default, calmer for errors.

becauseR2

content action5

Question 3

How is the voice defined?

  • Rules and a word list
  • Principles and examples (chosen)
  • A shared core, brand tone on top

Why Content first picks it: Editors work from principles and examples, not word lists.

becauseR3R1

  • Principles and examples

These tokens are the decisions themselves; no primitive sits under them.

Question 4

How does it sound?

  • Terse
  • Plain and direct
  • Conversational (chosen)
  • Playful

Why Content first picks it: Talk to one reader, like a good editor.

becauseR4R5

  • action
    commit
    Save
    cancel
    Not now
    destroy
    Remove
    retry
    Try again
    empty-action
    Browse guides

Question 5

Where do the words matter most?

  • Errors and empty states
  • Articles and guides (chosen)
  • Form steps and errors
  • Headlines and buttons

Why Content first picks it: Most words are in articles and guides.

becauseR1

  • button
  • input
  • overlay
  • table

When to use

  • A button labelUse: A warm verb a reader would say. Not: "Submit" or "Click here". Buttons are part of the reading voice.“Subscribe”
  • The words of an errorUse: Calm and helpful. Take the blame, offer the way forward.. Not: Blaming the reader. A calm error keeps the reader's trust.“We could not save your email. Check it and try again.”
  • A success messageUse: Warm and brief, with what happens next. Not: A bare "Done". A warm close invites the reader back.“You're in. The next issue arrives on Friday.”
  • An empty stateUse: An invitation, not a dead end. Not: "No items". An empty list is a chance to show what the product offers.“Nothing saved yet. Tap Save on any article to read it later.”
  • A confirmation questionUse: Gentle and clear about what changes. Not: Guilt or pressure. Readers come back when leaving felt respectful.“Unsubscribe from the weekly letter? You can come back any time.”
  • A first visitUse: One sentence on what is here and why it is worth reading. Not: A sign-up wall. Occasional readers decide in seconds whether to stay.“Practical guides, one a week. Start with the most read.”

All voice and tone tokens

5 tokens · each decision and the primitive it points to

  • Decisions · 5content.action.commitSavecontent.action.cancelNot nowcontent.action.destroyRemovecontent.action.retryTry againcontent.action.empty-actionBrowse guides

Decisions reference primitives, so changing one primitive updates every decision and component that uses it.

Voice and tone in Content first: conversational. Talk to one reader, like a good editor. Most words are in articles and guides.