The Web Team has launched the UL style guide in a brand-new online format.
This guide is to be used across the University by all staff in creating both printed and digital content, from academic documents to online and printed marketing materials (and everything in between).
What is a style guide?
A style guide is a set of standards and guidelines for writing and designing documents, websites, or other forms of communication.
Why do we need one?
A style guide maintains a strong identity in both UL's internal and external communication.
It ensures that there's a consistent look and feel across all printed and digital materials, creating a unified image for the university.
It'll also be an integral part of the Web Team's Design System (in development), which is a rulebook for making the website look and work well.
It uses clear instructions and ready-made tools that everyone working on the site follows.
What makes it different?
The new UL style guide is not a document, it's a website. This means:
- No need to find a file on your computer
- Easy mobile access
- Unlimited, instant updates
- Easier to find specific items
- Improved accessibility
Key elements you need to know
We have plucked out some of the most crucial parts of the style guide that you can implement into your documents, emails and other writing right now:
Dates
Use July 25, not 25 July or 25th July. Leave out the day and year, unless you need them for clarity, in which case write out the day and the year in full:
Examples: July 25 July 25, 2023 Thursday, July 25
University of Limerick
Never use The University of Limerick, just University of Limerick or the University.
UL should be used after it has first been spelt out
Example: University of Limerick (UL) was delighted to welcome the Munster Rugby team to the Arena. UL has long enjoyed a relationship with the team.
Acronyms
When you use an acronym, write out the phrase or title etc in full the first time it appears, followed by the acronym in brackets. After that, the acronym can be used on its own.
Example: The School of Architecture at UL (SAUL) offers a five-year undergraduate degree in architecture, commencing in September 2005.
The objective of SAUL is to educate architects with a strong set of integrated skills, balanced with the environment - built, existing and imagined - and vital to professional practice.
Exceptions: Exceptions to the rule are acronyms better known than what they stand for such as NATO, RTÉ
Titles
Professor is never shortened to Prof.
Doctor can be shortened to Dr but never Dr.
Sentence case
Sentence case is a style of capitalisation that is commonly used in writing. It involves capitalising the first letter of the first word in a sentence, as well as any proper nouns, but leaving all other words in lowercase. Sentence cases should be used in all writing, especially in headings and buttons.
Example:
Instead of saying 'Explore Undergraduate Courses Now", use "Explore undergraduate courses now"
Intrigued? Explore the style guide now.