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Text and Style Guide

Top recommendation: Use the IU Kokomo templates which will help you integrate the information on this page into your Web development.

If there is a compelling reason that you can not use the IU Kokomo templates for your Web site, please contact the Web Manager for consideration of your template.

A note about content: Ultimately, YOU are responsible for the content (text and graphics) that appears on your Web pages. This standards guide provides some assistance in developing your site, but you must be attentive to the accuracy, currency and professionalism of all your official IU Kokomo Web pages.

Be consistent: text specifications | Understand how people read on the Web

Want people to use your site . . . be consistent.

One of the best ways to ensure consistency and professionalism in your text is to use cascading templates, which ensure that the presentation of your text is consistent throughout your site. The IU Kokomo template makes it very easy to make changes that apply to your entire site—a change to the template automatically changes every page that refers to it.

    The template

  • We strongly recommend that you use the IU Kokomo template for all your official IU Kokomo Web pages. Whether or not you wish to use specifications not integrated in the IU Kokomo template, please follow these guidelines:

    • Colors in text

  • For text, use dark colors on a light background for maximum contrast and readability. Black text is recommended for greatest readability. Always use black text (hex color #000000) for any text longer than a couple of lines.

  • If you are using color in text for emphasis, provide an additional means of emphasis as well, for those who are colorblind. Any colors you use should also be clear, contrasting and readable.

  • If you wish to use color in text, stick to the Web color palette (256 colors) and use colors that will work within the IU Kokomo color palette. Avoid using multiple text colors. Text colors should be used sparingly for selective highlights, not as a way to add decoration or color to a page.

    • Emphasis

  • Do not underline text for emphasis; use bold (<strong>) or italic (<em>) text instead. For Web users, underlined text—and particularly colored underlined text—signifies a link.

  • When using bold or italic for emphasis, do not overemphasize. As the saying goes, "all bold is no bold." And, since italicized text is harder to read than regular text, use italics sparingly, and for no more than a few lines of text at a time.

    • Text size

  • Text size should be within a readable range. A general size of "2" or 12 pt is standard for text. A little larger is appropriate for headlines; a little smaller is appropriate for footers. Text sizes are built into the IU Kokomo templates. Be aware that font sizes are rendered differently on Mac and PC browsers (PCs render text larger than Macs).

    • Text font

  • Specified fonts on your Web pages should be part of the common set that is the default on current desktop/laptop PCs and Macs. This is a very limited set. A good convention is to use the default font which is usually Times or Times New Roman for serif text or Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana convention for sans-serif type. (Text specifications are built in to the IU Kokomo template.)

  • If you specify a font that does not exist on a user's computer, the browser will use its own default font. Common fonts on Windows systems are Arial, Arial Black, Book Antiqua, Bookman Old Style, Century Gothic, Century Schoolbook, Courier, Courier New, Garamond, MS Serif, MS Sans Serif, Times New Roman, and Verdana. Common fonts for Mac systems are Arial, Avant Garde, Bookman, Chicago, Courier, Geneva, Helvetica, Monaco, New Century Schoolbook, New York, Palatino, and Times. If you wish to use specific fonts in these sets, note that individual font names must be specifically and exactly listed under the "face" attribute to appear in browsers. Text specifications are built in to the IU Kokomo template.

  • If you wish to use a non-standard font in a limited way (such as in a page header, etc.), you can create an image file using the font. Avoid using multiple fonts on a page—this is unprofessional and distracting.

    • Links in text

  • For links in text, use the browser default colors OR an intuitive color structure. For example, unvisited links should be darker in color than visited links. Make sure text links are underlined* so the user knows they are links. For graphic links, construct the navigation so links are obvious. Be consistent with text throughout your site.
    • External links (those outside the iuk.edu domain) should be opened in a separate window.

    *While it is true that mouseovers can provide the visual cues necessary to signify links in text, they require user navigation. Underlined text--the universal "link" cue--does not.

    Editing and proofreading

  • You are responsible for editing and proofreading your site's content. Macromedia® Dreamweaver® and Microsoft® FrontPage® also provides a very functional spell-check feature. Even so, there is no substitute for a human proofreader. Please be aware not to use special characters in word processing programs—such as em-dashes and smart-quotes—that may not translate to the Web.
  • The Office of Communications and Marketing can provide proofreading support for Web sites on a limited basis (depending on the current project load). Contact the Office of Communications and Marketing to speak about your project. Turnaround time will vary depending on workload and size of your project.

    • IU Kokomo style for editorial content

  • Be aware that Indiana University uses the AP style and the Chicago Manual of Style in addition to the Indiana University Style Guide for editorial content. You are responsible for ensuring that the content of your site complies with IU and IU Kokomo style guidelines.

Understand how people read on the Web

Studies have shown that people generally do not read large blocks of text on the Web. Most readers approach large blocks of text on Web sites in the following three ways:

  • They scan the content for highlights.
  • They print out pages.
  • They leave the site without reading the text.

Therefore, if you want people to read the text on your Web pages, make the content scannable. Break it up into small portions. Use bulleted lists. Highlight important terms or phrases (but not excessively). Don't expect your readers to read every word. And try to be concise.

Also, design your pages to lead to the most important sections (primary navigation or elements) with clear visual cues.

You can also serve your readers by making your pages printable. Even if you don't intend for people to print your pages, some will, and you should accommodate this option. You may provide a separate printable version, if you wish to take the time to do so. For general page design, printable pages require certain design protocols: no reversed text on a dark background, for example. You should also avoid extreme landscape-oriented designs. Avoid using frames. Further information about frames is available in the Design section of General Site Standards.