Why have a style sheet?

It's important that your department or organization speaks with one voice and in one style on major policies, issues, and practices. Getting your information out is difficult enough without having to sort through varying terminology and contradictory or incomplete information. If your audience in confused by the information you present, they will not read on. If they are confused by your Web pages, they will go somewhere else.

One objective of a style guide is to coordinate your message and achieve consistency in the "look and feel" of your printed and on-line documents.

When creating a style sheet, you may want to:

1. Inventory existing documents and publications to get a sense of what already exists and to establish a basis for deciding upon future publications.

2. Decide which existing publications to continue to publish and which to discontinue.

3. Consider creating templates for frequently-used publications. The time spent making a template will be time saved when you are producing documentation. Standard page layouts, fonts, and paragraph styles can be built into these templates. The templates can be made available to everyone in your organization who produces documentation or shared information.

   Cascading style sheets (CSS) for HTML may become an important part of your template strategy.

4. Establish a production schedule for regularly-produced printed and on-line documents. Such a schedule is usually developed starting with the publication date and working backward. It has built in enough time for printing production, editorial review, and initial writing and editing. Production schedules can be built for Web pages and other on-line documentation as well as for traditionally printed publications.

5. Create a list of commonly-used words, acronyms, and phrases and circulate it in your organization for comment and feedback. Invite and encourage comment on the list, including suggestions for additions and changes. This list will be the basis for your style guide. Allow for preferred an secondary usage on some words where there is strong division of opinion.

6. Arrange to have a departmental preview of the templates and guide to share these materials and further edit and refine them for use.

7. Distribute the templates and guide as a final packet to all who may have use for them in your department.

8. Schedule a six-month or year review of the templates and guide to make changes based upon actual use.

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