Intelligence Community Design System

We write for everyone. We realise people can interpret our words in different ways.

We assume no existing knowledge or technical skill.

We write non-gendered.

We write for real people and speak to them as if we're in a conversation.

We use contractions such as it's, you'll, you're, we're, let's and can't (in UI copy).

Read out your writing and check that it sounds natural.

We tell people only what they need to know.

We keep content understandable, concise, relevant and to the point.

We write content that is serious but not pompous or emotionless. Adjectives can be subjective and make text sound more emotive.

Shorter sentences are easier for people to scan. They’re more accessible for people who struggle with reading or have a cognitive impairment. Check any sentences with more than 25 words to see if you can split them to make them clearer.

Use simple words to make it easier to read.

We write only what we need to and strip excess words from what we write.

We aim for a reading age of 9 to 11 years old. Adults still prefer and recognise the words they learned as a child.