housestyle

House style, or housestyle, is a set of editorial and design rules adopted by an organization to ensure consistency across all communications. It governs language, spelling, punctuation, and formatting, as well as visual elements such as typography, color, and layout. A house style typically differs from brand guidelines in scope; the former focuses on editorial and stylistic details, while the latter covers broader brand identity, including logos and tone.

Editorial guidelines cover spellings and preferred terms, hyphenation, capitalization of titles, abbreviation practices, number and date formats, citation styles, and usage notes on sensitive topics. They may specify a preferred dictionary, grammar rules, and consistency in headlines, captions, and bylines. Visual guidelines outline typefaces, grid systems, color palettes, image treatment, logo usage, and accessibility considerations, such as alt text standards.

House styles are created to maintain a coherent voice and appearance across multiple authors and channels, from print to web and social media. They help editors work efficiently, reduce ambiguity, and reinforce brand recognition. Implementation usually involves a formal document, hosted on a shared repository, with versioning and periodic updates. Training and onboarding ensure contributors apply the rules.

Common examples include newsroom styles such as AP and house styles of newspapers and magazines; institutions often develop in-house guides aligned with their audience and medium. Challenges include avoiding over-prescriptiveness, keeping guidelines current, and balancing consistency with adaptability to new platforms.