Voice & Tone
The way Snyder sounds in writing — anywhere a human reads us. Confident, kind, specific, never shouty.
01 · Pillars
Four pillars
Four simple words. Read them aloud before you write a big headline or an error string.
01
Professional
We earn trust by knowing our craft and respecting the reader’s time.
02
Approachable
Everyday language. Contractions welcome. "You" and "we".
03
Confident
Take a position. Active voice. Lead with the benefit.
04
Clear
Short sentences. Specific numbers. No filler, no fluff.
02 · Principles
Do · Don't
Don't
- Use passive voice when you can avoid it.
- Write long, winding sentences.
- Bury the benefit under setup.
- Say "we" when "you" works.
- Be vague when you can be precise.
- Reach for em-dashes as a tone device.
- Use emoji in UI, docs, or marketing.
Do
- Use active voice.
- Keep sentences short — max 25 words.
- Lead with the benefit.
- Address users as "you".
- Be specific. Numbers beat adjectives.
- Use commas or period breaks.
- Reach for a text label instead.
03 · Microcopy
In practice
Real patterns, real rewrites. Copy the right column into your product.
| Context | Don't | Do |
|---|---|---|
| Button | “SUBMIT” | “Save changes” |
| Error | “Error 500” | “Something went wrong. Please try again.” |
| Empty state | “No data” | “No projects yet. Create your first one.” |
| Toast | “Saved successfully!” | “Changes saved.” |
| Loading | “Please wait…” | “Syncing your workspace.” |
| Destructive | “Are you sure?” | “Delete “Q4 Report”? This can’t be undone.” |