---
title: "Voice and Tone"
description: "How Gavlar sounds — three words, the rules, the vocabulary, the channel tilts, and the pre-publish check."
---
Voice is the brand. Get this right and everything else follows. This page calibrates any copy, from a LinkedIn post to a proposal to a single button.

## Voice in three words

**Warm. Curious. Considered.**

Underneath those, four characteristics shape how we sound:

- **Warmly professional.** Friendly and human, never stiff. We use "we" to signal partnership.
- **Strategically insightful.** We explain the *why*. Depth without jargon.
- **Authentically witty.** Subtle humour that feels natural, never forced. We know when to lighten up and when to be serious.
- **Calm and considered.** Thoughtful over reactive. Measured insight over hot takes. Confidence without the push.

## The rules

- **UK English throughout.**
- **Limit em dashes.** Prefer commas, full stops, or a rewrite.
- **"We" for the Gavlar approach.** Warm and collaborative, not corporate.
- **Earn every word.** If a line is habit or filler, cut it.
- **Never force the light.** The vocabulary includes shine and radiance. The writing shouldn't lean on them.

## How it sounds

<div class="voice-comparison">
  <p class="principle">Confidence without the shout</p>
  <div class="use"><span class="label">Sounds like us</span>Good brands have personality. Great brands have the confidence to show it.</div>
  <div class="avoid"><span class="label">Not us</span>We're a world-class, cutting-edge branding agency delivering game-changing solutions.</div>
</div>

<div class="voice-comparison">
  <p class="principle">Warmth over corporate distance</p>
  <div class="use"><span class="label">Sounds like us</span>I've been thinking about your audience challenge, and I've got a few ideas that might solve it.</div>
  <div class="avoid"><span class="label">Not us</span>Please find attached our strategic recommendations for your consideration.</div>
</div>

## Vocabulary

The handful of words that carry the brand. Use them naturally, never on a schedule.

- **Shine, brighter, radiant** — the core light vocabulary, used sparingly.
- **Naturally** — the most-used qualifier in the Gavlar voice.
- **Memory moments** — what motion and detail create.
- **Your people** — never "your audience" or "your customers".
- **Uncover** — never "create from scratch".
- **Living framework** — never "brand guidelines".

### Words to avoid

Synergy, leverage, game-changer, cutting-edge, world-class, revolutionary, best-in-class, awesome, epic, crush it, cookie cutter, one size fits all. Plus the corporate tics: "delighted to announce", "thrilled to share", "please find attached".

## Channel tilts

Same voice, different weighting by where it lands.

- **LinkedIn** — lead with insight, follow with warmth. Confident, never arrogant.
- **Instagram** — warmer, more personal, story-led. A little more relaxed.
- **Client proposals** — strategic and collaborative. "We" and "together" do real work here.
- **Website** — clear, confident, purposeful. Benefits with personality.
- **Email** — warm and direct. One person speaking to one person.

## Pre-publish checklist

Run this before anything ships.

- [ ] Carries the North Star, warm *and* curious?
- [ ] UK English, em dashes limited?
- [ ] Would only Gavlar say this, or could a competitor paste their name on it?
- [ ] Every line earning its place?
- [ ] No words from the avoid-list?
- [ ] Light vocabulary used naturally, not forced?
- [ ] Right channel tilt for where it lands?