ECU Writing Style Guide

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Writing about Emily Carr University of Art + Design

Our formal name: Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Our semi-formal name: Emily Carr University
Our informal name: Emily Carr
Acronyms

Writing about our spaces

Writing about our campus
Writing about our building

Writing about our people

Writing about people in general
Writing about peoples' academic titles
Writing about alumni
Writing about alumni: special cases
Writing about Continuing Studies alumni
Writing about current students
Writing about our faculty and instructors
Using administrative, academic and other titles
Obituaries

Writing about our academic programs

Terms
Degrees

General ECU style

Our written communications can help reinforce the values of our logo and designs: warm, approachable, intelligent and engaging.

Strive for these characteristics in your writing.

Tone and voice
Preferred spelling
Salutations
Writing about art movements and styles
Writing about artwork
Punctuation
Capitalization
Numbers

Indigeneity

Terms, words and titles
Territory acknowledgement

Inclusivity

As writers, we must make informed and responsible choices to make sure our writing is respectful and trustworthy. We also have a responsibility to reflect the cultural diversity of our student body and of our audiences.

Language is always evolving. While we aim to follow a cohesive style guide, we believe it’s important to be aware of the social implications of standard English and adjust our writing accordingly.

Here are some best practices to ensure your writing is respectful, authentic and credible.

Best practices
Gender

Plain language and readability

It’s important that our writing is widely accessible to a broad audience of readers. Emily Carr serves an international student body as well as a diverse local community. Using plain language makes it easier for our audiences to read, understand and use university communications.

Our writing should be clear and concise, be easy to read, understand and share, regardless of education level or expertise in art and design. Highly readable text also improves reader comprehension, reading speed and retention.

Reading level
Readability guidelines for website writing