Brand Voice Chart: The 4 Dimensions of Tone
Most small businesses sound like they are suffering from a personality disorder.
On Monday, the founder writes a LinkedIn post that comes across as a distinct and passionate industry leader. On Tuesday, a freelancer writes a blog post that sounds like a generic Wikipedia entry. By Wednesday, the social media manager is posting memes that don't align with either.
This is the “Frankenstein Effect.” It happens when you treat your brand’s written content as a series of isolated tasks rather than a cohesive ecosystem.
The result isn't just aesthetic irritation; it is a financial leak. When a customer cannot predict how you will speak to them, they cannot trust you. Trust is the currency of conversion.
You do not need “better writers.” You need a Brand Voice Chart.
This is not a piece about “finding your passion.” This is a technical breakdown of how to construct a governance document for your verbal identity, ensuring that whether a junior intern or a C-suite executive is typing, they both sound like Inkbot Design.
- Define precise voice attributes with Description, Do, and Don’t to make tone actionable and enforceable.
- Map your brand on the NNg’s four sliding scales: Funny–Serious, Formal–Casual, Respectful–Irreverent, Enthusiastic–Matter‑of‑Fact.
- Keep voice consistent; adapt tone by context so communications remain trustworthy during crises or marketing moments.
- Use the Brand Voice Chart for prompt engineering and to prevent AI’s “beige” output—add sensory, local, human details.
- Audit regularly (blind test, “We” count, read aloud) and ensure the chart is operational, not merely aspirational.
What is a Brand Voice Chart?
A Brand Voice Chart is a strategic document that defines the specific emotional and stylistic parameters of your brand's communication. It moves beyond vague adjectives (e.g., “friendly”) and provides actionable instructions on syntax, vocabulary, and tone for specific scenarios.
It serves as the “source of truth” for anyone writing on behalf of the company. A functional chart typically breaks down the voice into specific characteristics, offering three key components for each:
- Description: What the attribute means in practice.
- Do: Specific examples of vocabulary and phrasing to use.
- Don't: Specific examples of what to avoid to prevent brand dilution.
The Core Distinction: Your Voice is your personality (consistent). Your Tone is your attitude (variable depending on context).
Brand Voice Chart Example: Nike (The Hero)
| Voice Attribute | Description | DO (Sound like this) | DON'T (Avoid this) |
| Inspirational | We motivate the user to move. We focus on the emotional payoff of the effort, not just the product specs. | Use active, punchy verbs (“Run,” “Start,” “Defy”). Focus on the athlete's internal struggle. Celebrates the “grind.” | Sounds elitist or snobbish. Make the user feel inadequate. Use overly complex sports jargon that alienates beginners. |
| Direct & Urgent | We don't waste time. We speak in commands, not suggestions. We are confident and bold. | Keep sentences short. Use the imperative mood (“Just Do It”). Be concise. | Use waffle words (“Maybe,” “Try to,” “Hopefully”). Write long, winding paragraphs. Apologise for being intense. |
| Inclusive | “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” We speak to the beginner and the pro with equal respect. | Celebrate the attempt, not just the win. Show gritty reality (sweat, failure). Use “Us” and “You.” | Sound elitist or snobbish. Make the user feel inadequate. Use overly complex sports jargon that alienates beginners. |
The High Cost of Inconsistency
Before we strip back the mechanics, let’s look at the stakes. Why bother documenting this?
According to the State of Brand Consistency report, presenting a brand consistently across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%.
Conversely, inconsistent branding creates cognitive dissonance. If your website claims you are a “high-end luxury consultant” but your email auto-responder sounds like a chaotic text message from a teenager, the price premium you are trying to command evaporates.
The 4 Dimensions of Tone: The NNg Framework
To build a chart that actually works, we cannot rely on gut feeling. We use the framework established by the Nielsen Norman Group (NNg). Their research identified four primary dimensions of tone of voice that can be used to map any brand profile.
These are not binary switches; they are sliding scales. Your job is to decide where your brand sits on each spectrum.
1. Funny vs. Serious
This is the most dangerous dimension. Humour captures attention, but it kills credibility if used in the wrong industry.
- The Serious End: Insurance, legal, medical, and high-finance sectors often sit here. The priority is clarity and gravity.
- The Funny End: Consumer goods (FMCG), fast food, and disruptive tech startups.
Real-World Example:
Look at Oatly. Their packaging and copy are self-deprecating, meta, and often ridiculous. It works because they sell oat milk. Now, compare that to HSBC. If HSBC started making “meta” jokes about interest rates in its mortgage contracts, its stock price would likely tank.
Your Chart Strategy:
If you choose “Funny,” you must define the type of humour. Is it dry wit? Slapstick? Sarcasm? If you leave this undefined, your social media manager might post something offensive, thinking it’s “on brand.”
2. Formal vs. Casual
This measures the distance between the brand and the user.
- Formal: Uses full sentences, correct grammar, standard capitalisation, and industry terminology. It signals authority and tradition.
- Casual: Uses contractions (you're, we'll), slang, sentence fragments, and perhaps emojis. It signals accessibility and partnership.
The “Monzo” Effect:
Monzo, the UK challenger bank, disrupted the sector by scaling the scale heavily toward Casual. They use emojis in push notifications. They write “Got it” instead of “Transaction Acknowledged.” This terrified the legacy banks, but it won them millions of younger users who felt the formal banks were alienating them.
3. Respectful vs. Irreverent
This dimension measures how you treat the subject matter and social norms.
- Respectful: You treat the user and the topic with deference. You do not rock the boat. You are polite, polished, and safe.
- Irreverent: You challenge the status quo. You may be perceived as slightly aggressive or controversial. You are confident enough not to care if you offend the wrong people.
Consultant's Note:
Many entrepreneurs tell me they want to be “Irreverent” like Cards Against Humanity or Deadpool.
My response: “Are you willing to lose 50% of your potential market to cement loyalty with the other 50%?” If the answer is no, stay Respectful.
4. Enthusiastic vs. Matter-of-Fact
This measures the energy level of the copy.
- Enthusiastic: Lots of exclamation marks, superlatives (“Amazing,” “Incredible”), and hyperbolic language.
- Matter-of-Fact: Direct, dry, and information-heavy. No fluff.
The Gold Standard:
The UK Government’s digital presence, GOV.UK is the global benchmark for Matter-of-Fact design. Their design principle is “this is for everyone.” Enthusiastic copy can be confusing or annoying when someone is trying to pay a tax bill or register a death. They provide pure utility.
Constructing Your Brand Voice Chart (The Template)
Now that we understand the dimensions, we need to document them. A generic “style guide” gets ignored. A specific Brand Voice Chart gets used.
Create a table with three columns for each of your primary voice attributes.
Attribute 1: Authoritative (The Expert)
| Description | Do | Don't |
| We are the smartest people in the room, but we don't brag. We use data to back up claims. We are precise. | Use specific numbers (“23% increase”). Cite sources. Use active verbs (“We analysed,” “We constructed”). | Use filler words (“We feel like,” “Basically,” “Kind of”). Use exclamation marks for emphasis. Apologise for the technical complexity. |
Attribute 2: Direct (The Pragmatist)
| Description | Do | Don't |
| We value the reader's time. We get to the point immediately. We avoid corporate fluff. | Start sentences with the main verb. Keep paragraphs under 3 sentences. Use bullet points for lists. | Use “marketing speak” (e.g., “synergy,” “paradigm shift”). Bury the lead in the third paragraph. Use passive voice (“Mistakes were made”). |
Attribute 3: Empathetic (The Partner)
| Description | Do | Don't |
| We understand the user's pain because we have been there. We are on their side, not talking down to them. | Use inclusive language (“We,” “Us”). Acknowledge difficulty (“We know this is hard”). Focus on benefits, not features. | Use patronising language (“It's simple,” “Just do X”). Dismiss customer complaints. Sound robotic or automated. |
The “Voice vs. Tone” Myth: A Critical Distinction
One of the most common errors I see when auditing brand tone of voice is the rigidity of the application.
Clients often say: “But our brand voice is Funny. Why can't we crack a joke in the 404 error message?”
You can. But you probably shouldn't crack a joke in the “Payment Failed” notification.
The Contextual Shift
Your Voice remains constant. It is who you are.
Your Tone adapts to the emotional state of the user.
- Scenario A: Marketing Email (High Enthusiasm)
- Voice: “Hey! We’ve got something brilliant to show you.”
- Context: The user is passive, maybe curious. You need to hook them.
- Scenario B: Server Outage Update (Low Enthusiasm, High Respect)
- Voice: “We are currently experiencing downtime. We know this disrupts your work, and we are fixing it now.”
- Context: The user is frustrated and losing money. Enthusiasm here would be insulted.
If you do not map these scenarios in your chart, your junior copywriter will use the wrong tone during a crisis.
50 Examples of Brand Voice Adjectives
| Brand Style Category | Adjectives |
| The Expert (Professional, Intellectual, Trustworthy) | 1. Authoritative 2. Reliable 3. Informative 4. Strategic 5. Objective 6. Direct 7. Efficient 8. Experienced 9. Analytical 10. Corporate |
| The Friend (Playful, Energetic, Casual) | 11. Playful 12. Witty 13. Quirky 14. Enthusiastic 15. Cheerful 16. Approachable 17. Whimsical 18. Humorous 19. Casual 20. Spunky |
| The Sophisticate (Luxury, Elegant, Exclusive) | 21. Elegant 22. Polished 23. Luxurious 24. Refined 25. Chic 26. Timeless 27. Glamorous 28. Prestigious 29. Sensual 30. Curated |
| The Rebel (Bold, Edgy, Disruptive) | 31. Daring 32. Provocative 33. Fearless 34. Unconventional 35. Radical 36. Sarcastic 37. Gritty 38. Loud 39. Raw 40. Rebellious |
| The Caregiver (Warm, Sincere, Inspirational) | 41. Empathetic 42. Nurturing 43. Authentic 44. Uplifting 45. Compassionate 46. Gentle 47. Inspiring 48. Heartfelt 49. Supportive 50. Holistic |
The State of Brand Voice in 2026: The AI Factor
We must address the elephant in the room: Generative AI.
Since late 2024, the volume of AI-generated content on the internet has increased significantly. This has created a “Beige Web”—a sea of content that is grammatically perfect but stylistically dead. It all sounds the same because it is all trained on the same average dataset.
This has shifted the value proposition of a Brand Voice Chart.
In 2026, a Brand Voice Chart is no longer just for human writers; it is for Prompt Engineering.
If you simply ask an AI to “write a blog post,” you get the average. If you feed your Brand Voice Chart into the AI context window, you get differentiation.
Here is a prompt you can use to test your Brand Voice Chart in ChatGPT:
‘Act as [Brand Name]. Use the following voice attributes: [Insert Attributes]. Rewrite the following paragraph…'
The “Anti-AI” Attribute:
We are seeing smart brands explicitly add an “Anti-AI” column to their charts.
- Do: Use sensory details (smell, touch), specific local references, and personal anecdotes.
- Don't: Use “delve,” “unlock,” “unleash,” “landscape,” or perfectly symmetrical sentence structures.
A Consultant’s Reality Check
I once audited a mid-sized B2B tech firm in London. They wanted their brand voice to be “The Disruptive Rebel.” They wanted to sound like a graffiti artist in a suit.
I looked at their legal compliance requirements. I looked at their client list (mostly government and banking). I looked at their internal culture (very risk-averse).
I told them, “You don't want to be a rebel. You want to be interesting. Those are different things.”
If you force a voice that contradicts your operational reality, your staff will refuse to use it. The sales team will ignore the marketing team's “cool” brochures because they know it scares off the procurement officers.
The Lesson: Your Brand Voice Chart must be aspirational, yes, but it must also be operational. If your customer service team cannot use the voice to de-escalate an angry client, the voice is broken.
How to Audit Your Own Voice
You don't need to hire an agency to start this process. Do this tomorrow:
- The Blind Test: Take three pieces of content (a homepage, an email, and a brochure). Remove your logo. Place them next to three competitors. Ask a stranger (or a brutally honest friend) to identify which one is yours. If they can't, you have no voice.
- The “We” Count: Count how many times you say “We” or “Our” versus “You” or “Your.” If the ratio is heavily weighted towards “We,” your voice is egocentric, not customer-centric.
- Read Aloud: Read your “About Us” page out loud. If you stumble, run out of breath, or cringe, rewrite it. Writing is meant to be heard, even when it is read silently.
The Verdict
A Brand Voice Chart is not a creative shackle; it is a quality assurance mechanism.
In a market where trust is low and noise is high, the brands that win are the ones that are recognisable. Consistency breeds familiarity. Familiarity breeds trust. Trust breeds revenue.
Do not let your brand sound like a committee. Pick a lane. Document it. Enforce it.
If you are struggling to define where you sit on these dimensions, or if your current visual identity doesn't align with the voice you are trying to project, we can help bring them together.
Request a Brand Identity Quote
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 4 dimensions of brand voice?
Based on the Nielsen Norman Group framework, the four dimensions are Funny vs. Serious, Formal vs. Casual, Respectful vs. Irreverent, and Enthusiastic vs. Matter-of-Fact. Brands exist on a sliding scale within these spectrums.
How does brand voice differ from brand tone?
Brand voice is your company’s consistent personality and character. Brand tone is how that personality adapts to specific contexts, audiences, or emotional situations (e.g., an apology vs. a promotional launch).
Why is a brand voice chart important for small businesses?
It ensures consistency across all communication channels. Without it, different team members or freelancers may write in conflicting styles, causing the “Frankenstein Effect,” which dilutes brand trust and confuses customers.
Can a brand voice change over time?
Yes, but it should happen slowly (evolution) rather than overnight (rebranding). Voice often matures as a company grows from a startup to an enterprise, usually becoming slightly more formal or authoritative.
How do I choose the right brand voice?
Analyse your target audience and your industry. A funeral home should not be “Irreverent,” and a skateboard brand should not be overly “Formal.” Align your voice with the expectations and values of your ideal customer.
What are common mistakes in creating a brand voice?
The biggest mistake is using vague adjectives like “human” or “friendly” without defining what they mean in practice. Another error is failing to provide “Don't” examples, leaving writers to guess the boundaries.
How do I enforce a brand voice chart with freelancers?
Make the chart a mandatory part of the onboarding process. Provide a “Cheat Sheet” or checklist. Review their first few drafts specifically against the chart's criteria, not just for grammar.
Should my brand voice be funny?
Only if it aligns with your audience and you can sustain it over time. Humour is subjective and risky. If you are in a high-trust industry, such as finance or healthcare, clarity and respect usually outperform humour.
How does AI affect brand voice?
AI tools like ChatGPT default to a neutral, “beige” tone. A detailed Brand Voice Chart is essential to ensure these tools are used correctly, ensuring the output sounds like your brand rather than a generic, robotic tone.
What is the difference between voice and style?
Voice is the personality (the who). Style (often covered in a Style Guide) refers to the mechanics: grammar, spelling (UK vs US), capitalisation rules, and formatting standards (the how).
