The ZSFG Brand Voice
We want to try to keep the voice of ZSFG consistent across all points of communication to be the expression of our brand strategy, “The best in us.” To that end, please use the below as guidelines.
The ZSFG Brand Attributes:
Proud
Compassionate
Capable
Humble
Knowledgeable
Restless
The ZSFG Brand Traits:
Character—Caring, Helpful, friendly
Language—Inclusive, simple, jargon-free
Tone—Confident, informal, direct
Purpose—Educate, inform, enable
The ZSFG Voice in Action
Brand Trait
Caring, Helpful, Friendly
We put the well being of our patients first and foremost
Speak in the patient’s language.
Take the patient’s viewpoint.
Don’t use medical jargon.
EXAMPLES:
Everybody is welcome, regardless of their ability to pay.
Your doctor or healthcare provider may recommend that you have a test so they can best care for you.
Brand Trait
Inclusive, Simple, Jargon-free
We welcome everyone no matter their situation or circumstance.
Use simple, clear language at a 4th-grade level.
Don’t elevate complexity.
Don’t use formal, distancing labels.
EXAMPLE:
Use “we” instead of “Zuckerberg San Francisco General.”
Brand Trait
Confident, Informal, Direct
We are at the top of our profession and we know our stuff.
Be informal, yet authoritative.
Use strong, active verbs.
Don’t use passive voice or jargon.
Don’t shy away from tooting our horn.
EXAMPLES:
Our birth center is the safest place to have a baby in California.
We have world-renowned experts in cancer on our staff who treat our cancer patients as more than statistics and numbers. We combine primary care with coordinated clinical care specialties, family and patient support, and help with healthy living strategies.
Brand Trait
Educate, Inform, Enable
We strive to meet our patients where they are.
Speak plainly.
Break down complex ideas into smaller pieces.
Don’t talk above people.
EXAMPLES:
Use “Heart Conditions” instead of “Cardiology.”
3,900 adults and children are treated for traumatic injuries annually.
Let’s Be Consistent With Our Styles
This is meant to be a living document that grows over time. Please add topics so we can all follow the same guidelines.
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Keep it Simple
Speak to the user in simple, “lay” language. Avoid technical words and medical condition names. Try to use more everyday language.
EXAMPLE: Say “cancer” rather than “oncology.”
Write to a fourth-grade literacy level.
Avoid complex sentence structures with multiple phrases.
Keep sentences as short as possible without text sounding too choppy.
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Asset-based Language
We try to use language that identifies a health issue rather than making the person the problem.
Say: Having a Substance Use Disorder
NOT: Being a Drug AddictSay: TBD
NOT: HomelessSay: Community-based Care
NOT: TBDSay: Mental illness
NOT: TBDSay: Vulnerable communities
NOT: Poor or identified only by race, ethnicity, or other demographic infoSay: Underserved population
NOT: Poor or identified only by race, ethnicity, or other demographic info -
Serial Commas
We use serial (or Oxford commas) with a comma before the “and.”
EXAMPLE: We say red, white, and blue.
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Title Case
We put headlines and short descriptors in title case and capitalize all the words.
So it Looks Like This Where Everything is Capitalized Except for the Little Words.
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We Talk About Ourselves In The First Person
We refer to ourselves as “us,” “our,” and “we” whenever possible.
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Pesky Numbers
Spell out zero to nine. After that, go roman for 10 and above.
EXAMPLE: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, etc.
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Abbreviations
Try to avoid abbreviations to keep things as clear as possible. Or spell out the word in the first usage followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Then use the appropriate abbreviation in subsequent mentions.
Here is a list of some more common abbreviations.
PhD, MD
Use without the periods (not Ph.D. or M.D.) And say the person’s name followed by PhD, MD.EXAMPLE: John Doe, MD
ZSFG
Use the full name of the hospital on the first use—Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center or Zuckerberg San Francisco General (ZSFG). Do not include only “hospital” without “and Trauma Center.”DON’T USE:
Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital
Zuckerberg Hospital
Zuckerberg SF GeneralSpell out “and”
Use “and” whenever possible instead of an ampersand (&). Ampersands should primarily be reserved for social posts with limited character counts.
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Hospital
Capitalize “Hospital” when it is being used to denote ZSFG without the use of its acronym.
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Healthcare vs Health Care
Health care refers to the specific things that people do as part of wellness: see a patient or prescribe medication.
Healthcare is an industry, the system by which people get the health care they need.
EXAMPLE: The healthcare industry provides health care to people.
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Dashes And Hyphens
A hyphen is used when hyphenating a word for a line break or when creating a compound adjective.
EXAMPLE:
This sentence was too long and the word needed to be hyphen-
ated to break onto two lines.It was a data-driven project.
An em dash is used to set off a word or phrase in a sentence and can take the place of commas or parentheses for more emphasis. It can also be used in place of a colon as colons are more formal.
EXAMPLE:
Upon discovering the errors—all 124 of them—the publisher immediately recalled the books.After months of deliberation, the jurors reached a unanimous verdict—guilty.
The em dash is used with no extra spaces on either side of it.
The em dash will be substituted by some programs when you type two hyphens. On a mac, you can force an em dash with OPT+SHFT+Hyphen. Google docs do not automatically create an em dash from typing a double hyphen. MS Word does.