Brand Guidelines

Voice and Tone

Overview

There are two points of perspective from which we write:

• That which represents the DRF as an organization
• That which represents an individual — think authenticity

In both cases, we write in a natural, friendly, and respectful voice. We write for a global audience. We represent the DRF and LF; we should be mindful of this in our conduct and content.

A formal register isn’t conducive to friendliness, so we generally avoid this unless necessary. Contractions and natural phrasing are fine. We don’t write exactly as we speak; most people’s speech tends to be verbose and colloquial.

Clarity and conciseness is preferred over personality. Tone may reflect the individual writing but shouldn’t interfere with the clarity of the message.

If posting on social media on behalf of the DRF, extra consideration should be taken to ensure conciseness.

We recommend against using AI for any copy unless you are familiar with using it as a part of the workflow and maintaining your own authentic voice.

Guidelines

Everywhere

• Use second-person pronouns to address the reader directly.
• Use the active voice over passive voice.
• Use inclusive language that welcomes all community members.
• Short sentences are preferred over complex ones.
• Include practical examples and actionable insights where applicable.

Avoid

• Technical jargon.
• Marketing phrases.
• Ableist language.
• Sounding corporate.
• Long paragraphs.
• Statements about the future.
• Assuming the reader has a specific level of understanding (words such as just, simply, easily etc).

Representing the DRF on the website and social media

• Avoid humor or excessive colloquialisms.
• Avoid excessive formality, e.g. “Please note that”.
• Avoid patronizing or dismissive phrasing.
• Use active language, e.g. “To contact us, email us@email.org“.
• Avoid filler phrases.

Guidelines for representing yourself under the DRF

• Humor has to translate well and shouldn’t be at someone’s expense — including DRF and LF sponsors.
• Your expertise, and therefore your unique delivery of it, is valuable.
• Short anecdotes are great if they are an example of your expertise and conducive to the narrative of a piece of work.
• The excellence of your work should speak for itself.

SEO

Organization naming

• First mention: Developer Relations Foundation (DevRel Foundation, DRF). Only include ‘DRF’ if it required after the first mention.
• Subequent mentions: DevRel Foundation
• DRF: Only use after the first mention when space, repetition, or context calls for it (e.g. social, governance, longer-form content).

Including the full name on first mention connects the formal name, common brand name, and acronym for readers and search engines. DRF is already in public use across the website, blog, GitHub, LinkedIn, and community channels — this standard reflects that practice.

Content structure

When drafting content for others to publish (e.g. blog posts), write in plain text and use heading levels:

• Title (H1): the article title
• Section header (H2): each major section
• Subsection (H3): supporting points when needed

The person publishing can then apply the correct heading levels on the site. This keeps content scannable, accessible, and easier for search engines to understand.