# Osolix · Brand Voice & Microcopy Style Guide — v1

**Status:** Wave-B Foundation evidence · 2026-Q2
**Owner:** Product / UX Lead + Marketing Lead
**Audit dimension:** #24 Brand voice & microcopy

This guide is the canonical voice + microcopy spec for every surface
shipped under the Osolix brand. Every error message, every button label,
every email template, every concierge greeting passes through this lens
before it ships.

## 1 · Voice principles

### A. Confident, never defensive
* ✅ "We caught a duplicate; the import wizard skipped it."
* ❌ "Sorry, the system thinks this might be a duplicate — please verify."

Confidence comes from the deterministic engine + the audit trail. We
don't apologise for doing the right thing.

### B. Helpful, never patronising
* ✅ "FAR-ready means the asset has a Placed-in-Service date in the past."
* ❌ "Did you know FAR-ready means…"

Explain the term once; never lecture.

### C. Specific, never generic
* ✅ "Your account is past due — pay AED 432.10 by 12 May 2026 to avoid suspension."
* ❌ "Account past due. Update billing."

Numbers + dates + concrete actions beat vague.

### D. Direct, never hedged
* ✅ "Cancel subscription"
* ❌ "Initiate cancellation process"

### E. Brief, never bureaucratic
* ✅ "Your card was declined."
* ❌ "We regret to inform you that the payment instrument on file has not been authorised by the issuing financial institution at this time."

## 2 · Forbidden phrases

* "Please be patient" — patronising. Just show progress.
* "An error has occurred" — vague. Always state the error.
* "Click here" — non-descriptive link text. Use action verbs.
* "Sorry for the inconvenience" — empty. Fix the problem.
* "As you may know" — patronising.
* "Robust", "seamless", "intuitive" — vague marketing buzzwords.

## 3 · Required patterns per surface

### Error messages
Format: **what failed** + **why** + **what to do**.

* ✅ "Email already in use. Sign in instead, or use a different email."
* ✅ "Your card was declined by your bank. Update billing to retry."

### Empty states
Format: **what's missing** + **why it matters** + **action**.

* ✅ "No assets yet. Add your first asset (or import a sheet) to start tracking."

### Success messages
Format: **what was done** + **next action**.

* ✅ "Asset created. Tag it now to start scanning."
* ❌ "Asset successfully added to the system."

### Button labels
Verb + object. Title Case.

* ✅ "Add Asset", "Save Changes", "Generate Report"
* ❌ "Submit", "OK", "Next"

### Form labels
Concrete + scannable.

* ✅ "Vehicle registration plate"
* ❌ "Reg #"

### Tooltips
1 sentence. Specific. No ellipsis.

### Email subject lines
* Action-oriented: "Approval needed: Transfer T-2026-04-02".
* Concrete: "Maintenance overdue: Generator G-014".
* Never generic: "Important notification" / "Update from Osolix".

## 4 · Brand-voice checklist for any new copy

* [ ] Could a tired user understand it on first read?
* [ ] Does it state what just happened (or will happen) specifically?
* [ ] Does it tell the user what to do next?
* [ ] Could it be 30% shorter?
* [ ] Is the tone confident without being cocky?
* [ ] Is it free of forbidden phrases?

## 5 · Per-locale tone

| Locale | Specifics |
|---|---|
| EN | British spelling (organisation, behaviour, colour); avoid US idioms |
| AR | Modern Standard Arabic; formal register but not archaic; RTL layout always tested |
| FR | Vouvoiement (formal "vous"); avoid franglais; numbers with non-breaking space (1 234,56) |
| ES | Castilian spelling; tuteo for friendly surfaces, ustedeo for billing/legal |

## 6 · Open items
* Run the brand-voice sweep across every existing string (ETA: 2 weeks).
* Build a CI gate that flags forbidden phrases in PRs.
* Set up the editorial style-test deck for new hires.