Content tips and useful links

10 tips for better content

1. Use lowercase ‘a’ in agent. 
2. Use acronyms and initialisms consistently. If you only use the term once don’t abbreviate it. 
3. Bold, italics and underline should not be used for emphasis.
4. Only capitalise the first word in headings.
5. Limit sentences to less than 25 words and keep it to one idea. 
6. Use line/page breaks instead of pressing ‘Enter’ for extra space in Word.
7. Choose plain English alternatives over formal and legal terms whenever possible.
8. Use consistent personal pronouns (‘you’, ‘they’).
9. Write numbers from 2 and above as numerals, not words.
10. Use consistent link formatting and clear text labels that explain the link.

Useful links

• Australian Government Style Manual (AGSM) for decisions about grammar, usage, structure and referencing
• Macquarie Dictionary for spelling.
• Simpler word substitutions

Other design elements

Fonts

All Victorian Government agencies use the VIC font. The font is free and can be downloaded on the Vic Government website.

For print material, we use Neue Haas Grotesk. You can contact the brand team for more information.

Style elements

Website building blocks

For a full list of style elements, you can go to the Australian Government Style Manual.

PDF content

You should always create web based content first. Only create PDFs if the research shows there is a specific need for this format. If you need to create PDF content, make sure it’s accessible.

https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/content-types/pdf-portable-document-format