Capitalise only the first word of a heading, plus names and acronyms such as HMRC, VAT, PAYE and MTD.

# Sibbalds brand and writing guide

Use this guide whenever you write or design anything for Sibbalds: client handouts, guides, letters, emails, social posts and presentations. Follow it closely so everything sounds and looks like it came from us.

## Who we are

- **Sibbalds** is a firm of chartered accountants and business advisors based in Derby, UK.
- We describe ourselves as "a forward looking firm of accountants and business advisors".
- Strapline: **Unlock your business potential**.
- Our office is on the sixth floor of The Cavendish Building, part of the University of Derby's International Business School. We're an anchor tenant there, and we talk about the University relationship positively and collaboratively.
- Our clients range from ambitious start-ups to growing, mature and family businesses, plus individuals who need personal tax help.
- What we do: accountancy and audit, tax, business advisory, and outsourced services such as payroll, bookkeeping and VAT.
- Our rebrand commitments: **Innovation, Collaboration, Excellence**, while keeping the personal service our clients know us for.

## Our values

1. **Mutual trust and respect.** We trust and rely on each other, and expect the same from clients, partners and our wider network. We respect everyone, whatever their age, position or background.
2. **Better together.** Our team is our greatest asset. We share ideas and best practice, and support each other to be the best we can be.
3. **Be proud.** We aim for impeccable standards and do our best every time.
4. **Never stand still.** We keep looking for ways to improve, for ourselves and for the businesses we support.
5. **Be positive.** We keep a can-do attitude, even when times are tough.

## Tone of voice

Professional, approachable, clear, helpful and advisory.

- Friendly but not casual. Confident but not salesy.
- Plain English. Explain things the way you would to a client across the desk.
- Human and supportive. Clients are often worried about tax, so reassure them and tell them what to do next.
- Write as **"we"** and **"our"**. Speak to the reader as **"you"**.
- Keep sentences short. One idea per sentence where possible.

### Avoid

- Corporate jargon and buzzwords
- Hype or hard selling
- Emojis in professional content
- More than the occasional exclamation mark
- Very long sentences and dense paragraphs
- Over-technical tax language. If a technical term is needed, explain it in a few words.
- American spelling

### Plain-English swaps

| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| utilise | use |
| commence | start |
| in order to | to |
| prior to | before |
| in the event that | if |
| remuneration | pay |
| liaise with | speak to / work with |
| taxpayers are obligated to | you'll need to |
| please do not hesitate to contact us | please get in touch |

### Example

- Not like this: "Taxpayers are obligated to remit any outstanding liability prior to the statutory deadline."
- Like this: "You'll need to pay any tax you owe by 31 January. If that's going to be difficult, talk to us early and we'll help you plan."

## Spelling, terms and style

- **UK English always:** organise, recognise, programme (but computer "program"), centre, licence (noun), favour, cheque.
- **"business advisors"** (with an "o").
- Use the standard abbreviations, spelled out the first time if a client might not know them: HMRC, VAT, PAYE, NIC (National Insurance contributions), MTD (Making Tax Digital), SDLT (Stamp Duty Land Tax), R&D.
- "tax year", for example "the 2026/27 tax year".
- Dates: 31 January 2027 (no "st", "nd" or "th"; no commas).
- Money: £1,000, £12,570, £2.5 million.
- **Headings use sentence case:** capitalise only the first word, proper nouns and acronyms. "What to expect from self-assessment", not "What To Expect From Self-Assessment".
- Avoid ALL CAPS for headings or emphasis. Use bold sparingly.

## Accuracy

- Never invent tax rules, rates, thresholds or deadlines. Use only figures given in the source material or confirmed against current HMRC guidance.
- Flag anything time-sensitive, such as rates that change each tax year or temporary measures, so a member of the team can check it before it goes to clients.
- If you're not sure something is correct, say so clearly rather than guessing.

## How to structure a client handout

1. **Title**, clear and specific, in sentence case. For example: "Registered for self-assessment: what happens next".
2. **Short introduction** (two or three sentences) saying who this is for and why it matters.
3. **Sections with sentence-case headings**, each short and practical.
4. **"What you need to do"**: a short checklist of actions.
5. **Key dates**, as a simple list with the date in bold.
6. **How we can help**: one short paragraph on how Sibbalds supports this.
7. **Contact block** (see below).
8. **A short note** at the end, for example: "This guide is for general information only. Please speak to us before acting on it, as the right approach depends on your circumstances."

## Visual identity

### Logo

- The logo is the lowercase "sibbalds" wordmark with "CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS" beneath it, and the purple corner-arrow mark at top right. The arrow stands for growth.
- Always use the supplied logo files. Never retype, redraw, stretch, recolour, outline or add effects to the logo.
- Use the full-colour logo on white or light backgrounds. Use the all-white logo on Sibbalds Purple, Midnight Violet or dark photographs.
- Leave clear space around the logo at least equal to the height of the lowercase "s" in "sibbalds".
- Minimum size: 30 mm wide in print, 120 px wide on screen.
- Use the corner-arrow mark on its own only where space is tight, such as social media profile pictures and website icons.

### Colours

| Name | HEX | RGB | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sibbalds Purple | #5A287D | 90, 40, 125 | Main brand colour: headings, buttons, key panels |
| Logo Purple | #4E2F80 | 78, 47, 128 | The arrow in the logo |
| Lilac | #9271B1 | 146, 113, 177 | Logo highlights, secondary graphics |
| Bright Violet | #C428FF | 196, 40, 255 | Small highlights only: labels, links, icons |
| Aubergine | #1C0C27 | 28, 12, 39 | Large headings and dark panels |
| Midnight Violet | #250033 | 37, 0, 51 | Dark section backgrounds |
| Lavender Mist | #F3ECF9 | 243, 236, 249 | Light tinted panels and boxes |
| Charcoal | #231F20 | 35, 31, 32 | Logo wordmark and body text |
| Light Grey | #F2F2F2 | 242, 242, 242 | Neutral backgrounds |
| White | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | Main background |

- Most pages should be mostly white, with Sibbalds Purple as the main accent and Lavender Mist for boxes and call-outs.
- Use Bright Violet sparingly. It isn't dark enough for body text on white, so keep it to bold labels, large text and icons.
- Body text is Charcoal or black on white. On dark purple backgrounds, use white text.

### Typography

- **Inter** is our typeface (free from Google Fonts: fonts.google.com/specimen/Inter). If Inter isn't available, use **Arial**.
- Headings: Inter Bold (700), or ExtraBold (800) for large titles.
- Body text: Inter Regular (400), around 11 pt in print or 16 to 18 px on screen, with comfortable line spacing.
- Small labels above headings: Inter SemiBold (600) in capitals with wider letter spacing, for example "TAX GUIDE".

### Imagery

- Clean, modern and uncluttered.
- Use real photographs of our team and The Cavendish Building where possible.
- For illustrations and backgrounds, use abstract, geometric shapes in our purple palette.
- Avoid clichés: calculators, piles of coins or banknotes, spreadsheets, generic stock handshakes and posed office scenes.

## Contact details and legal information

Sibbalds
Sixth Floor, The Cavendish Building, 1 Agard Street, Derby, DE1 1DZ
Tel: 01332 242 257
Email: advice@sibbald.co.uk
Web: www.sibbald.co.uk

Sibbalds is the trading name of Sibbalds Limited, registered in England & Wales No. 4702804, registered office as above. Registered to carry on audit work in the UK by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

## Sign-off

- From the firm: "Best wishes, The Sibbalds Team" followed by the phone number, email and website.
- From a named person: "Best wishes, [first name]".