Verbal identity

Member lesson

Microcopy

Lesson 6 of 10 in Verbal identity.

What IS Microcopy: How to Stick Your Brand Voice Everywhere · Ashlyn Writes
Lesson

Microcopy is the writing people actually read. Nobody finishes the about page, and everybody reads the button. It decides whether a form is completed, whether an error is recoverable, and whether a product feels like it was made by people who thought about them.

voicewho the brand isthe sameeverywheretonehow it sounds in each momenta welcomean errora receiptbad newsseriousplayfulthe tone changes with the moment. the voice never does
A brand's voice stays the same everywhere, while its tone changes with the moment: playful for a welcome, serious for bad news.
A woman at a kitchen table looks at her phone and calmly takes a second bank card from her wallet, while a long dusty paper scroll with a sleeping cat on it lies behind her.
A shopper whose payment failed reads one short message and calmly tries another card, while a long page behind her goes unread. The small words are the ones people actually read.
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  1. Question 1, locked

    Why does Send invite to three people work better on a button than Confirm?

    • It is longer, so the button carries more weight on the screen
    • It names the outcome, so the reader can decide instead of guessing
    • It repeats the heading, which reassures the reader they are on the right screen
    • It sounds warmer, and warmth is the job of microcopy
  2. Question 2, locked

    Which of these words means this? “What a screen says before there is anything on it. The most neglected screen in software.”

    • Empty state
    • Voice principle
    • Descriptive naming
    • Native
  3. Question 3, locked

    Which of these words means this? “Where a brand's voice is tested properly, because the reader is annoyed.”

    • Formality register
    • Error message
    • Voice principle
    • Descriptive naming

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