See also: Website manual · Brand kit

A style guide is an essential tool that outlines the expected standards for writing and design across all of our communications at MCCHR. It helps ensure consistency in tone, language, and visual presentation, so that our messaging aligns with the organisation’s values and objectives. By following the style guide, we communicate effectively by creating a unified and clear voice, relating to our audience and their contexts, building recognition and trust in our work, and enhancing our overall brand identity.

You will use the style guide whenever you’re drafting content for MCCHR – eg an essay discussing an issue, a social media post promoting a campaign, or an animation video for a project. The style guide serves as a reference that helps you make decisions on things like language usage, tone, formatting, and the appropriate use of our logo and colours. Everyone should consult the style guide to maintain consistency and professionalism in our communications, ensuring we all represent the organisation in the best possible way.

For assistance with style, email comms@mcchr.org.

Purposeful visual design

Our visual design reflects the energy and passion of our work – bold and dynamic. Visual elements – whether in photos, images, colours, or typography – should not only be visually striking but also purposeful. Every design choice we make is meant to enhance the clarity and impact of our message, ensuring that our communications are both useful and aesthetically pleasing. By using vibrant colours, powerful imagery, and clean, legible typefaces, we create visuals that resonate with our audience and amplify our mission.

At the heart of our visual design is simplicity and honesty. We aim for an unobtrusive style that supports rather than overshadows the content. Our logos and brand elements are carefully selected to be long-lasting and adaptable across various formats. We value attention to detail, ensuring that every design element – whether it’s a photo, font, or colour – works together harmoniously to communicate our message clearly while maintaining a professional and cohesive look across all platforms.

When drafting a piece of content, use high-quality images and photos that directly support the topic or issue being discussed. Any textual element should not take up more than five per cent of the whole image or photo. Avoid triggering visuals that depict violence or self-harm. As much as possible, do not show the faces of children, especially those from marginalised communities, even with consent from their parents or guardians. Be mindful of gender and ethnic representation when using images and photos of people. All visuals that are not produced by MCCHR should be credited to the original author, regardless of the terms of licensing.

Writing with style

Guardian style

At MCCHR, we’ve adopted the Guardian style guide as the foundation for our communications. The Guardian style has been developed over years of editorial experience and evolved to meet the demands of publishing digital content on the internet. It reflects clear, concise, and inclusive language that resonates with diverse audiences, and its values align closely with our own commitment to integrity, accuracy, and accessibility in communication.

The Guardian style guide is accessible publicly and structured alphabetically, making it simple to find specific language rules or guidelines quickly. It covers everything from grammar and punctuation to the preferred usage of terms related to politics, technology, and social issues. One of the most valuable features is its focus on using plain English, ensuring that our content remains accessible to a wide audience while also prioritising inclusivity and avoiding jargon.

Some peculiarities of the Guardian style include its preference for lower case in many instances where other guides use capitals (eg ‘government’ instead of ‘Government’ unless referring to a specific body), its careful approach to gender-neutral language, and its consistent approach to the use of contractions, which help create a conversational tone. These and other guidelines will help us maintain a coherent and approachable communication style across all our outputs.

Referencing style

We follow the Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) for all legal references in our content. OSCOLA is widely used in legal writing and is designed to provide clear, consistent guidelines for citing legal materials such as cases, statutes, and legislation. We have adopted OSCOLA because of its precision and suitability for the human rights and legal work in which we engage, ensuring that our references are accurate, professional, and easy to follow.

House style

We have developed our own house style to address specific needs and contexts that are unique to MCCHR. Our house style extends the Guardian’s principles by incorporating additional language rules and guidelines that reflect our local priorities, the communities we serve, and the nature of the human rights work we do. This ensures that our communications remain not only clear and accessible but also contextually appropriate to the diverse issues we engage with. Following our house style alongside the Guardian’s ensures that we maintain a consistent voice while also staying true to the nuanced and specific demands of our work.

A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z

A

active vs passive voice
Avoid writing in passive voice. Write in active voice.

B

bahasa Melayu
The Malay language is “bahasa Melayu”, not “bahasa Malaysia”. The word bahasa in not capitalised.

C

capitalisation
Only capitalise words at the beginning of a sentence and those that are proper nouns, ie names of people, places, and things. Do not capitalise jobs; e.g., “human rights strategist” and “chief executive officer” instead of “Human Rights Strategist” and “Chief Executive Officer”. Do not capitalise to emphasise something; italicise instead. See also: capitals in the Guardian style guide.

Chinese
Use the simplified Chinese character set in writing. When linking to a translation in Chinese, use “中文 (Chinese)” in the label. The written content is not called “Mandarin”, it’s referred to as “simplified Chinese”. The spoken Chinese language (or bahasa Cina in Malay) in the Malaysian context typically refers to the Mandarin dialect.

P

Pusat Kebeperlembagaan dan Hak Asasi Manusia
This is the accurate translation for the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights. Some writers might inaccurately use “Pusat Perlembagaan dan Hak Asasi Manusia”, but Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka translates constitutionalism as ‘faham perlembagaan’ or ‘konstitusionalisme’. The concept of constitutionalism applicable to our work deals directly with the constitutionality of laws, policies, and actions of the state. To keep it simple and avoid loan translation, we use “kebeperlembagaan”.

N

numbered list vs bullet points
If the order of list items is important, eg a series of steps or a priority checklist, use a numbered list. Otherwise, use bullet points.

T

the
MCCHR’s name unabbreviated takes the definite article in lower case, “the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights”, subsequently “the centre” or “the organisation”. Also lower case when referring to something specific related to MCCHR, eg “get in touch with the MCCHR team by email”. Drop it when mentioning MCCHR’s name abbreviated, eg “MCCHR published this training manual in July 2019” rather than “the MCCHR published this training manual in July 2019”. See also: the in the Guardian style guide.

Y

youth
When referring to young people as a group, use “youth” instead of “youths” (young males). Alternatively, use more gender-inclusive terms like “young people” or “young persons” instead of “youth”. See also: collective nouns in the Guardian style guide.