Warm and Approachable, Professional and Polished
Our brand voice reflects the personality of the Haworth brand in communications. It provides a consistent rhythm, cadence, and timbre that forms the basis of how we sound across channels.
We have important stories to tell, and our goal is to communicate them in ways that connect meaningfully with our various audiences.
Even as we discuss complex topics, we use clear, concise, and accessible language. We also write with a simple, straightforward sentence structure.
Our Approach
These three tenets provide the starting point for the Haworth brand voice.
Our Own Expertise
Own our expertise by speaking as an industry leader with our research, knowledge, and experience.
Say It Simply
Say it simply with direct, clear, and concise copy. Remove unnecessary words whenever possible.
Showcase Deep Thinking
Showcase deep thinking by organizing our messaging and translating it into easily understandable copy.
Assessing Grade Level
Our Voice
We define our brand voice as much by what it isn’t as we do by what it is. Defining the edges of the Haworth brand voice helps us lean into who we are without going too far.
Warm
Familiar
Approachable
Informal
Professional
Corporate
Polished
Fancy
Concise
Blunt
Clear
Exhaustive
Visionary
Nostalgic
Creative
Idealistic
Knowledgeable
Encyclopedic
Confident
Brash
Usage
To ensure consistency and clarity in our messaging, we've established a set of guidelines outlining the dos and don'ts of our brand voice.
Write in active voice.
Rely on passive voice
Use first-person pronouns in reference to Haworth.
Use third-person pronouns in reference to the brand or the business.
Use second-person pronouns to address our audience(s) directly.*
Use third-person pronouns when referencing our clients or A&D directly.
Write headlines and titles to be short, descriptive, and emotive.
Write headlines and titles that rely on buzzwords, jargon, or clichés.
Strive for brevity. Break up long sentences or paragraphs to create shorter, more impactful ones. Embrace bullet points.
Vary your tone based on the project and its audience. Use warm, friendly, and approachable as your baseline.
Veer into sounding overly formal or overly casual.
*The exception is Haworth dealers. Phrases like “working with your clients…” or “getting to know your customer…” introduce a sense of separation, which fails to recognize how closely we work alongside dealers. In these cases, it’s better to avoid pronouns (“working with clients…” or “getting to know the customer…”).
Channel-Specific Tone
We employ a variety of communication channels to get the right message to the right person. Here is an overview of the primary ones. For each channel, we take into account the primary and secondary audiences and adjust the tone accordingly.
Haworth B2B Website
Expert yet personal. Primary audience includes interior designers and specifiers.
Haworth Store
Relatable and occasionally playful. Connects with consumers on a personal level.
Haworth Spark Blog
Conversational and accessible. Shares research and knowledge to engage our audience.
Email Marketing
Engaging, especially in the subject line. Tone varies by messaging, audience, and topic.
My Haworth
Much more personal than our other platforms. Audience is our dealers.
Informative and highlights our knowledge and expertise. A broad audience that tends toward wallet holders.
Knowledgeable, authentic, and inspirational. A broad audience that tends toward designers.