03
Voice & Tone
Stocksy: Purpose Facilitator
We are facilitators of thoughtful work and have the privilege of representing a community of some of the most inspired, talented, and creative artists working today. Collaborating with artists is how we collectively contribute to the evolution of a forward-thinking culture. The platform and resources we provide live to create opportunities for a diverse creative class so they can create their most meaningful work. Through an inclusive approach, our progressive values shine through, with empathy sitting at the center of everything we say and do.
Voice Attributes
Progressive
We’re aware of what’s happening in the world and that modern language is fluid and constantly evolving. Our communications are always respectful, contemporary, and supportive. We like to get right to the point and stay hyper-relevant to our users’ current reality and pain points. This can mean speaking to taboos or pain points that can be uncomfortable to call out — or sometimes addressing important touchy topics that haven’t even been identified yet. Related: we speak authentically, with purpose, and from the heart. We don’t virtue-signal. Ever.
Empathetic
We have a deep understanding of the needs of both our members and clients but we also don't claim to know everything. Our casual confidence never gets in the way of our compassion and clarity — meaning that we are friendly without being falsely enthusiastic, condescending, or patronizing. We also don't waste time with meaningless sales speech but instead are able to speak with a common purpose and accessibility. Messaging that calls for any level of 'spin' requires a major gut check, solid rationale, and should involve a few extra eyes.
Inclusive
As a global agency servicing both clients and members from diverse backgrounds, we use language that is conscious, accessible, and thoughtful. We're on the front lines of modern messages — we know how badly they can fail certain demographics and communities so we check ourselves to ensure every word choice is culturally conscious and chosen with consideration for all users. Be concise. Use short words and sentences and avoid unnecessary modifiers. We don’t overcomplicate for the sake of sounding like the over-educated authority in the room.
Collaborative
We do the work to bring a well informed knowledge base for supportive guidance and share our information openly. We don’t believe in hoarding or being cagey with what we know. We also understand that we sit within a community of smart people with varying areas of expertise and their input is a critical piece for filling in knowledge gaps and achieving common goals. We‘re constantly looking to expand our perspectives to grow alongside our members and clients in an open, collaborative environment.
Glossary
Consistency in the language that we use to describe Stocksy goes a long way towards building a memorable and meaningful identity. This is not a definitive list of all the ways we talk about the organization, but provides a useful starting point for clearly articulating our values.
Artists: Our members and clients are people of vision and creative integrity.
• Best practices: Not everyone at Stocksy identifies as an artist, however. Where possible be specific — Photographers, Filmmakers, Illustrators.
• Use sparingly: producers
• Avoid: makers — suggests a lack of expertise or casual hobby activity
Artist-owned: For members, this signals agency over their work and careers. For customers, it reinforces the creative integrity of Stocksy’s product.
Authentic: Although this word has been overused in the media, it remains true to both our product and shared values.
What it means to us:
Being genuine. We weave authenticity into the full spectrum of everything we say and do. Our communication is authentic. Our collection prioritizes authentic perspectives from our members’ lenses and life experiences. Our efforts to provide a platform for meaningful work and participate in the progress of a forward-thinking culture are authentic.
What it doesn't mean to us:
• A trite statement to signal brand trustworthiness.
• A demonstration that any visuals containing a cultural practice outside of a Western or European experience are inherently “authentic”. Related: Ethnic.
Clients: Our audience is discerning and valuable. We focus on establishing long-lasting relationships beyond a one-off customer shopping experience. We listen, engage, and implement feedback to provide the experience a client would expect.
• Use sparingly: customers, buyers — these terms can communicate a shallow relationship or interaction
Collection: The full body of work at Stocksy.
• Synonym: Library
Collections: Custom created or keyword generated, collections (formerly galleries) are groupings of photos, footage, and illustrations assembled by theme, color story, specific topic, client request, etc.
• Synonym: gallery
Community: All Stocksy members together as a group.
• Synonym when speaking with clients: roster
• Synonym when speaking with current and potential members: membership
Exclusive:
• Exclusive collection: Everything in the Stocksy library is available solely through Stocksy with some select assets licensable through Adobe Stock. This enables our clients to purchase unique media that can’t be found on countless stock sites.
• Exclusive licensing: Market freeze licenses add an extra layer of exclusivity, restricting the use of an asset to the buyer from time of purchase to the end of the licensing time period.
Filmmaker: A term for professionals who work in video footage.
• Synonym: cinematographer
• Avoid: videographer
Footage: The preferred term when speaking to video content.
• Synonyms: video(s), cinematography, clips
Highlights: Highlights apply to strategies for surfacing outstanding work.
• Synonym: curated
Illustration: Digital or hand-drawn artwork submitted as a jpeg image. Note that we do not offer vector illustrations at this time.
Mixed Media: More than one medium or material combined into a single digitized artwork.
Media: When speaking to photos, videos, illustrations, etc. as a body of work. When spoken to as singular media types, be specific to the asset type i.e. photo, video/footage, illustration, etc. where possible.
• Synonyms: visual(s), assets, photos and footage.
• Use mindfully: content
Members: The people that are responsible for creating the visuals that make up the Stocksy collection. They are also our Class C co-op individuals and the reason we’re all here.
• Synonyms: Contributor, shareholder, co-owner
Photographer: A commonly understood term for professionals who work in still photography.
• Synonyms: Visual artist
• Avoid: Shooter, Storyteller
Photography: This is the preferred term, obviously.
Synonyms: photo(s), images, imagery, stills
Platform Cooperative: The contemporary version of the cooperative that speaks specifically to the role of digital technology in equitable treatment of members.
• Synonyms: cooperative, co-op
Portfolio: Describes the body of work provided by a specific member.
Stock: We don’t shy away from this word. We are proud to offer a high-quality, accessible product as our core business. Stock visuals are essential and useful elements of modern media and creativity.
Stock Media Agency: We are a business that provides a service, linking two parties together. Agency can be used to describe who we are and what we do in the right context when Artist-owned Co-op doesn’t make sense.
• Synonyms: Stock agency
Inclusive Language
We are conscious of the limiting, derogatory and harmful language that has historically been used to describe people. There are plenty of terms and references that are well known to be offensive, however, there are still a number in common use that are offensive and polarizing. It is our aim to eliminate these terms in favor of language that is inclusive and accurate.
Common Ableist Language
Don't say:
Do say:
• Handicapped, crippled, challenged, disabled, special needs
• Wheelchair-bound
• Insane, crazy, psycho
• People with disability (Or be specific about the disability mentioned)
• Person who uses a wheelchair
• Wild, unreal, unbelievable
Common Sexist Language
Don't say:
Do say:
• Mailman, stewardess, fireman, actress, etc.
• Transgendered
• His or her, his/her
• Postal worker, flight attendant, firefighter, actor, etc.
• Transgender person
• Their
Common Racist Language
Don't say:
Do say:
• Whitelist/Blacklist
• Grandfather Clause
• Master
• Ethnic
• Permit list
• Legacy
• Lead, Primary, etc.
• Be specific about ethnicity or just leave it out if it’s unnecessary information
References
See these references for a more extensive list of language to use and avoid:
→ Diversity Best Practices Glossary
Language Style Guide
Spelling
We use American English spelling as a rule for all words that have a British or Canadian English alternative.
Use: color, traveling, favorite
Avoid: colour, travelling, favourite
Contractions
Use contractions liberally. They communicate an approachability and casual tone where separate words can come off as too formal.
Use: won't, aren't
Avoid: will not, are not
Casing
Use title case in headlines and titles. Otherwise, use sentence case.
Avoid all caps in body copy, unless required for an acronym.
Capitalization
Names
Team names, e.g. Creative Research team
Contributors
Co-op only when preceded by Artist-owned e.g. “Artist-owned Co-op” vs “Stocksy United is a co-op.”
Abbreviations and Acronyms
If a term or organization is potentially unknown to some readers, first spell it out and follow with the abbreviation in parentheses afterward. Anywhere afterward, the abbreviation can be used for brevity.
First use: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Second use: SEO
Punctuation
We use the oxford comma when listing 3 or more things e.g. Photographers, cinematographers, and illustrators.
We use the em dash — to indicate an aside rather than a hyphen or two dashes. Insert a space between the em dash and copy.
Parentheses may be used sparingly. If an em dash can be used, insert one as a default instead to avoid visual noise.
Exclamation point should be limited to avoid shouting and false enthusiasm.
Periods generally should be avoided in headlines and bullet points that are not in sentence format. When in doubt, err on the side of fewer periods and always practice consistency.
Semicolons may be used sparingly for lists needing commas when necessary. Avoid semicolon use, however, if the sentence can be broken up into smaller sentences.
Ampersands should be avoided in body copy. They may be used in titles and short-form visual communications.
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