Writing guidelines for new publications

In order to streamline the language of all books published by the Red Dot Edition with its Corporate Wording, the following writing guidelines apply to all publications:

For texts written in German, the new German orthography (neue deutsche Rechtschreibung) applies, with the German Duden dictionary serving as the primary reference.

The symbols ® and ™ should be removed from the body of the text. In exceptional cases, they may be used in the product heading.

For texts written in English, British English should be used (e.g., organise, organisation, gramme, programme), with the Oxford Dictionary serving as the primary reference. For hyphenation Merriam Webster is the primary reference.

In closing, a few style guidelines:

• The texts should not have an advertising style. Rather, they should describe aspects of the design and use of the product in neutral language.
• Names of companies, designers, and the like should be mentioned in the product texts only in exceptional cases, for example, when referring to the historical background of the product.
• Superlatives should be avoided.
• Texts should be reader-friendly; avoid lengthy, convoluted sentence constructions.
• Passive constructions and the impersonal ‘man’ (in German) should be used sparingly.