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Guru Style Guide

Some of the information within Guru originated on .edu website or is still shared externally. So how does the formatting within Guru compare to the Ektron CMS (i.e. website)?

Formatting within Guru is limited, but we have developed the below Guru Style Guide to outline how general brand elements and standard titles, headings, paragraphs, colors, etc. compare to our Brand Standards Manual and website templates. This guide will also help you format technical instructions and ensure your cards are accessible to our community.

Font Styles

Guru has preset font styles for Paragraphs, Headings (Small, Medium, and Large), and Titles. These styles have been optimized for readability and accessibility.

All Heading styles automatically populate a Table of Contents (TOC) at the left of the card.

TIP: Review the TOC before publishing your card to make sure your headers are formatted consistently.

The below table* shows how font styles in Guru equate to those in the CMS.
*The above table is intended for reference only and is not an exact replica or match. In general, Guru utilizes variations of the Proxima Nova font and the website utilizes variations of Neue.

Note that Small Headings are displayed in Guru in all caps. To facilitate download and export of content, please do not type in all caps - use Title Case instead.

Color Palette

Green: The brand color of Guru, which is also used to indicate that a card is Verified. HTML color codes:

HEX: #4BE4B4
RGB: R75 G228 B180

Red: Red is used in Guru to signify that a card is Unverified. HTML color codes:

HEX: #F21969
RGB: R242 G25 B105

Additional colors are available for use as font colors only:

Pink: HEX #F93679 (heading font styles and bold block quotes only - no paragraph text)
Red: HEX #F7412D (heading font styles and bold block quotes only - no paragraph text)
Green: HEX #66A030 (heading font styles and bold block quotes only - no paragraph text)
Purple: HEX #9013FE
Dark Blue: HEX #2F3BA2

Please do not use the below colors as they do not meet accessibility requirements:

Orange: HEX #FF8A60
Yellow: HEX #FFC200
Light Blue: HEX #00BCD6
Grey: HEX #BAB0BF

Text Formatting

Editorial

Please see Writing Resources for help using a professional and consistent tone in your writing. The Editorial Style Guide also outlines the specific writing requirements of The New School, including:

University nomenclature, including use of The in the university’s name
Proper formatting of addresses, dates and times
Use of punctuation
Formatting of professional titles, degrees, departments, and offices

Assist for Authors is also available review your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and even tone.

Technical Instructions

When crafting instructions for Guru such as “How to Share a File,” please keep them clear and brief. Individuals should be able to quickly identify the steps necessary to complete their task. Please keep your audience in mind when writing, and employ a user-friendly tone. Other recommendations include:

Titles and headings should be in Title Case
Limit use of underlined text as that implies a web link
Bold system names or terms the first time they are used

Example: Welcome to Guru! Guru is the knowledge base for The New School.

Bold menu names or options, commands, buttons, and other UI elements

Example: Select Share to view current file sharing settings.

Use arrows (>) for procedures; bold the step, but not the arrow

Example: Choose File > Save As > Send PDF

Capitalize key names, omitting spaces between sequences

Example: Ctrl+Alt+Del

Acronyms & Terminology

We use many acronyms, abbreviations and insider lingo at The New School. We are keeping a university-wide list of acronyms that span departments, and recommend maintaining departmental glossaries when necessary. See Defining Terminology for instructions.

Spacing

The Paragraph font style by default is double-spaced (i.e. there is a break below the paragraph). Hit Enter to progress to the next paragraph. All Heading styles are single-spaced. While you can technically Ctrl+Enter to single-space your paragraph, this will not appear as such on any cards that are downloaded as a PDF or displayed on the external website.

Lists

Bulleted and numbered lists are available for use in Paragraph style only. You cannot define different bullet symbols or numbering styles. Indent is available for lists only and cannot be used for any other font styles. Please be consistent with the formatting of your lists as outlined in the Editorial Style Guide.

Block Quote

Block Quote is used in online writing to differentiate a section of quoted text from the text around it. Visually, the text is indented, italicized, in a different font color, and has a bar along the left-hand side for the length of the quote. Use this font style for any direct quotations or FAQ statements, omitting quotation marks.

You may also use block quote in your instructions to offset any warnings, tips, etc.

Recommendations

Warnings, alerts, or notes

Tips

Special Characters

Please refrain for using Emojis as they will be omitted from any content that is downloaded as a PDF. If your content will be displayed on the external website, we recommend consulting with Online Marketing Platforms before using any uncommon special characters or symbols in your content.

Highlight & Strikethrough

Use these font formatting options sparingly if the content will be displayed to the external website.

Other Layout Options

Callout Boxes

Sample callout box!

Callout boxes allow you to highlight content on your cards. This is particularly useful when you need to draw attention to important instructions, notes, tips, or card status updates. Callout boxes should be used sparingly.

When adding text to a callout box, you can use the various header styles, but note that the text will be included in your table of contents. Please refrain from using colored text within callout boxes as many color combinations do not meet the contrast requirements for web accessibility.

Do not use these boxes on cards that are embedded/displayed directly in the website via API.

Red (HEX #FFE3E0): Should be used only for time-sensitive alerts or warnings
Yellow (HEX #FFEFCA): Use this color box to identify the specific audience of the card
Green (HEX #E1ECD7): Use this color to highlight recommendations, such as viewing an alternative card for additional support
Purple (HEX #F1DFFF): This color should be used for pro tips, help text, and necessary reminders
Blue (HEX #DEF4F9): Should be used to highlight card updates or if a card is a work in progress

The following colors should be used sparingly:

Pink
Orange
Grey

Collapsible (Drop-Down) Sections

Guru is designed to offer bite-sized content so it can direct users to the specific info they are looking for. When in doubt, content should be added as a separate card. Collapsible boxes should be used when there are different sets of information or instructions for different groups or audiences. Examples of when to use drop-downs include:

Different steps of the same process, see: Request Time Off
Different instructions for specific audience (e.g. PTF vs Staff), see: Sick Time

Dividers

Divider lines are available to visually separate the content within cards. However, if you find that you need to divide your content more than a handful of times, we suggest breaking that content into separate Guru cards.

Inserted Media, Guru Links, & Hyperlinks

Guru offers many options for visual media. Some recommendations include:

View Insert Options for specific details regarding images, videos, tables, iFrames, and more
Use meaningful hyperlink text and avoid “click here” as a link; avoid displaying URLs unless necessary
Do not repeat content that already exists in Guru – link to the existing Guru card instead
Only Public cards should be linked to content in the CMS

Additional Guru Formatting Information

Guru Organizational Structure - explanation of Collections, Folders, etc.
Content Creation Overview - overview of card creation process, including use of templates and tags
Guru Accessibility - overview of ADA compliance requirements within Guru

Keep in mind that not every existing website or microsite has the same structure or functionality, so your use case may differ from the recommendations a little. Please reach out to Abbey Florence if you have questions or would like to walk through your content together.