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Foreword
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| Autobytel Stylebook |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 21:44:45 |
| Rating |
0 | | Author | Brian Chee |
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Description:
Autobytel
Stylebook
Table of Contents
Foreword
Philosophy &
Demographics Guide
Who we’re speaking to and what they want to hear.
Words & Terms Guide
How to say things on the Internet, and about Autobytel
Editorial &
Typography Guide
Consistent rules to govern content.
Usability Guide
Keeping our eye on a set of core Web principles.
Graphics/Design Guide
Standards and image specs to help keep our look professional.
Online Privacy Guide
What we can and can't do with user information
International Guide
A simple set of guidelines for our international partners
Bright Idea?
Click here to submit a word, term, rule or suggestion for the Stylebook.
Foreword
"For maximum functionality and legibility your page and site design should be built on a consistent pattern of modular units, all sharing the same basic layout grids, graphic themes, editorial conventions, and hierarchies of organization. The goal is to be consistent and predictable, so that your users will feel comfortable exploring your site, and confident that they know how to find what they are looking for. The graphic identity of a series of pages in your Web site provides visual cues to the continuity of information."
---Source: Yale Style Guide
A Web site is not a store front. It is not a location, not fixed in time and space like a building or a sign. A good Web site is a thought, a conversation about a specific topic of interest. It is an ever-evolving dialogue between teacher and pupil, salesperson and interested buyer.
This is not a set-piece business. Web sites are supposed to change.
So why create a guide for something that changes all the time? Because change is only successful if it’s guided and massaged with clear understanding of the organization’s core mission.
At Autobytel.com, our "mission" is to change the way people shop for, and buy, vehicles, and to do it by creating a trusted and all-inclusive automotive environment. The rules, suggestions and specifications you’ll find on these pages stay close to the ideals and principles designed to achieve this goal. The intent is to keep us on the right path, consistently marching to victory. It’s here to serve as a reference, and ultimately to help us manage the inevitable and exciting growth of our industry.
The Autobytel Stylebook is organized into six guides:
Philosophy & Demographics Guide — Who we’re speaking to and what they want to hear.
Words & Terms — How to say it properly and with the most impact.
Editorial & Typography — Consistent rules to govern content.
Visual style & Usability — Keeping our eye on a set of core Web principles.
Graphics/Design — To keep our look professional.
International — A simple set of guidelines for our international partners
The intent here is to create a "living" book; one that reflects the lessons we learn about doing business on the Internet. This is, after all, uncharted territory—the hope is that each lesson learned will be duly noted on these pages as a reminder and challenge: always find a better way to be the best. |
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