Brand Guidelines

Voice

Our voice brings Marsupial to life through the way we write and speak. How we talk to customers shapes the way they feel about our gear and our company.

Voice

Our voice is reinforced one conversation at a time. Whether we're launching a product, answering a customer, or celebrating a successful season, make sure your choice of words and phrasing reinforces the following values.

To-the-point

We're clear in what we want to say and we stick to it. We build confidence in our readers by providing the information and tools they need.

Bottom line up front
Start with the most important information first. Respect the reader's limited time and curate our message.
Clarity first, style second
Focus our message so that the point is unmistakable. Add personality where appropriate, but never let it overwhelm the message.
Guide with confidence
Explain how things work and what to expect clearly and concisely.
Build familiarity
Through consistency and repetition, we strengthen our relationship with our customers.

Approach­able

We aim to make things easy to understand for first-timers and lifers alike. We don't hide behind jargon, ego, or cheap plays to emotion.

We take our product seriously. Not ourselves.
We care deeply about our products and our business, but we aren't stuffy or pretentious. We don't take ourselves too seriously, and we don't expect our customers to either.
Read the room
Consider what the customer wants, needs, and feels before you put pen to paper. Be empathetic and informed, not imitative or forceful.
Be a translator
Make the complex simple. Inform, educate, and show some personality where it makes our content more relatable.
Write inclusively
We make our content accessible to everyone, including people using screen readers or keyboard navigation. We never use exclusionary or inflammatory language.

Straight shooting

Tell it like it is. Don't sugar-coat important details, even if they're tough to hear. Set clear expectations and build trust through honesty and transparency.

Tell the whole truth
We are honest about our products, processes, and policies — it's the only way to build trust. Where there's more a customer needs to know, we tell the whole story.
Balance humility and confidence
We let our strengths shine while acknowledging limitations. We’re always growing and learning.
Slow down when it matters
When the stakes are high — returns, warranties, safety — slow things down and make sure customers know exactly what's happening.
Own our mistakes
When we get something wrong, we say so plainly, explain how we're fixing it, and follow through.

Dos and don'ts

Nailing our brand voice is about more than just the words we choose. These examples show how to apply our tone in context.

To-the-point
  • ClearConfusing
  • FocusedRambling
  • ConfidentCold
Approach­able
  • ConversationalChatty
  • Self-awarePretentious
  • ResponsiveDistant
Straight shooting
  • CandidEvasive
  • SincereExcitable
  • AccountableDefensive

Writing princi­ples

No matter who’s writing or where we show up, these rules keep us sounding like Marsupial.

Keep it short, positive, and direct

  • Use short words, sentences, and first paragraphs wherever possible.
  • Be positive, not negative.
  • Avoid the passive voice.
  • Avoid technical jargon. Speak plainly.
  • Inform and educate without talking down.
  • Eliminate superfluous words.
  • Take care with the sequence of tenses.
  • Do not split verbs or infinitives.

Grammar and style

The house rules for the details, so everything we publish reads like one voice.

Write as “we”

Speak as a team of real people, in the first person plural, not as a faceless company.

DoWe built it to carry all day.

Don’tMarsupial Gear built it to carry all day.

Talk to “you”

Address the reader directly. It keeps copy personal and active.

DoYou’ll have your rangefinder in hand in a second.

Don’tUsers can access the rangefinder quickly.

Use the Oxford comma

Put a comma before the final “and” or “or” in a list of three or more.

DoPacks, pouches, and harnesses

Don’tPacks, pouches and harnesses

Sentence case

Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns in headlines, buttons, and menus. Product names keep their capitals.

DoShop the Enclosed Binocular Chest Pack

Don’tShop The Enclosed Binocular Chest Pack

Use contractions

They sound like how people actually talk. Skip them only when you need emphasis.

DoWe’re here if you need us.

Don’tWe are here if you need us.

Numbers

Spell out one through nine; use numerals for 10 and up. Always use numerals for prices, measurements, and specs.

DoThree pockets · 12 colors · 1.2 lb · $145

Don’t3 pockets · twelve colors · one point two pounds

Easy on the exclamation points

Save them for real excitement, and never use more than one.

DoIt’s back in stock!

Don’tIt’s back in stock!!!

American English

Use American spelling and punctuation, with periods and commas inside quotation marks.

DoColor, gray, organize

Don’tColour, grey, organise