9.0 Voice & rules · WILS Brand Guide

9.1 · How WILS speaks

Plain, exact, short.

WILS reads like a standard. People put its values into drawings and specifications, so every line must be clear and exact.

Write short sentences. Put the number before the adjective. Use sentence case. Use British spelling: colour, metre, licence.

Rule

No exclamation marks, emoji or praise words.

Before and after. Left is the WILS way, right is not.

9.2 · Writing values

Put a space between a number and its unit. Write ranges with an en dash and no spaces. Use the degree sign for temperature.

Each row holds one value or one short list. Do not stack facts into one sentence.

Value formats
Write	Not
15 m	15m, 15 meters
8–25 m	8-25m, 8 to 25 m
−3 °C	-3C, minus 3 degrees
Apr–Sep	April - September
Full sun, Part shade	Full sun and/or part shade, depending
Height: 8–25 m	Height 8–25 m, spread 6–18 m

The minus sign is a true minus (−), not a hyphen.

9.3 · Plant names

Set the botanical name first, in Bold, upright. Never italic. Put the common name after it in Regular, then the Arabic name.

Cultivar names go in single quotes after the binomial: Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’.

Rule

Never set plant names in italic, not even by a browser default.

Albizia lebbeckWoman’s tongueاللبخ

Binomial Bold 700. Common name Regular 400 in Muted. Arabic name set as Arabic, no tracking.

9.4 · Words we use and avoid

Use the words in the left column. They keep every page and file consistent.

Words
Use	Avoid
World’s International Landscape Standard	Standards (plural), International Landscape Standards
WILS	Wils, W.I.L.S.
Plant sheet	Profile page, card
Drawing	Illustration pack, asset
Contribute	Submit data, crowdsource
Free	Free forever, no strings
Plant groups: Trees, Palms, Shrubs, Groundcovers, Climbers	Categories, classes, types of greenery
Hardscape groups: Surfaces, Edges & walls, Water & soil, Furniture & light	Categories, classes, types of paving
Checked	Certified, guaranteed, trusted

In running text, write “Groundcovers” as one word in the brand. On the website filter the label may read “Ground covers”.

9.5 · The rules

These twelve rules cover most decisions. When in doubt, take the plainer option.

Use the wordmark only. No icon, no monogram.
Use one font, WILS Sans, in 400, 500 and 700. No italic, ever.
Use flat colour. No gradients, no shadows, no rounded corners. The 10 px group dot is the only round shape.
Paper is white and body text is Ink. Delta Teal leads and marks links. Buttons are Ink.
Use the nine group colours only for their own group, five plant and four hardscape. Never set them as text. Use Ink text on Palms, Groundcovers and Sandstone.
Keep drawings and logo specimens on a white plate with a hairline frame.
Do not put the wordmark on a photograph or on a planting plan.
Set plant names upright. Binomial in Bold, common name in Regular.
Set labels small, Bold and uppercase, with +0.14 em tracking.
Write a space before the unit, an en dash in ranges, one value per row.
Write plain, short copy. No praise words, no exclamation marks.
Set Arabic as Arabic: no tracking, no capitals, Western digits. Mirror the layout, not the content.

The core brand rules.

9.6 · Accessibility

Accessibility is not a mode. Every page meets these points as built, in both languages.

What every page keeps
Contrast	Every text pair in chapter 3.5 passes 4.5 to 1. Group colours are never text.
Focus	A 2 px Delta Teal outline, 2 px outside the element, on every link, button and field. Never removed.
Targets	Buttons and icons are at least 40 × 40 px. Rows and links are at least 24 px tall.
Motion	With “reduce motion” on, every authored moment is off. Only colour changes on hover remain. Chapter 10.0.
Images	Every drawing and photograph has alt text that says the plant and the view. Decorative plans are hidden from readers.
Structure	One h1 per page, headings in order, a skip link first, landmarks for header, main and footer.
Language	Arabic in a lang="ar" element, the page direction set with dir. Western digits in both.
Keyboard	Everything works without a pointer. Escape closes the menu and drawers. The globe has keyboard zoom.

The focus ring is the same on every element: 2 px Delta Teal, 2 px out. It is the one place Delta Teal may outline something.