Grammar and style
Consistent content is essential to clear communication as well as creating cohesive, enjoyable experiences for our users.
The Jack Henry Design content guidelines focus on product- and platform-specific conventions and overrides. They are built upon the following style guides.
| Resource | Description | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| JHA Style Guide for Technical Communication and Training | Covers specific grammatical and stylistic guidelines used throughout all internal and customer-facing Jack Henry publications | Online (JHA employees only), PDF available upon request |
| Chicago Manual of Style | Comprehensive style guide that covers a wide breadth of grammatical and editorial guidelines | Online (paid subscription), Hardcover |
| Microsoft Manual of Style | Comprehensive style guide with greater focus on writing for computer technology | Online (free) |
These style guides should be referenced in the above order. For example, if you are unable to find guidance on a stylistic question on Jack Henry Design, then you should refer to the JHA Style Guide and so on.
Dates
Used in headlines
With the day of the week
Friday, Dec 27
Do
Spell out the full day of the week and use a three-character abbreviation for the month—exceptions can be made if space is limited.
Friday, Dec. 27
Don't
Don't include a period after the month abbreviation.
Friday, Dec 27th
Don't
Don't include ordinal indicators such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th.
Without the day of the week
December 2016
Do
Spell out the full month and include the four-digit year—exceptions can be made if space is limited.
Used as supporting information
12/25/16
Do
Use a forward slash to separate the month, day, and year.
04/09/20
Don't
Don't include a 0 before numbers less than 10.
12-25-16
Don't
Don't use hyphens.
Used within large transaction lists
Do
Include the four-digit year under the icon when appropriate.
Don't
Don't colorize.
Used in sentences
The transaction posted on December 7.
Do
Spell out the full month.
Showing results from December 7, 2020 through January 15, 2021.
Do
Include the four-digit year when appropriate.
The transaction posted on Dec. 7.
Don't
Don't use abbreviations.
Used as part of the datepicker
Dec 7, 2016 - Dec 30, 2017
Do
Use a three-character month abbreviation and include the four-digit year. Spans of time should be indicated with a hyphen and adjacent spaces.
Dec. 7, 2016 - Dec. 30, 2017
Don't
Don't include a period after the month abbreviation.
Dec 07, 2016 - Dec 30, 2017
Don't
Don't include a 0 before numbers less than 10.
Money
Amounts
$2,000.00
Do
Use a dollar sign and decimal point when denoting currency. Include a comma for numbers over three digits.
$2,000.00
Don't
Don't superscript the dollar or cents sign.
Cash deposit
+$2,000.00
Do
Prefix deposits with a "+" and style with the bodyTextDepositColor theme property.
+$2,000.00
Don't
Don't bold the text.
Cash debit
-$2,000.00
Don't
Don't use a "-" to prefix a debit.
$2,000.00
Don't
Don't style a debit transaction with red.
Credit and loan deposit
-$2,000.00
Do
Use a "-" to signify a deposit and style with the bodyTextDepositColor theme property.
Numbers
Phone number
(920) 467-3421
Do
Use parentheses around the area code and include a hyphen.
920.467.3421
Don't
Don't use periods to separate the parts of a phone number.
Account number
x1234
Do
Use a lowercase "x"' followed by the last four digits of the account number.
Savings Account (x1234)
Do
Use parentheses when the account name is used in the same label.
x 1234
Don't
Don't put a space between the "x" and the numbers.
Time
Specific time
5:00 PM
Do
Time should be formatted with a colon followed by the minutes, even if it's on the hour. Immediately following the time should be a space and a capitalized AM or PM.
5:00 P.M.
Don't
Don't include periods in the AM or PM.
Time range
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Do
Ranges of time should be indicated with a hyphen and adjacent spaces.
8:00 AM to 5:30 PM
Don't
Don't use the word "to."
Calendar time
An hour ago
Do
Use when representing date and time within two weeks of the creation date.
Today at 8:58 AM
Do
Use in both past and future tense.
Wednesday at 3:46 PM
Do
Spell out the full day of the week.
Last updated time increments
- Time increment labels should display the plural label when appropriate.
- Do not graphically or textually indicate the number of seconds the account was last updated.
Use the following patterns for formatting last updated time:
| Last updated time | Format |
|---|---|
| Less than five minutes | Just updated |
| Less than 10 minutes | 5 mins ago |
| Less than 15 minutes | 10 mins ago |
| Less than 30 minutes | 15 mins ago |
| Less than 60 minutes | 30 mins ago |
| Less than 24 hours | # hr[s] ago |
| Less than one week | # day[s] ago |
| Less than one month | # week[s] ago |
| Less than one year | # month[s] ago |
| Greater than or equal to one year | # year[s] ago |