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
- Spell out the full day of the week and abbreviate the month—exceptions can be made if space is limited.
- Use a three-character month abbreviation.
- Don’t include a period after the month abbreviation.
- Don’t include ordinal indicators such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th.
Do
Friday, Dec 27
Don't
Friday, Dec. 27
Don't
Friday, Dec 27th
- Spell out the full month and include the four-digit year—exceptions can be made if space is limited.
- Don’t include the day of the week.
Do
December 2016
Don't
Friday, December 2016
Used as supporting information
- Use a forward slash to separate the month, day, and year.
- Don’t include a 0 before numbers less than 10.
- Don’t use hyphens.
Do
12/25/16
Don't
04/09/20
Don't
12-25-16
Used within large transaction lists
- Include the four-digit year under the icon when appropriate.
- Don’t colorize.
Do
30
Don't
30
Used in sentences
- Spell out the full month.
- Include the four-digit year when appropriate.
- Don’t use abbreviations.
Do
The transaction posted on December 7.
Don't
The transaction posted on Dec. 7.
Used as part of the datepicker
- Use a three-character month abbreviation.
- Include the four-digit year.
- Use a hyphen to show a period of time.
- Put spaces around the hyphen.
- Don’t include a period after the month abbreviation.
- Don’t include a 0 before numbers less than 10.
Do
Dec 7, 2016 - Dec 30, 2017
Don't
Dec. 7, 2016 - Dec. 30, 2017
Don't
Dec 07, 2016 - Dec 30, 2017
Money
Amounts
- Use a dollar sign.
- Use a decimal point.
- Use a comma for numbers over three digits.
- Don’t superscript the dollar or cents sign.
Do
$2,000.00
Don't
$2,000.00
Cash deposit
- Use a ‘+’ to signify a deposit.
- Use
bodyTextDepositColor
to color the text. - Don’t bold the text.
Do
+$2,000.00
Don't
+$2,000.00
Cash debit
- Don’t show a ‘-’ for a debit.
- Don’t use red.
Do
$2,000.00
Don't
-$2,000.00
Don't
$2,000.00
Credit and loan deposit
- Use a ‘-’ to signify a deposit.
- Use
bodyTextDepositColor
to color the text.
Do
-$2,000.00
Numbers
Phone number
- Use parentheses around the area code.
- Use a hyphen.
- Don’t use periods.
Do
(920) 467-3421
Don't
920.467.3421
Account number
- Use a lowercase ‘x’ followed by the last four digits of the account number.
- Use parentheses when the account name is used in the same label.
- Don’t put a space between the ‘x’ and the numbers.
Do
x1234
Do
Savings Account (x1234)
Don't
x 1234
Time
Specific time
- Capitalize AM and PM.
- Include a space after the minutes and before the AM or PM.
- Always include a colon followed by the minutes, even if it’s on the hour.
- Don’t include periods in the AM or PM.
Do
5:00 PM
Don't
5:00 P.M.
Time range
- Use a hyphen to indicate a range of time.
- Include spaces around the hyphen.
- Don’t use the word “to.”
Do
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Don't
8:00 AM to 5:30 PM
Calendar time
- Use when representing date and time within two weeks of the creation date.
- Use in both past and future tense.
- Spell out the full day of the week.
Do
An hour ago
Do
Today at 8:58 AM
Do
Wednesday at 3:46 PM
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 |