At Netflix , we used the Brand Attributes to shape how we wrote and how we designed. Brand Attributes are the tone/voice of everything a company does. And not just copywriting but visuals as well. And no, not everything created on behalf of, or by, a company has to have all of them expressed at once. But it better have at least one. Below are the Netflix Brand Attributes that were in place for my entire 11-year run working there: Smart – Not smart aleck. We talk to people, not down to people Human – We’re one-on-one. We’re personal, not corporate. Straightforward – We are simple and easy, not terse or clinical. Enthusiastic – But not “salesy”. Challenger – Not maverick, but we are a little irreverent. Trustworthy – We are substantial, reliable, and stable. You can see how some of those played out visually and in copy in this old worksheet of buttons used for email and the non-member site from around 2007. Everything about the buttons from the use of the Gotham font, to the rounded corners, to the language used, was guided by those Brand Attributes.
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