Voice and Tone

Personality

Personality is what humanizes our brand. These characteristics and qualities define the way our brand should look and feel — aligning who we are as an institution and how we talk about the critical nature of our work. These traits shape the image, voice and tone of our brand.

Our voice and tone

In the simplest terms, our message is what we say and our voice is how we say it. Still, it’s practically impossible to separate the two: They must always be true to one another.

And it’s through our tone — informed by our brand personality traits and based on our creative platform — that the UC Davis voice takes shape, expressing who we are in a way that’s unmistakably ours.

When we talk about ourselves and what we do, we should sound:

  • Witty, Earthy, Pithy: We’re a little offbeat. We exhibit a sharp sense of humor and an unexpected point of view.

  • Compassionate, Benevolent, Human: We have an intuitive empathy that motivates our behavior and decisions.

  • Earnest, Diligent, Sincere: We embody diligence and hard work, absent of all hubris.

  • Curious, Explorative, Inquisitive: We find excitement in purposefully exploring potential solutions.