Telos Guide — Voice & Style
INTERNAL REFERENCE · V1.0 · PART 2 OF 3

Voice & Style

Brand tone, Low-Key Talk style, and product versioning. —how we sound.

Brand Tone & Voice

Tone Spectrum

Formal vs Casual
Formal
Neutral
Casual
conversational, frank, friendly, smart
Serious vs Funny
Serious
Neutral
Funny
humorous, informative, witty
Respectful vs Irreverent
Respectful
Neutral
Irreverent
caring, respectful
Matter-of-fact vs Enthusiastic
Matter-of-fact
Neutral
Enthusiastic
enthusiastic, upbeat, passionate

Tone Keywords

Primary ToneSupporting TonesAvoid
PassionateAuthoritative, Informative, SmartCoarse, Edgy, Sarcastic
EnthusiasticUpbeat, Cheerful, WittyDry, Matter-of-fact, Conservative
RespectfulCaring, Trustworthy, ProfessionalIrreverent, Provocative, Quirky
ConversationalFrank, Friendly, CasualFormal, Unapologetic, Romantic
InformativeSmart, HumorousPlayful, Snarky, Nostalgic

Low-Key Talk Style

What It Is

A casual, text-vibe writing style used sparingly to offset the seriousness of our messaging. Styled in Exo font at rgba(255,255,255,0.40), appearing as short interjections within otherwise professional copy.

Characteristics

Live Examples

a hell of a while back when this was just an idea—fyi y awesome.
We’re opening up 500 spots (pssst, that’s y).
Check out our new website—lowkey it’s fire.
we are soooo back

Purpose

Balances our wise, succinct, elegant primary voice with moments of personality and warmth. Prevents the brand from feeling too serious or corporate. Makes technology feel human.
Where to use:
Email interjections
Parenthetical asides
Secondary captions
Aura’s dialogue
Never use in:
Headlines
Primary messaging
Legal / formal contexts
App Store descriptions

Product Naming & Versioning

Current Version

Telos MK 1.0
Usage in text:
"Telos MK 1.0" — MK is always superscripted (upper-left, like an exponent) with a space on either side, and rendered in a muted/ghost color, never at the same weight or brightness as "Telos" and "1.0"
Avoid: “Telos v1.0”, “Telos 1.0”, “Telos Version 1”