# Brand guidelines Human Guide

## What This Is For
Write copy following Sentry brand guidelines. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for brand and messaging: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Brand guidelines agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for brand guidelines.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Brand guidelines guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- **Be concise** - Use the fewest words needed
- **Be direct** - Tell users what to do, not what they can do
- **Use active voice** - "Save your changes" not "Your changes will be saved"
- **Avoid jargon** - Use simple words users understand
- **Be specific** - "3 errors found" not "Some errors found"
- **Empathetic snark** - Direct frustration at the situation, never the user
- **Self-aware** - Acknowledge the absurdity of software
- **Fun but functional** - Personality should enhance, not obscure meaning
- **Earned moments** - Only use when users have time to appreciate it
- Error messages (users are frustrated)
- Settings pages (users are focused)
- Documentation (users need information)

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Tone Selection, Plain Speech (Default), Rules, Examples, Sentry Voice, Principles, When NOT to Use Sentry Voice, General Rules, Spelling and Grammar, Punctuation.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- **Avoid jargon** - Use simple words users understand
- **Empathetic snark** - Direct frustration at the situation, never the user
- > "This page doesn't exist. Maybe it never did. Maybe it was a dream. Either way, let's get you back on track."
- > "Let's get your first error. Don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds."
- Avoid these common mistakes:

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Brand guidelines human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the getsentry/skills skill entry for `brand-guidelines`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Brand Guidelines

Write user-facing copy following Sentry's brand guidelines.

## Tone Selection

Choose the appropriate tone based on context:

| Use Plain Speech | Use Sentry Voice |
|------------------|------------------|
| Product UI (buttons, labels, forms) | 404 pages |
| Documentation | Empty states |
| Error messages | Onboarding flows |
| Settings pages | Loading states |
| Transactional emails | "What's New" announcements |
| Help text | Marketing copy |

**Default to Plain Speech** unless the context specifically calls for personality.

## Plain Speech (Default)

Plain Speech is clear, direct, and functional. Use it for most UI elements.

### Rules

1. **Be concise** - Use the fewest words needed
2. **Be direct** - Tell users what to do, not what they can do
3. **Use active voice** - "Save your changes" not "Your changes will be saved"
4. **Avoid jargon** - Use simple words users understand
5. **Be specific** - "3 errors found" not "Some errors found"

### Examples

| Instead of | Write |
|------------|-------|
| "Click here to save your changes" | "Save" |
| "You can filter results by date" | "Filter by date" |
| "An error has occurred" | "Something went wrong" |
| "Please enter a valid email address" | "Enter a valid email" |
| "Are you sure you want to delete?" | "Delete this item?" |

## Sentry Voice

Sentry Voice adds personality in appropriate moments. It's empathetic, self-aware, and occasionally snarky.

### Principles

1. **Empathetic snark** - Direct frustration at the situation, never the user
2. **Self-aware** - Acknowledge the absurdity of software
3. **Fun but functional** - Personality should enhance, not obscure meaning
4. **Earned moments** - Only use when users have time to appreciate it

### Examples

**404 Pages:**
> "This page doesn't exist. Maybe it never did. Maybe it was a dream. Either way, let's get you back on track."

**Empty States:**
> "No errors yet. Enjoy this moment of peace while it lasts."

**Onboarding:**
> "Let's get your first error. Don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds."

**Loading States:**
> "Crunching the numbers..."
> "Fetching your data..."

### When NOT to Use Sentry Voice

- Error messages (users are frustrated)
- Settings pages (users are focused)
- Documentation (users need information)
- Billing/payment flows (users need trust)

## General Rules

### Spelling and Grammar

- Use **American English** spelling (color, not colour)
- Use **Title Case** for headings and page titles