Documentation Formatting Guidelines

We have a shared template for all our documentation, reports, etc that we use across the company as well as our clients. Whenever you are creating a new document, please use the template as a reference.

Template

Make a copy of the template and name it as per the document you are creating.

Template Shared template for all our documentation.

Everyone at Axioned has commenting access to the template. So, if you need to make any changes to the template, please go ahead and add your comments.

Tip

In this Google Doc, go to “Format” > “Paragraph styles” > “Options” > “Save as my default styles” to always have some great defaults for your documents. This might not cover all the styles you need, but it’s a good starting point.

Reference Document Style Guide

• Axioned’s Logo: Positioned prominently at the top-right within the header space, ideally with a width of 1.34 and a height of 0.5 inches.
• Footer: Include page numbers in the footer (e.g., “Page X of Y”), center-aligned.
• Fonts: Use a consistent font type throughout the document (e.g., IBM Plex Sans, Calibri, Proxima Nova).
• Font Size: Define hierarchy through font sizes (e.g., 11 for paragraphs, 15 for Heading 1, 13 for Heading 2, etc.).
• Heading: Use defined heading levels (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to create a clear document structure.
• Line Spacing: Maintain consistent line spacing—recommend 1.15 or 1.5 for readability.
• Consistency in Color Usage: Use a consistent color palette that aligns with branding guidelines.
• Visual Hierarchy: Use bold, italics, and underlining purposefully to guide attention—not decoratively.
• Bullet and Numbered Lists: Use bullet points for non-sequential items and numbered lists for sequential information. Ensure consistent indentation.
• Table Formatting: Use tables for data presentation with consistent column widths and row heights to enhance readability.
• Images and Graphics: Use high-quality images with captions where necessary. Position thoughtfully within the layout.
• Hyperlink Formatting: Use descriptive anchor text (e.g., “Visit our website” instead of “Click here”).
• Page Layout: Maintain uniform margins and indentations throughout.
• Table of Content Section: Ensure TOC is well-formatted, linked, up-to-date, and clearly reflects document structure.

Review Process

• Proofreading: Review all documents for typos, grammatical issues, and clarity before sharing.
• Feedback Loop: For critical or high-impact documents, get the document reviewed for verification and/or improvements:
  • Primary reviewer: QA (Pranit)
  • Secondary reviewer: PMO (Sumeet/Shyam)