# 03 · Voice & Tone

Voice in three words: **Precise. Confident. With you.**

Type voice: precise, sober, engineer-meets-writer. Set tight in display sizes, comfortable in body.

> **Writing style:** Precise. One idea per sentence. Engineer-meets-writer. Precise lives here in voice and tone, not in core values.

## Voice principles

### Precise

Short sentences, one idea per sentence, start with verb. Engineer-meets-writer voice. Sober register.

| Good ✓ | Bad ✗ |
|---|---|
| Blueprint. Scout. Reach. Meet. | Our four powerful AI-driven modules |
| We match. You hire. | We revolutionize hiring with cutting-edge AI |

### Confident

Claim the category. We are infrastructure, the operating system for modern hiring. No hedging.

| Good ✓ | Bad ✗ |
|---|---|
| talentix is the Hiring OS. | talentix could help you hire better. |
| Built to hire with you. | An AI tool that may help recruiters. |

### With you

Always preserve the human. We never hire FOR you, we hire WITH you. The system produces matches. The human produces hires.

| Good ✓ | Bad ✗ |
|---|---|
| We match. You hire. | We hire for you, no humans needed. |
| Hand-over to the recruiter. | Fully autonomous candidate selection. |

## Tone spectra

Where we sit on each dial.

| Spectrum | Position | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Formal ↔ Informal | Lightly informal | We say "you", not "the client". Contractions when natural, not lazy. |
| Serious ↔ Playful | Serious with a dry wink | Humor in the phrasing, never in the punctuation. No exclamation marks. |
| Sober ↔ Enthusiastic | Sober | Let the product carry the enthusiasm. Infrastructure, not hype. |
| Technical ↔ Human | Human first | Technical only when it builds trust. Clarity over jargon. |

## Never say

- No em-dashes (—). Use commas, periods, or rewrite.
- No "revolutionary", "disruptive", "cutting-edge", "game-changing".
- No AI as a buzzword. The system is AI.
- No "hire for you". It is hire WITH you, always.
- No exclamation marks. The system is quiet.
- No emojis in brand copy.
- No stacked adjectives like "fast, smart, powerful".

## Key terms (EN / NL)

| English | Dutch | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hiring OS | Hiring OS | Category claim |
| Built to hire with you. | Gebouwd om samen met jou te hiren. | Payoff |
| We match. You hire. | Wij leveren de match. Jij maakt de hire. | Outcome line |
| Blueprint. Scout. Reach. Meet. | Blueprint. Scout. Reach. Meet. | Module names, never translated |
| Operating system | Operating system | Positioning |
| Infrastructure | Infrastructuur | Category |

## Copy templates

### Hero headline

> Built to hire with you. The operating system for modern hiring.

Use on: landing pages, pitch decks, sales one-pagers.

### 30-second pitch

> talentix is the operating system for modern hiring. Four modules. Blueprint, Scout, Reach, Meet. They replace 10+ disconnected tools. We match. You hire.

Use on: prospect intros, investor warm-ups, networking events.

### Pitch deck opener

> talentix replaces your hiring stack with one connected system. Built to hire with you.

Use on: slide 1 of any deck.

## Reference brands for tone calibration

> **Internal only.** Never name these brands in external copy, decks, ads, or website. They live here so the team can calibrate the talentix register against a known posture.

| Brand | What we borrow |
|---|---|
| **Stripe** | Calm and precision. Infrastructure claiming a category without shouting. |
| **Linear** | Minimalism, opinionated design, three-word propositions. |
| **Ramp** | Commercial bite and outcome-driven claims. Direct, never coy. |
| **Figma** | Warmth and partnership. Refuses to be cold infrastructure. |
| **Rippling** | Courage to claim a category before anyone else does. |

We borrow the posture, not the template.

## Naming rules

- **talentix** is always lowercase, except at the very start of a sentence
- Never write `Talentix.AI`, `talentix.AI`, or `Talentix.ai` — always `talentix.ai`
- Module names (Blueprint, Scout, Reach, Meet) are proper nouns, always English
- Never translate "Built to hire with you" in brand context (only in supporting copy)

## Title weight + gradient discipline

The visual side of voice. Calm type, loud only on the payoff.

- Titles use Neue Haas Display **Medium (500)**, not Black or Bold
- Gradient text is reserved for **key payoffs only**: "Built to hire with you." and "We match. You hire."
- Section subtitles use solid white or a single module color, **never gradient**
- Use gradient **maximum once per page**
- Stats and numbers may stay in Black for emphasis. Eyebrows in small caps follow their own rule.