Hmmm (stroking chin) … does my company have a voice? (raise eyebrows, gaze into upper distance). So, how does it sound in a print ad or an email? (snort, bust a gut).

Everything above in parentheses is called paralanguage – the stuff that goes along with what we’re saying, such as gestures, non-word sounds, volume, meaningful pauses, how close we get to being in someone’s face. We’d naturally think that wouldn’t leap onto a page. But au contraire, mon frere (hoity-toity smirk), there’s a lot we can do in type.

First, decide what kind of voice or attitude should represent your corporate image and your products. Formal? (squint a little)…mmm, maybe not. Kind of distancing. Techy? (stick out lower lip)…yeah, that might resonate with our audience. Sarcastic? (whoa, want to never hear from anyone again?) Conversational? (slow nod). That’s often the one to go with (at least around Adfinity), because you want to be perceived as speaking face-to-face with prospects even when they’re a state or continent away.

Talk to an art director and you’ll hear about how different styles, sizes and colors of fonts “sound.” Talk to a copywriter and you’ll get a whole book about rhythm … throwing in a few dot-dot-dots to set a phrase apart. Maybe a short sentence fragment. (Grammar Check just gave me a thump for that one, but go ahead, it’s your voice).  All these things, even bold italics, help readers get your message.

Using paralanguage doesn’t mean being contrived or detracting from business at hand. It means taking potential customers by the arm and leading them through your story. At your pace. In your best print voice.