Standards
Style Guide
Writing and design standards for all Developers Digest content. Follow these when creating blog posts, guides, tutorials, or contributing to the site.
Voice & Tone
- 1Write like a senior dev explaining to a peer, not a teacher lecturing a student
- 2Be direct. Lead with the answer, not the reasoning
- 3Use 'you' and 'your', never 'one should' or passive voice
- 4Show, don't tell. Code examples over descriptions
- 5No hype words: 'revolutionary', 'game-changing', 'cutting-edge'
Formatting
- 1Use regular dashes with spaces ( - ) instead of em dashes
- 2No emojis in any content
- 3Code blocks: always specify the language (typescript, bash, json)
- 4Headings: use ## for sections, ### for subsections. Never skip levels
- 5Lists: use bullet points for unordered, numbers only for sequential steps
Technical Writing
- 1Every code example must be runnable. No pseudocode unless labeled
- 2Include the import statements. Readers copy-paste
- 3TypeScript over JavaScript. Always type your examples
- 4Show the output. If code returns something, show what it returns
- 5Version-pin when it matters: 'Next.js 16' not just 'Next.js'
SEO & Structure
- 1Every post needs: title, excerpt, date, readTime, tags, relatedPosts
- 2Add a FAQ section (3-5 questions) for rich snippet eligibility
- 3First paragraph should contain the primary keyword naturally
- 4Internal links: link to related posts, guides, and tools
- 5Featured video: always add featuredVideo if a companion video exists
Design System
- 1White background, black/neutral text, one accent at most (default black)
- 2Hairline borders (border-black/10); square corners enforced globally
- 3Buttons: solid black primary or hairline secondary. No pills
- 4Cards: white surface + hairline border. No offset layers or heavy shadows
- 5Mono uppercase eyebrows for section labels. No gradients anywhere
- 6Retired 2026-07: the old cream, pink, rounded-pill, offset-card system. Do not reintroduce it. See /design-system
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