Brand & Style Guide Revision: Websites

submitted by Leslie Marinelli

You may have noticed a subtle change in the appearance of our website address on recent library promotions. 

Our website address is still the same (https://www.forsythpl.org), but we've recently started writing it as ForsythPL.org (capital F, capital P, capital L). 

In situations like URLs and hashtags where we can't use spaces or special characters to separate words, capital letters can help with readability. The capital letters help the eye to pause between words and process that a new word is starting. URLs and hashtags are not case sensitive, so this change in formatting has no impact on the way the link or hashtag functions—it just makes it easier to read. 

This convention of beginning each new word in a compound URL or hashtag is widely known as camel case because the rise of taller capital letters in the middle of a compound phrase resembles the humps on a camel's back. #AliceTheCamelHasTwoHumps #DidAnyoneElseSingThatSongAtSummerCamp? 

Image credit: Hans Benn via Pixabay 

NERD ALERT: Technically, it's really only camel case (aka camelCase) if the first word is lowercase and all subsequent words begin with an uppercase letter, such as eBay, iPhone, and macOS. If you also capitalize the first word (like ForsythPL.org), it's actually called pascal case or upper camel case. 

Using camel case or pascal case isn't just a matter of style. It is a matter of accessibility. 

Lowercase multiple-word hashtags and URLs are an issue for screen readers. 

A screen reader is a form of assistive technology that reads out text and image content as speech or renders it as braille. When long hashtags or URLs are written in all lowercase, the screen reader can't recognize the individual words, making the content inaccessible to people using screen readers. 

Camel case isn't just beneficial for screen reader users. This practice improves readability for everyone, including: 

• people with low literacy
• people who have intellectual disabilities
• people with low fluency in the language of the hashtag
• people who are in a rush (so basically, everyone!) 

In order to be as accessible as possible, please write our URL, hashtags, and social media handles using upper camel case from now on. 

Correct examples: 

• ForsythPL.org
• @FoCoLibrary
• #ForsythReadsTogether

I have updated the FCPL Brand & Style Guide to reflect this new standard. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.