Design Principle
Brand expression must not sacrifice clarity, especially for errors, payments, moderation, and destructive actions.
Principle
Brand expression must not sacrifice clarity, especially for errors, payments, moderation, and destructive actions.
Design action
Buttons use verb plus object; errors explain cause and next step; empty states offer an actionable entry, and brand voice enhances but never replaces meaning.
Examples
Positive example: Landing pages, SaaS, community submission, and empty states. Counterexample: Button copy is poetic but unclear.
Apply when
Landing pages, SaaS, community submission, and empty states. Chinese and English copy are both needed.
Source notes
Source note: Synthesized from GOV.UK, Carbon, Polaris, Atlassian, Design.Systems, Design Systems Repo, and product-pattern libraries.
Agent Directive
Buttons use verb plus object; errors explain cause and next step; empty states offer an actionable entry, and brand voice enhances but never replaces meaning.