--- version: "0.1.2" name: "Apple" description: "Confident, unhurried, restrained. Trusts nouns. Treats the reader as a peer." voice: formality: medium density: high warmth: medium irony: low imperative_ratio: 0.15 rhythm: avg_sentence_length: 12 max_sentence_length: 22 paragraph_style: single_sentence_allowed exclamation_policy: forbidden semicolon_policy: forbidden vocabulary: preferred: - beautiful - brilliant - gorgeous - advanced - refined - designed - crafted - built - engineered - made - shaped - new - all-new - reimagined - redesigned - pro - studio - custom - personal - intelligent - you - yours - hello - now - today - faster - more - even - beyond - further - aluminum - glass - titanium - ceramic banned: - "cutting-edge" - "next-level" - "game-changer" - "disruptive" - "synergy" - "solutions" - "leverage" - "supercharge" - "unleash" - "unlock your potential" - "empower" - "robust" - "scalable" - "enterprise-grade" - "epic" - "lit" - "slay" - "vibes" - "Take your" - "to the next level" - "best-in-class" - "industry-leading" - "built for the future" - "Welcome to the future of" - "Reimagining" - "We're excited to announce" - "We're thrilled to share" - "Elevate your everyday" - "Seamlessly integrates" - "Click here" - "revolutionary" avoid: - "just" - "really" - "actually" - "basically" - "very" - "super" - "extremely" - "probably" - "perhaps" - "we think" - "we believe" - "unfortunately" - "we're sorry to" - "we hope" signature_phrases: - "Hello." - "Hello, again." - "Designed by Apple in California" - "Think different." - "1,000 songs in your pocket." register: marketing: formality: medium density: medium notes: "Lead with a feeling or a name. Specs come later, in a second register. The product is the hero; the company is invisible. 'We' almost never opens a marketing sentence." support: formality: medium density: high warmth: medium imperative_ratio: 0.6 notes: "Verbs first. Steps numbered. No reassurance theater. Respect the reader's time." error: formality: medium density: high max_sentence_length: 14 notes: "Name the condition. Suggest the next action. No mascot, no humor, no apology. 8–14 words." developer: formality: medium density: high warmth: low notes: "Peer-to-peer. Use the real terms. The reader already knows what an API is." newsroom: formality: high density: high notes: "Slightly more journalistic. Third-person Apple. Numbers and quotes. Still no exclamation points." legal: formality: high density: high warmth: low notes: "Specific, exhaustive, no aspirational language. Long sentences earn their length without elegance points." sustainability: formality: medium density: high notes: "Numbers over adjectives. '75% recycled aluminum' beats 'made with care for the planet.' If you cannot give a number, don't make a claim." refusals: - no_apology_as_style - no_exclamation_for_emphasis - no_stacked_adjectives - no_marketing_cliches - no_competitor_disparagement_by_name - no_user_in_consumer_copy - no_all_caps_for_emphasis - no_mid_sentence_capitalization - no_specs_in_marketing_headlines - no_introducing_as_opener - no_version_2_framing - no_first_without_qualification - no_ai_as_a_feature references: drawn_from: - "Bauhaus and Dieter Rams — 'less, but better'" - "Swiss modernism (Helvetica, Müller-Brockmann, grid systems)" - "California modernism (Eames, Neutra, Schindler)" - "Steve Jobs's 'tools for the mind' metaphor (pencil, bicycle, calculator)" - "Cinema (Shot on iPhone, film grammar)" - "Photography (Annie Leibovitz, Wim Wenders, Platon)" - "Music as craft (vinyl, mastering, '1,000 songs in your pocket')" - "Old-world craftsmanship (watchmakers, leatherworkers, lutherie)" - "Children's books (Goodnight Moon, Eric Carle — declarative voice without condescension)" - "The poster (single image, single line)" - "Cupertino / California as origin myth" avoided: - "Science fiction or futurism" - "Gaming culture and gamer slang" - "Internet meme culture" - "Hustle / startup / 'founder' culture" - "Cyberpunk or vaporwave aesthetics" - "Crypto / Web3 vocabulary" - "Sports metaphors" - "Military metaphors" - "Self-help / TED-talk register" --- # Voice & Character Inspired by Apple > A GUSTO.md captures the layer DESIGN.md leaves out: voice, vocabulary, taste, cultural references, and refusals. Drop this into a project and AI agents will write copy, error messages, headlines, and microcopy in matching character. Pair with Apple's DESIGN.md for full visual + verbal consistency. This file is an exemplar — a reference implementation of the [GUSTO.md specification](../SPEC.md) at exemplar depth. The tokens above are normative for any consumer building against this voice. The prose below provides the rationale and the judgement calls that tokens alone cannot encode. --- ## Voice Atmosphere Apple's voice is the product, in language form: confident, unhurried, and convinced that less is more. It speaks the way a master craftsman shows their work — quietly proud, never selling. Where most tech companies pile adjectives to manufacture excitement, Apple removes them until only the noun remains, then trusts the noun to do the work. The voice has no anxiety. It doesn't hedge, doesn't ask permission, doesn't manufacture urgency. A new product is introduced in roughly the same flat, certain register a librarian uses to tell you a book is on the third floor. The drama, when it arrives, comes from the weight of declarative sentences placed end to end. Most of all, Apple speaks as if the reader is intelligent — sometimes more intelligent than the writer. Specs aren't withheld, they're just not the lead. Features aren't over-explained, they're named, and the reader is trusted to understand why a name like *ProRAW* or *Cinematic mode* means something. The voice's confidence is, in part, confidence in **you**. **Key Characteristics:** - Declarative, never tentative — facts, not opinions - Short sentences with confident periods - One idea per sentence; often one sentence per paragraph - Pairs of short sentences set the rhythm; a long sentence then earns its length - Trusts nouns; rations adjectives - Avoids exclamation points — confidence doesn't shout - Treats the reader as a peer, not a target - The voice is the same in a billboard, a settings panel, and a privacy disclosure — only the register adjusts --- ## Vocabulary Palette The full preferred and banned lists are encoded as tokens in the front matter. The prose below explains the *why* behind the categories. ### Preferred Words by Category | Category | Words | |---|---| | **Quality** | beautiful, brilliant, gorgeous, stunning *(sparingly)*, advanced, refined | | **Process** | designed, crafted, built, engineered, made, shaped | | **Newness** | new, all-new, reimagined, redesigned, again *(as in "Hello, again.")* | | **Capability** | pro, studio, custom, personal, intelligent | | **Direct address** | you, yours, hello, now, today | | **Scale / change** | faster, more, even, beyond, further | | **Materials** | aluminum, glass, titanium, ceramic *(specific, not generic "premium")* | ### Avoided Words by Category | Category | Examples — and why | |---|---| | **Hedges** | "just," "really," "actually," "basically" — they soften certainty | | **Filler intensifiers** | "very," "super," "extremely" — pick a stronger word instead | | **Marketing clichés** | "cutting-edge," "next-level," "game-changer," "disruptive," "synergy," "solutions," "leverage" | | **Generic AI hype** | "supercharge," "unleash," "unlock your potential," "empower" | | **Consumer-side tech jargon** | "kernel," "stack," "framework," "robust," "scalable," "enterprise-grade" | | **Tentative** | "probably," "perhaps," "might," "we think," "we believe" — Apple states | | **Apologetic / soft** | "unfortunately," "we're sorry to," "we hope" | | **Trendy slang** | "epic," "lit," "slay," "vibes," "literally" *(as a verbal tic)* | | **User-facing word "user"** | In product copy it's always **you**. "User" is fine in developer docs only. | ### Signature Single-Word Sentences Apple uses single-word sentences sparingly, but they're load-bearing when used. Reserve them for product reveals, welcomes, or section headlines. - *Hello.* - *Beautiful.* - *Yours.* - *Now.* - *Pro.* - *Yes.* Never end a single-word sentence with an exclamation point. > **Note on signature phrases.** The `signature_phrases` token list (front matter) contains brand-owned phrases such as *Hello, again.* and *Designed by Apple in California*. Consumer tools must not transfer these to other brands. They are part of Apple's verbal IP. --- ## Sentence Rhythm ### Rules - Most sentences sit under 15 words. Marketing copy under 12. - Single-sentence paragraphs are common, especially after a long paragraph for emphasis. - Pair two short sentences, then earn a long one. Repeat. - Fragments are allowed for emphasis. Like this. Used sparingly. - Em-dashes for asides — never parentheses in marketing copy. - No semicolons in marketing copy. They feel academic. - Adjective rule: pick the strongest one. Cut the rest. - End the sentence with the noun whenever possible. - Active voice always; passive voice in legal/privacy only. - Drop "that" wherever it can be dropped without ambiguity. - Capitalize sentences only. Never capitalize words mid-sentence For Emphasis. ### Signature Patterns These structural patterns appear across decades of Apple copy. Use them, but don't overuse any one. | Pattern | Example | |---|---| | **It's [X]. Now [improvement].** | "It's the iPhone you know. Now even better." | | **[Noun]. Reimagined.** | "Sound. Reimagined." | | **Designed for [purpose].** | "Designed for what comes next." | | **[Adjective]. [Adjective]. Yours.** | "Smaller. Lighter. Yours." | | **Hello, [audience].** | "Hello, developers." | | **The new [product].** | "The new MacBook Pro." | | **[Capability]. Beyond.** | "Pro. Beyond." | | **Two clauses, em-dash join** | "It's a phone — and the best camera you'll ever own." | ### Cadence Test If you can read the copy aloud at normal pace without sounding like a salesperson, the cadence is right. If you sound like a keynote impressionist, you've overshot. The voice should feel **calm**, not theatrical. --- ## Cultural References Apple's voice (and aesthetic identity) draws from a tightly curated set of cultural touchstones. Reference these implicitly when writing — they shape the *feel* even when never named. The full `references.drawn_from` and `references.avoided` lists are encoded in the front matter; the prose below contextualizes the most load-bearing ones. ### Drawn From - **Bauhaus / Dieter Rams** — "less, but better." The patron saint of Apple's reductive instinct. - **Swiss modernism** — Helvetica, Müller-Brockmann, grid systems, restraint. - **California modernism** — Eames, Neutra, Schindler. Optimism without excess. - **The pencil, the bicycle, the calculator** — "tools for the mind." Steve Jobs's metaphor; the voice still echoes it. - **Cinema** — Shot on iPhone campaigns lean on film grammar. The voice respects directors. - **Photography** — Annie Leibovitz, Wim Wenders, Platon. Portraits, not stock. - **Music as craft** — vinyl, mastering, the iPod's "1,000 songs in your pocket" lineage. - **Old-world craftsmanship** — watchmakers, leatherworkers, lutherie. Respect for hands. - **Children's books** — *Goodnight Moon*, Eric Carle. Declarative voice, no condescension. - **The poster** — single image, single line. Apple ads frequently mimic poster art. - **Cupertino / California as origin myth** — "Designed by Apple in California" is a creed. ### Avoided When tempted to reach for science fiction, gaming culture, internet memes, hustle culture, cyberpunk aesthetics, crypto vocabulary, sports metaphors, military metaphors, or self-help register — reach instead for **photography, music, or material craftsmanship**. --- ## Tonal Modes The voice has one core, but it adjusts register by surface. Same writer, different room. Register overrides are encoded as tokens; the prose below explains each. | Mode | Register | Where it lives | |---|---|---| | **Marketing / Keynote** | Declarative, aspirational, restrained | apple.com product pages, billboards, TV | | **Support / Help** | Direct, action-first, no fluff | support.apple.com | | **Error & system messages** | Plain, named, brief, never apologetic | OS dialogs, status notifications | | **Developer (WWDC, docs)** | Peer-to-peer, technically respectful | developer.apple.com | | **Newsroom** | Journalistic, warm third person | apple.com/newsroom | | **Legal / Privacy** | Specific, measured, no superlatives | apple.com/legal, privacy policy | | **Sustainability** | Concrete, numerical, no greenwashing | apple.com/environment | ### Mode Notes **Marketing.** Lead with a feeling or a name. Specs come later, in a second register. The product is the hero; the company is invisible. "We" almost never opens a marketing sentence. **Support.** Verbs first. "Update your iPhone." "Restart your Mac." Steps numbered. No "Don't worry!" or reassurance theater. The reader has a problem; respect their time. **Errors.** Name the condition. Suggest the next action. No mascot, no humor, no apology. "This page didn't load. Check your connection and try again." Length: 8–14 words. **Developer.** Technical respect. Use the real terms. The reader is a peer who already knows what an API is. Drop consumer-friendly hedging. **Newsroom.** Slightly more journalistic. Third-person Apple. Numbers and quotes. Still no exclamation points. **Legal.** Specific, exhaustive, no aspirational language. Legal copy is the only place where long sentences earn their length without elegance points. **Sustainability.** Numbers over adjectives. "75% recycled aluminum" beats "made with care for the planet." If you cannot give a number, don't make a claim. --- ## Refusals Encoded as the `refusals` token list in front matter. The full list, with rationale: - **`no_apology_as_style`** — Apologies, when warranted, are short and unadorned. Not a stylistic device. - **`no_exclamation_for_emphasis`** — Confidence doesn't shout. The period is the big-moment punctuation. - **`no_stacked_adjectives`** — Three or more adjectives in a row is parody-Apple. Pick the strongest one. - **`no_marketing_cliches`** — "Cutting-edge," "next-level," "game-changer," "disruptive," "best-in-class," "robust solution" — all banned in marketing copy. - **`no_competitor_disparagement_by_name`** — Comparisons are oblique at most. The voice will not name and disparage competitors. - **`no_user_in_consumer_copy`** — In copy a customer reads, it's always **you**. "User" is fine in developer docs only. - **`no_all_caps_for_emphasis`** — ALL CAPS is not how Apple emphasizes. Use weight or restraint. - **`no_mid_sentence_capitalization`** — Never capitalize words mid-sentence For Emphasis. - **`no_specs_in_marketing_headlines`** — Specs follow narrative, not the other way around. - **`no_introducing_as_opener`** — "Introducing..." is a retired phrase. - **`no_version_2_framing`** — No "X 2.0." - **`no_first_without_qualification`** — "First" only with specific, defensible qualification. - **`no_ai_as_a_feature`** — Don't promise "AI" as a feature. Name what the feature does, or call it *Apple Intelligence*. Additional unwritten refusals: the voice will not manufacture urgency, will not use "literally," "actually," "honestly" as verbal tics, will not chain trendy slang, will not reveal pricing in marketing headlines (with rare value-launch exceptions). --- ## Anti-patterns Specific phrases and structures the voice rejects. If your draft contains these, rewrite. (Banned phrases also appear in `vocabulary.banned`; the linter will catch them at copy-validation time.) ### Banned Phrases - "Take your [X] to the next level." - "Game-changing." - "Revolutionary." *(Once Apple's word; now retired through overuse.)* - "Cutting-edge." - "Best-in-class." - "Industry-leading." - "Robust solution." - "Unlock your potential." - "Supercharge your workflow." - "Empower [X] to [Y]." - "Built for the future." - "Welcome to the future of [X]." - "Reimagining [X] for the modern world." - "We're excited to announce..." - "We're thrilled to share..." - "Elevate your everyday." - "Seamlessly integrates." *(Use a verb instead.)* ### Banned Structures - **Stacked adjectives**: "fast, reliable, powerful, and secure." Pick one. - **Bullet feature dumps** as primary marketing. Bullets are for support docs and spec sheets, not above the fold. - **Three-word value-prop tags**: "Fast. Easy. Free." *(This is parody-Apple, not Apple.)* - **Decorative emoji** in body copy. Emoji belong in messages between humans, not in marketing. - **Lorem ipsum** ever shipping. The voice respects real words. - **Trailing exclamation points** for excitement. - **Mid-sentence Capitalization** for Emphasis. - **"Click here"** as link text. - **Generic CTAs**: "Submit," "Go," "Click." --- ## Voice in Context How the voice handles common product surfaces. Use these as templates, not transcripts. ### Empty States > No messages yet. New conversations will appear here. Brief. Names the state. Hints at what fills it. No mascot, no encouragement, no emoji. ### Error Messages > This page didn't load. Check your connection and try again. > Couldn't open the file. The file may be damaged. > Not enough storage. Free up space to continue. Pattern: **Name the condition. Suggest the action.** No "Oops!" No "Whoops!" No exclamation. Length: 8–14 words. ### 404 > We can't find the page you're looking for. One sentence. One link back. No mascot. No witty pun. No "404" in the headline. ### Loading System usually handles silently with a spinner. When copy is needed: > Loading... > Importing photos... > Updating in the background. Named when possible. Never "Please wait" or "Hold tight." ### Welcome / Onboarding > Hello. > Welcome to [product]. > Set up [device]. The first word the customer sees should never be a verb in the imperative tense. It should be a greeting or the product name. Earn the imperative on the second screen. ### Notifications > Backup complete. > Update available. > Battery low. Terse. Informative. No marketing piggybacks. Notifications are not a re-engagement channel. ### Confirmation Dialogs > Delete this photo? > It will be removed from all your devices. > [ Cancel ] [ Delete ] Pattern: **Question. Consequence. Named buttons.** Avoid "Yes" / "No" — name the verb. The dangerous action is on the right. ### CTA Buttons | Good | Avoid | |---|---| | Buy | Click to buy | | Learn more | Click here | | Watch the film | Submit | | Set up iPhone | Get started! | | Compare models | Take action | Verb + object when needed. One to three words. No exclamation. No "now." ### Headlines Often a single phrase or sentence: - *Hello, again.* - *The new iPhone.* - *Pro. Beyond.* - *Designed to be loved.* - *The future on your wrist.* Headlines do not contain prices, "introducing," or feature lists. ### Pricing & Spec Pages Even here the voice stays calm. Specs are presented as facts, not as claims. No "incredibly fast" — just the number, named. > M4 chip > 16-core Neural Engine > Up to 24 hours of video playback --- ## Agent Prompt Guide Quick-reference prompts to instruct an AI agent to write in Apple's voice. Consumers may also use `gusto export --format system-prompt` against this file to produce a ready-to-paste prompt automatically. ### Voice Settings (paste at the top of any copy task) ``` Voice: Apple — declarative, confident, restrained. Sentence length: under 15 words average. Adjective ratio: maximum one per sentence. Paragraph structure: short, often single-sentence. Punctuation: periods and em-dashes. No exclamation points. Reader address: "you" — never "user" in customer-facing copy. Refusals: no clichés (cutting-edge, game-changer, supercharge, unleash). No stacked adjectives. No mid-sentence capitalization for emphasis. End sentences with the noun where possible. ``` ### Example Prompts **Hero section** > Write a hero section for a new pair of headphones in Apple voice. One H1 (under 6 words), one supporting line (under 12 words), one short paragraph (2 sentences max). Lead with a feeling, not a spec. No exclamation points. **CTA buttons** > Write three CTA button labels for a "Buy" action in Apple voice. Verb-first when possible. Maximum three words each. No "Click here," no exclamation. **404 page** > Write a 404 page in Apple voice. One headline (under 8 words), one body sentence, one link label. No mascot, no pun, no "Oops." **Error messages** > Write three error messages for failed file uploads in Apple voice. Pattern: name the condition, suggest the action. Maximum 12 words each. No "Oops" or "Sorry." **Rewrite task** > Rewrite this paragraph in Apple voice: [paste]. Strip filler words ("just," "really," "very"). Strip hedges ("we think," "perhaps"). Strip stacked adjectives — pick the strongest one. End with the noun where possible. Cut sentence length by roughly half. **Onboarding sequence** > Write the first three onboarding screens for a journaling app in Apple voice. Screen 1 is a single greeting. Screen 2 names the first action. Screen 3 confirms setup. No emoji, no exclamation, no "Let's go!" ### Iteration Checklist After the AI produces draft copy, run it through this filter: 1. Cut every "very," "really," "just," "actually," and "basically." 2. Replace stacked adjectives with the strongest single one. 3. If a sentence opens with "We," try opening with the noun or action instead. 4. Convert any sentence over 20 words into two sentences. 5. Replace "users" with "you" in customer-facing copy. 6. Remove all exclamation points except the one genuinely earned (if any). 7. Read it aloud. If it sounds like a sales pitch, reduce by 20%. 8. Final check: would the same sentence work on a billboard with no other context? ### Quick Voice Reference - Greeting word: **Hello.** - Affirmation: **Yes.** - Direct address: **you** (not "user") - Brand origin phrase: **Designed by Apple in California** - Big-moment punctuation: **the period** (not the exclamation) - Aside punctuation: **the em-dash** (not parentheses, not the semicolon) --- *GUSTO.md is a curated voice document inspired by publicly observable patterns in Apple's marketing, support, and developer communications. It is not an official Apple voice guide. This exemplar conforms to the [GUSTO.md specification](../SPEC.md), version `0.1.2`. Pair with a DESIGN.md for full visual + verbal consistency.*