Voice
Voice & Tone
How we speak and write defines how people experience our brand. Our voice is consistent; our tone adapts to context. Together they create a brand that feels human, expert, and trustworthy.
Our Voice
The Airship voice is always present, regardless of channel or audience. It reflects who we are at our core.
Confident, Not Arrogant
We know our craft. We speak with authority about what we do well, but we never talk down to clients or competitors. Our confidence comes from track record, not bravado.
Direct, Not Blunt
We get to the point. We respect people's time. But directness isn't coldness — we're clear and warm, not curt.
Technical, Not Jargon-Heavy
We speak the language of game development fluently. We use technical terms where they add precision, but we never hide behind jargon to sound impressive.
Human, Not Corporate
We sound like real people who love what they do. No buzzword bingo, no empty superlatives. Genuine enthusiasm for the craft.
Tone Spectrum
While our voice stays constant, our tone shifts depending on context. Here's how we calibrate across different situations.
| Context | Tone | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Client pitch / proposals | Assured, professional, precise | “Our team of 120+ artists integrates directly into your pipeline, delivering AAA-quality assets on your schedule.” |
| Website / marketing | Bold, energetic, aspirational | “Redefining Game Development Partnerships.” |
| Social media | Confident, enthusiastic, anchored in value | “Our environment team built 40+ modular kit pieces for Starfield's abandoned space stations. Here's how the tileable damage system let Bethesda dress scenes 3x faster.” |
| Recruitment / careers | Inviting, honest, encouraging | “If you care about the craft as much as we do, you'll feel at home here.” |
| Crisis / difficult news | Empathetic, clear, factual | “We want to be transparent about what's happening and what we're doing about it.” |
Writing Principles
- Lead with the benefit. Tell people what they gain, not what we do. “Ship faster with embedded teams” beats “We offer staffing solutions.”
- Be specific. Concrete details build trust. “42 artists deployed in three weeks” is stronger than “rapid scaling.”
- Short sentences, short paragraphs. Our audience is busy. Get to the point, then stop.
- Active voice always. “We deliver assets” not “Assets are delivered by our team.”
- Avoid filler words. Cut “very,” “really,” “just,” “basically,” and “actually.” They weaken everything.
- Don't oversell. Let the work speak. State facts, share results, show the portfolio. Avoid empty superlatives like “world-class” or “best-in-class.”
Voice in Action
Side-by-side examples showing how our voice principles translate into real copy.
Describing our services
Do
“From hero characters to NPC crowds, we build models that work in your engine, on your schedule, at the fidelity your project demands.”
Don't
“We are a premier provider of holistic character art solutions leveraging cutting-edge methodologies to deliver excellence across the full production pipeline.”
Talking about our team
Do
“Our artists come from studios like Ubisoft, EA, and Larian. They know AAA pipelines because they've built for them.”
Don't
“Our world-class team of incredibly talented professionals bring unparalleled passion and dedication to every single project.”
Headlines
Do
“Redefining Game Development Partnerships.”
“Tech Art-led outsourcing that just works.”
“Tech Art-led outsourcing that just works.”
Don't
“Your Trusted Partner for Next-Generation Game Art Excellence”
Recruitment
Do
“Work on games people actually play. We're hiring environment artists for an unannounced AAA title.”
Don't
“Exciting opportunity for a dynamic self-starter to join our fast-paced, innovative team!”
Editorial Style Guide
Consistency in the details builds trust. Follow these conventions across all written materials.
- Brand name: Always “Airship” (capitalised). Never “airship,” “AIRSHIP” (in body copy), or “Airship Interactive.” The legal entity is Airmergent Limited, trading as Airship.
- HORIZONS: Our resourcing brand is always written in all caps: “HORIZONS.”
- British English: Use British spellings — colour, centre, specialise, organisation. We're a UK company.
- Oxford comma: Yes. “Environment art, characters, and VFX.”
- Numbers: Spell out one through nine. Use numerals for 10 and above, and always for stats (“42 artists,” “3 weeks”).
- Dates: Day Month Year format — 15 July 2025. No ordinals (not “15th July”).
- Em dashes: Use — (em dash) with no spaces for parenthetical statements. Not hyphens or en dashes.
- Headlines: Sentence case. “Redefining game development partnerships” not “Redefining Game Development Partnerships.”
- Game titles: Always in italics when possible. Starfield, Marvel's Avengers.
- Acronyms: Spell out on first use. “Visual effects (VFX)” then “VFX” thereafter.
LinkedIn Guidelines
Our LinkedIn presence should add value, not noise. Every post should give the reader something — insight, information, or genuine perspective. Skip the empty enthusiasm.
Announcing new work
Do
“We worked with Larian on Baldur's Gate 3, building environment assets for Act 2. The swamp biome pushed our team to rethink how we approach organic materials at scale. Here's what we learned.”
Don't
“We're absolutely THRILLED to announce our partnership with Larian Studios! Beyond excited to share that we contributed to this incredible game! 🎮🔥”
Team news
Do
“Sarah Chen joins as Lead Character Artist. She spent 6 years at Naughty Dog, shipped The Last of Us Part II, and brings deep expertise in realistic skin shading. She'll be leading our AAA character team.”
Don't
“Delighted to welcome Sarah to the Airship family! We're so lucky to have such an amazing talent joining our incredible team! Welcome aboard Sarah!! 🚀”
Team shoutouts
Do
“Shoutout to Senior Artist Maria Torres. The client needed a full character redesign in 48 hours after a last-minute art direction change. Maria rebuilt the armour from scratch, matched the new reference perfectly, and still hit the Friday milestone. That's the standard.”
Don't
“Massive shoutout to Maria!! Absolutely smashed it this week! So grateful to have such amazing talent on the team! You're a superstar!! 🌟”
Industry commentary
Do
“GDC takeaway: studios are asking for smaller, embedded pods over large-scale outsourcing. They want artists who understand their tools and culture, not just headcount. That's been our model for years — here's why it works.”
Don't
“What an AMAZING week at GDC! So inspired by all the incredible people we met! The future of gaming is bright! Can't wait for next year!! 🙌”
Hiring posts
Do
“Hiring: Senior Environment Artist. You'd work on an unannounced sci-fi title with a team of 12. Remote-first, UK hours overlap required. Portfolio should show hard-surface and modular workflow. Link in comments.”
Don't
“🚨 WE'RE HIRING! 🚨 Looking for passionate, driven individuals to join our amazing team! If you're excited about games and want to be part of something special, we'd LOVE to hear from you!”
Phrases to Avoid on LinkedIn
These phrases are filler. They take up space without adding meaning. Cut them and say something real instead.
- “Delighted to announce...” — Just announce it. The delight is implied.
- “Beyond excited...” / “Thrilled...” — Show excitement through what you say about the thing, not by declaring your emotional state.
- “Incredibly proud...” — Pride is fine, but lead with what makes it worth being proud of.
- “Amazing team” / “Incredible talent” — Be specific about what makes them good.
- “Humbled...” — Often used when people mean the opposite. Just say thank you or acknowledge the achievement directly.
- “Blessed” / “Grateful” — If you're genuinely thankful, say what for and why it matters.
- Emoji spam — One or two relevant emoji are fine. Rows of 🔥🚀🙌💯 undermine credibility.
What Good LinkedIn Content Does
- Shares insight. What did you learn? What would help others in the industry?
- Gives context. Don't just announce — explain why it matters or what's interesting about it.
- Shows the work. Screenshots, breakdowns, process shots. Let the craft speak.
- Credits specifically. Name the people, name the roles, name what they did.
- Takes a position. Have a point of view. Agreeable mush doesn't stand out.
Words We Avoid
These words and phrases are overused, vague, or misaligned with our voice.
“World-class” · “Best-in-class”
“Synergy” · “Leverage”
“Game-changing” · “Disruptive”
“Touch base” · “Circle back”
“Synergy” · “Leverage”
“Game-changing” · “Disruptive”
“Touch base” · “Circle back”
“Craft” · “Pipeline-ready”
“Integrated” · “Ship”
“Embedded” · “Scalable”
“Fidelity” · “Precision”
“Integrated” · “Ship”
“Embedded” · “Scalable”
“Fidelity” · “Precision”