Oakland University Invitation Style Guide
This invitation style guide serves as a standard for creating content for Oakland University invitations. While invitations may vary in target audience and specifications, it is essential that they consistently incorporate the voice, character and brand of Oakland University.
For any topics not covered within this guide or for brand questions, please contact your UCM Account Manager.
Return to the OU Style Guide.
Formal invitations (Events at Sunset Terrace, Commencement, etc.) use formal tone and are written in third person.
Example: “The honor of your presence is requested”
Punctuation
Line breaks act as periods.
Dates
Figures in dates are spelled out. Year can be spelled out and printed on separate line or can be omitted entirely.
Example: Saturday, the nineteenth of November
Two thousand and twenty
Time
Spell out time. Time is always lowercase. Time, on the hour, is followed by “o’clock.” Time, not on the hour, is not followed by “o’clock” but is hyphenated.
Example: two-thirty or five forty-five
Always follow time with “in the morning,” “noon,” “in the afternoon,” or “in the evening.” Examples: six o’clock in the evening, two-thirty in the afternoon
Addresses
Locations and state names are spelled out. Use numerals for street addresses. Do not include ZIP codes.
Example: 2255 Old Town Hall Road, Rochester, Michigan
RSVP
Use “RSVP” - no periods. Varieties include: “Kindly respond by” or “Kindly RSVP by”
Titles
Abbreviate titles.
Example: Dr., Mrs., Mr.
Credentials
Use abbreviations after a name.
Example: B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Semi-formal invitations (Women and Philanthropy, Nightingale event, etc.) are less formal in tone and style than formal invitations, yet still set the tone for a professional event.
Punctuation
Line breaks act as periods. For text blocks, use proper punctuation.
Dates
Months are spelled out. Use numerals for days and year.
Example: November 5, 2020
Time
Use a.m. and p.m. to designate day or evening times. Use midnight or noon instead of 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. For full hour times, use only the first number. Always include a space between numerals and the a.m. or p.m. designation in lower case.
Example: 8 a.m. (not 8:00 a.m.), 8:30 p.m.
Addresses
Use numerals for street addresses. Street names and state name are spelled out.
Example: 2255 Old Town Hall Road, Rochester, Michigan
RSVP
Use “RSVP” - no periods. Varieties include: “Kindly respond by” or “Kindly RSVP by”
Titles
Abbreviate titles.
Example: Dr., Mrs., Mr.
Credentials
Use abbreviations after a name.
Example: B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Casual invitations (such as Pioneer Club/ postcards/ Emma emails) use less traditional wording and style than formal and semi-formal invites.
Example: “You’re Invited,” “Join us”
Punctuation
Use proper punctuation, including commas and periods. First person is acceptable for casual invites, e.g. “We can’t wait to see you.”
Dates
Months are spelled out. Use numerals for days and year.
Example: November 5, 2020
Time
Use a.m. and p.m. to designate day or evening times. Use midnight or noon instead of 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. For full hour times, use only the first number. Always include a space between numerals and the a.m. or p.m. designation in lower case.
Example: 8 a.m. (not 8:00 a.m.), 8:30 p.m.
Addresses
Use numerals for street addresses. Abbreviate in standalone addresses only: avenue, boulevard, street and road.
Example: 2255 Old Town Rd., Rochester, Michigan
RSVP
Use “RSVP” - no periods. Varieties include: “Kindly respond by” or “Kindly RSVP by”
Titles
Abbreviate titles.
Example: Dr., Mrs., Mr.
Credentials
Use abbreviations after a name.
Example: B.A., M.A., Ph.D.