Tommana is an abbreviation for “tone and manner” and refers to the consistency of design in content and advertisements, which is extremely important in creative work such as writing and web design. However, although many people have heard that tonmana is important, they may not know how to specifically decide on it, or they may not understand the benefits.
Therefore, in this article, we will introduce an overview of Tommana, the role it plays, and its benefits. We will also explain what you should be aware of and things to keep in mind when deciding on lighting and design guidelines, so please use this as a reference.
What does Tommana mean?
First, let me explain the meaning of Tommana. Tommana is an abbreviation for “tone and manner” and refers to maintaining consistency in design, etc. in advertisements and content. Nowadays, there are countless types of content and advertisements. For example, if the advertisement that a user visits does not match the exact format, the user may become confused and think that they have visited the wrong site by mistake, which could result in a worsening of the abandonment rate.
To prevent these problems, it is important to unify the overall tone of content and advertisements and make it easier for users to understand the information they are looking for. Also, by unifying the image colors of the website and the company, it can lead to corporate branding.
The role played by Tommana
Earlier, I introduced an overview of Tommana. From here, I will explain the role Tommana plays and why it is important for users.
Site management/writing
By standardizing the website layout, users can easily obtain the information they are looking for. On the other hand, as mentioned above, if there is no uniformity throughout the website, users will not be able to judge whether the website is able to obtain the information they are looking for, and as a result, the withdrawal rate may worsen.
Also, by standardizing website management and writing standards, there will be less revision work after content and advertisements are completed, which plays a very important role in terms of time efficiency. In other words, by standardizing the format, it is easier to convey information to users, and the production side is also more time efficient.
Two advantages of deciding on Tommana
Up to this point, we have explained the outline of Tommana and the role it plays. From here, I will explain the following two merits that determine Tommana.
- Leads to corporate branding
- Enables smooth production progress
Let’s look at each in turn.
Leads to corporate branding
Deciding on the tone will lead to corporate branding. By determining the tone of the entire website and unifying the worldview, it will be easier for users to think, “When I think of 〇〇 site, I think of that company.” It may seem very difficult to unify the worldview, but you can start by simply unifying the overall color scheme. For example, simply changing the color of your entire website to light orange can make a big difference in the impression that users see.
Also, by unifying the color scheme and fonts of the entire site with the company’s image colors, it will be easier to connect to the company branding mentioned above.
Enables smooth production progress
By determining the basics in advance, the overall worldview and policy will be less likely to deviate, making it possible to proceed with production smoothly. For example, when it comes to color schemes, if the button colors, content background colors, and banner fonts are decided in advance, you don’t have to worry about them each time, so you can understand how important the color scheme is for smooth production progress. Is it?
Things to decide on when writing
From here, I will explain in more detail what you should decide on in Tommana. First of all, there are four main things you need to decide on when writing.
- Unified notation
- trailing expression
- Number of characters
- Words not to use
Let’s look at each in turn.
Unified notation
First, let’s try to unify the notation. In writing, we often deal with at least three types: Japanese, numbers, and symbols. For example, when deciding on Japanese tomana, make sure to standardize whether to use kanji or hiragana, such as “koto” and “koto.” For symbols, there are “!”, “!”, and full-width and half-width characters, so it is important to standardize these in advance. By unifying the text, you won’t have to worry about what notation to use, which will improve your writing efficiency.
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End of sentence (final expression)
Next, let’s decide on the final expression as one of the tommanas. A simple example is whether to use “desumasu tone” or “daru tone”. Also, it is important to pay close attention to the details, such as whether it is okay to use body language stoppers.
Number of characters
Decide how many characters to use in each sentence. Although it varies depending on the operator, in recent years the number of users viewing on smartphones has increased, so it is ideal to keep it to around 40 to 50 characters. However, there is no point in limiting the number of characters if the text becomes difficult for users to understand, so please use this as a guideline only.
Words not to use
Finally, it is also important to decide which words should not be used. It is not possible to give a general example as this will vary depending on the company’s characteristics and branding. However, it is important to decide in advance the words that will not be used, as this will make the writing and the worldview of the company as a whole more unified.
Awareness of SEO is also important
When deciding on your writing style, be sure to keep
SEO
in mind. This is because no matter how much you standardize your text, unless it is well-received by search engines, it will end up being difficult for users to see. For example, let’s say your unused text contains “co-occurrence words” that help search engines understand your text. In this case, if you do not use co-occurring words, it will be difficult for search engines to understand the content, making it difficult to rank your content higher.
In this way, it is important to do SEO writing and decide on the right tone in order to aim for a high ranking in search results.
What should be decided in the design process
Earlier, I explained what you should decide on when writing. From here, we will introduce the things you should decide on when designing.
- layout
- font
- Color scheme
- margin
- Materials such as photographs and illustrations
Let’s look at each in turn.
layout
In design, it is very important that the overall layout is consistent. This is because if each content has a different layout, it will be difficult for users to read the content, which will increase the dropout rate. Make sure to pay close attention to the details, such as adding a line break before and after an image, and adding a summary sentence at the end of the content.
font
Users subconsciously feel that Mincho fonts have a sense of luxury, and that thick Gothic fonts have an impact. Therefore, it is a good idea to verbalize the image and worldview you want to convey throughout your website, and choose a font that best suits them.
Color scheme
Decide on the main color for the entire website according to your company’s brand colors. Next, decide on the accent color and text color. However, too many colors can confuse users about which colors are important, so it’s important to keep them as few as possible.
margin
In design, there is a term called white space. White space is an area that is empty. By making good use of these margins and white spaces, you can emphasize the information you want to convey to the user.
Materials such as photographs and illustrations
Websites with only text will be less readable, which will worsen the exit rate. To prevent this, it is important to use photos and illustrations that have a consistent feel throughout the website. When using them, be sure to decide on certain rules, such as not using photos with two colors or illustrations with people in them.
Points to note when deciding on Tommana
So far, we have explained the outline of Tomana and the specific method for determining it, but at the end, we will explain the points to be careful when deciding Tomana.
- Clarify the image of the user you want to reach
- Convey the company’s concept
Let’s look at each in turn.
Clarify the image of the user you want to reach
First, let’s clarify the type of user you want to reach with your website, content, and advertisements. This is because the desired characteristics will naturally differ depending on the user. For example, if your product has a high unit price and you are selling it to wealthy users, you might consider using a uniform color scheme of gold or black, or using a Mincho font.
In this way, keep in mind that you can only decide on the exact type of user you want to reach by clarifying the user image you want to reach.
Convey the company’s concept
At Tommana, it is also important to convey the company’s concept. It looks good just to have a set standard, but that alone won’t make users remember your company’s content or website. Users are left with a good impression because the values and concepts of the brand are incorporated into the Tommana, so be sure to deeply consider how to include the concept in the Tommana.
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summary
In this article, we have explained the outline of Tommana, the benefits of deciding on it, and the points to be aware of when making a decision. Determining the tone has the advantage of connecting to company branding and making it easier to convey information to users.
Why not start by clarifying the image of the user you want to reach and reconfirming the concept your company wants to convey?