Content style guide

Bold & italic text

Bold text

Use bolded text to call attention to words or phrases that will help the Veteran understand the content on the page.

Use bold text only in these cases

The explicit set-up line that comes before bullet points that states something like this: “Both of these must be true.” See this page
The “and” or “or” that comes at the end of each line in a bulleted list
The first part of a sentence, for scanability, when there’s a need to clearly set apart, for instance Veterans who fall into different eligibility categories. See this page
Numerals, for scanability, that we know the Veteran is on the page to look for—like a dollar figure. See this page
The different types of accounts through which you can sign in to VA.gov: My HealtheVet, DS Logon, and ID.me. See this page
When there’s a “Note:” or “Example:” See this page
The design element or text link we want the user to click on when we’re walking them through online instructions. See this page
If you are presenting a series of label and value pairs, such as the contact information (address, phone number, etc.) for a location. The label is always bold, not the value, and the label and value are separated by a line break as opposed to a colon. See this page (click on Caregiver support)

Don’t use bold in these cases

In any part of a text link, since the blue and underlining sets apart that text enough.
For words used to emphasize a point being made in the text, like “only if.”
When the label is serving as a subhead. Use an H3 or an H4 instead. Screen readers navigate around the page by headings. If the subhead text is bold, the screen reader will skip that section of the page.

Don’t use italics. It doesn’t show up well on a screen, and sometimes it can be harder to read than normal text.