In general, keep punctuation minimal. Allow the words and graphics to carry the message. Punctuation should be employed only as necessary, either to clarify meaning or avoid confusion.

Ampersand (&)

These are used only in heading styles and in navigation areas where space is minimal. Avoid substituting this symbol for "and" in text. It can be used if it's part of a company's name (e.g., Brimstone & Treacle Home Healthcare).

See note on ampersands in the Alt Tag Format.

Commas

This is the one area of punctuation where clarity trumps aesthetics. We will be using serial commas. Why? Because most multiple-item sentences aren't as simple as, "Mom gave us whiskey, vodka, and beer." Our company and our site, "serves the building design and construction industry, creating comprehensive solutions for e-commerce and bidding, and wrapping them in a whole new look and feel."

This is a slightly exaggerated example, but you see what I mean. And because certain rules need to be binary, we'll always use serial commas.

Dashes

Remove spaces before or after an em dash (HTML: &#151) to prevent a dash wrapping to a new line.

Ellipses (...)

Keep an ellipsis together: three dots, no spaces. Any space-dot-space arrangement could result in a lonesome dot wrapping to a new line. Alternately, you could use the HTML character code (&#133)

Exclamation Points

As mentioned above, however jazzed we might be about Buzzsaw.com's services, it's best to use wording and graphics to create excitement.

Content Managers: Your limit is one "boing" (or bang) per page. Use it wisely.