DOCX Style

Document Style Guide

This file defines the visual and formatting standards for all .docx output. Read and apply this every time a Word document is created.

Typography

• Font: Google Docs default — Arial, 11pt for body text
• Title: Arial, 20pt, bold, black (#000000)
• Section headings: Arial, 13pt, bold, black — numbered (e.g. "1. Background & Context")
• Sub-headings: Arial, 11pt, bold, black (not numbered)
• Body text: Arial, 11pt, regular weight, black (#1A1A1A)
• Line spacing: 1.15 for body paragraphs
• Paragraph spacing: 12pt after each paragraph, 0pt before

Page Layout

• Page size: A4 (11906 × 16838 DXA) — this is a Google Docs document
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides (1440 DXA)
• No header or footer — leave both empty
• No page border or decorative elements

Title Block (always at top of document)

Every document starts with:

[Document Title]         ← Arial 20pt bold
                         ← one blank line
Status: [value]          ← Arial 11pt, label bold, value regular
Last updated: [date]     ← Arial 11pt, label bold, value regular
Document Owner: [Your Name]   ← Arial 11pt, label bold, value regular (default owner)
Stakeholders: [names]    ← Arial 11pt, label bold, value regular

Default owner: Set your name as the default Document Owner and pre-fill it unless the user specifies otherwise.

Regarding dates and @mentions:

• Word (.docx) does not support live date pickers or @mention tagging — those are Google Docs features
• Instead: write the date as plain text in DD Mon YYYY format (e.g. "2 Feb 2026")
• Write stakeholder names as plain text (e.g. "Alex Kim, Sam Rivera")
• If the user wants tagging/date pickers, remind them to add those after opening in Google Docs

Add a light horizontal rule (thin single border, color #CCCCCC) below the title block to separate it from the body.

Section Headings

• Numbered sequentially: "1. Section Name", "2. Section Name" etc.
• Arial 13pt, bold
• 24pt spacing before, 8pt spacing after
• No underline, no color, no background
• Do NOT use decorative borders on headings

Body Text

• Arial 11pt, regular
• 1.15 line spacing
• 12pt space after paragraphs
• Use bold inline to highlight key terms, decisions, or important phrases — sparingly
• Do not use italic for emphasis (only use italic for citations or titles if needed)

Lists

Bullet lists:

• First-level: filled circle bullet (•), indent 0.5 inch
• Second-level: hollow circle (○), indent 1.0 inch
• Third-level: filled square (▪), indent 1.5 inch
• Font: Arial 11pt, 6pt spacing after each item

Numbered lists:

• Use for ordered steps or ranked items
• Same font and spacing as bullet lists

Never use unicode bullet characters directly — always use the docx numbering config with LevelFormat.BULLET.

Emphasis & Highlighting

• Bold: for key decisions, important terms, labels in the title block
• No colored text (keep everything black/dark gray)
• No highlighting or background colors on text
• No ALL CAPS

Tables (if used)

• Simple, clean — thin light gray borders (#CCCCCC)
• Header row: bold text, light gray background (#F2F2F2), ShadingType.CLEAR
• Body rows: white background, regular text
• Always use WidthType.DXA, never percentage widths
• Cell padding: top/bottom 80 DXA, left/right 120 DXA

General Rules

• Keep it clean and minimal — this style mirrors Google Docs defaults
• No decorative elements, colored headers, or accent bars
• Generous whitespace between sections
• When in doubt, less is more
• The document should look identical (or near-identical) to what you'd produce natively in Google Docs

Reminder for Google Docs Features

When handing off the document, mention to the user:

"Since this was generated as a .docx, you'll want to open it in Google Docs to add @mentions, date pickers, comments, or checkboxes."