Microsoft® Manual of Style, Fourth Edition

Global art

Art presents many globalization issues. Colors and images that are unexceptionable in one place may be offensive somewhere else. Art that relies on metaphor may not be understood everywhere. In some cases, art can even raise legal problems. To globalize your art, use the guidelines in the following table.

Guideline	More information
Choose colors carefully.	Many colors have religious or political significance, such as those that are found on flags or used for country or region–specific holidays. Neutral colors are usually all right.
Choose simple or generic images that are appropriate worldwide.	Soccer players and equipment, generic landscapes, pens and pencils, international highway signs, and historic artifacts such as the Egyptian pyramids ...