diff --git a/src/blameAnnotationFormatter.ts b/src/blameAnnotationFormatter.ts
index 189b8fc..b4649ef 100644
--- a/src/blameAnnotationFormatter.ts
+++ b/src/blameAnnotationFormatter.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@ export const defaultRelativeDateLength = 13;
 export const defaultAuthorLength = 16;
 export const defaultMessageLength = 32;
 
+export const cssEllipse = '\\2026';
+export const cssIndent = '\\02759';
+export const cssSeparator = '\\2022';
+export const cssSpace = '\\00a0';
+
 export enum BlameAnnotationFormat {
     Constrained,
     Unconstrained
@@ -18,16 +23,15 @@ export default class BlameAnnotationFormatter {
 
     static getAnnotation(config: IBlameConfig, commit: GitCommit, format: BlameAnnotationFormat) {
         const sha = commit.sha.substring(0, defaultShaLength);
-        const message = this.getMessage(config, commit, format === BlameAnnotationFormat.Unconstrained ? 0 : defaultMessageLength);
+        let message = this.getMessage(config, commit, format === BlameAnnotationFormat.Unconstrained ? 0 : defaultMessageLength);
 
         if (format === BlameAnnotationFormat.Unconstrained) {
             const authorAndDate = this.getAuthorAndDate(config, commit, 'MMMM Do, YYYY h:MMa');
             if (config.annotation.sha) {
-                return `${sha}${(authorAndDate ? `\\00a0\\2022\\00a0 ${authorAndDate}` : '')}${(message ? `\\00a0\\2022\\00a0 ${message}` : '')}`;
+                message = `${sha}${(authorAndDate ? ` ${cssSeparator} ${authorAndDate}` : '')}${(message ? ` ${cssSeparator} ${message}` : '')}`;
             }
-
-            if (config.annotation.author || config.annotation.date) {
-                return `${authorAndDate}${(message ? `\\00a0\\2022\\00a0 ${message}` : '')}`;
+            else if (config.annotation.author || config.annotation.date) {
+                message = `${authorAndDate}${(message ? ` ${cssSeparator} ${message}` : '')}`;
             }
 
             return message;
@@ -36,15 +40,13 @@ export default class BlameAnnotationFormatter {
         const author = this.getAuthor(config, commit, defaultAuthorLength);
         const date = this.getDate(config, commit, 'MM/DD/YYYY', true);
         if (config.annotation.sha) {
-            return `${sha}${(author ? `\\00a0\\2022\\00a0 ${author}` : '')}${(date ? `\\00a0\\2022\\00a0 ${date}` : '')}${(message ? `\\00a0\\2022\\00a0 ${message}` : '')}`;
+            message = `${sha}${(author ? ` ${cssSeparator} ${author}` : '')}${(date ? ` ${cssSeparator} ${date}` : '')}${(message ? ` ${cssSeparator} ${message}` : '')}`;
         }
-
-        if (config.annotation.author) {
-            return `${author}${(date ? `\\00a0\\2022\\00a0 ${date}` : '')}${(message ? `\\00a0\\2022\\00a0 ${message}` : '')}`;
+        else if (config.annotation.author) {
+            message = `${author}${(date ? ` ${cssSeparator} ${date}` : '')}${(message ? ` ${cssSeparator} ${message}` : '')}`;
         }
-
-        if (config.annotation.date) {
-            return `${date}${(message ? `\\00a0\\2022\\00a0 ${message}` : '')}`;
+        else if (config.annotation.date) {
+            message = `${date}${(message ? ` ${cssSeparator} ${message}` : '')}`;
         }
 
         return message;
@@ -80,10 +82,10 @@ export default class BlameAnnotationFormatter {
         if (!truncateTo) return author;
 
         if (author.length > truncateTo) {
-            return `${author.substring(0, truncateTo - 1)}\\2026`;
+            return `${author.substring(0, truncateTo - cssEllipse.length)}${cssEllipse}`;
         }
 
-        return author + '\\00a0'.repeat(truncateTo - author.length);
+        return author + `${cssSpace}`.repeat(truncateTo - author.length);
     }
 
     static getDate(config: IBlameConfig, commit: GitCommit, format?: string, truncate: boolean = false, force: boolean = false) {
@@ -96,10 +98,10 @@ export default class BlameAnnotationFormatter {
 
         const truncateTo = config.annotation.date === 'relative' ? defaultRelativeDateLength : defaultAbsoluteDateLength;
         if (date.length > truncateTo) {
-            return `${date.substring(0, truncateTo - 1)}\\2026`;
+            return `${date.substring(0, truncateTo - cssEllipse.length)}${cssEllipse}`;
         }
 
-        return date + '\\00a0'.repeat(truncateTo - date.length);
+        return date + `${cssSpace}`.repeat(truncateTo - date.length);
     }
 
     static getMessage(config: IBlameConfig, commit: GitCommit, truncateTo: number = 0, force: boolean = false) {
@@ -107,7 +109,7 @@ export default class BlameAnnotationFormatter {
 
         let message = commit.message;
         if (truncateTo && message.length > truncateTo) {
-            return `${message.substring(0, truncateTo - 1)}\\2026`;
+            return `${message.substring(0, truncateTo - cssEllipse.length)}${cssEllipse}`;
         }
 
         return message;
diff --git a/src/blameAnnotationProvider.ts b/src/blameAnnotationProvider.ts
index 83e571d..7fd42ea 100644
--- a/src/blameAnnotationProvider.ts
+++ b/src/blameAnnotationProvider.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 import { Iterables } from './system';
 import { DecorationInstanceRenderOptions, DecorationOptions, DecorationRenderOptions, Disposable, ExtensionContext, OverviewRulerLane, Range, TextDocument, TextEditor, TextEditorDecorationType, TextEditorSelectionChangeEvent, window, workspace } from 'vscode';
-import BlameAnnotationFormatter, { BlameAnnotationFormat, defaultShaLength, defaultAuthorLength } from './blameAnnotationFormatter';
+import BlameAnnotationFormatter, { BlameAnnotationFormat, cssIndent, defaultShaLength, defaultAuthorLength } from './blameAnnotationFormatter';
 import { TextDocumentComparer } from './comparers';
 import { BlameAnnotationStyle, IBlameConfig } from './configuration';
 import GitProvider, { GitUri, IGitBlame } from './gitProvider';
@@ -180,13 +180,13 @@ export class BlameAnnotationProvider extends Disposable {
                         gutter = commit.sha.substring(0, defaultShaLength);
                         break;
                     case 1:
-                        gutter = `\\02759\\00a0 ${BlameAnnotationFormatter.getAuthor(this._config, commit, defaultAuthorLength, true)}`;
+                        gutter = `${cssIndent} ${BlameAnnotationFormatter.getAuthor(this._config, commit, defaultAuthorLength, true)}`;
                         break;
                     case 2:
-                        gutter = `\\02759\\00a0 ${BlameAnnotationFormatter.getDate(this._config, commit, 'MM/DD/YYYY', true, true)}`;
+                        gutter = `${cssIndent} ${BlameAnnotationFormatter.getDate(this._config, commit, 'MM/DD/YYYY', true, true)}`;
                         break;
                     default:
-                        gutter = '\\02759';
+                        gutter = `${cssIndent}`;
                         break;
                 }
             }