Which came first, the copy or the design?

Content creators’ first decision comes with where to start. My natural first step is with the design, I need to see something; a layout, a visual. Next comes the text that fills up the bare bones and in turn the design adapts as the message evolves. This is all plain sailing when you’re a one-man band with complete ownership of the creative direction, but how do you know which foot to lead with when creating content at scale? When both the copy and design are intended to be creative tools to convey a compelling message, it can often be difficult to get the two to work in harmony. Cramming words into a set layout is as difficult as creating an effective visual around a fixed amount of words, so what is the optimal?

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The design

The argument behind leading with design is that it’s what draws a person in. People have made a judgement of whether they like something or not in 1/10th of a second- before they’ve even read a word. The look and feel of a piece of content can sum up a brands personality in seconds and define whether a user engages or not. And for this reason that content is often design-led in marketing and advertising. In some ways the design can be the first hurdle to overcome so a crucial first step. Having to create a design around set words can limit the impact of the piece of content.

The copy

The copy is the core message. It’s the conversation with the user. Naturally, depending on the type of user, the words can mean more or less to them. Whatever the case, a poor message can drastically affect the contents’ efficacy. When leaving the text until last, copywriters are often left to guess the designers intention leading to a misaligned message from the words to the image. A set design doesn’t allow for the most effective message as writers can be forced to both A)cut down words until it’s over-abbreviated and B) waffle for the sake of reaching the very edges.

The answer to the above is both and neither…. they must work in parallel. Having either the copy or the design work in silo will lead to redundant content. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what aspect of a piece of content elicited an action from a user, so it’s important that all must work in harmony. It’s crucial for marketers to operate in a way that allows for the all elements of content to create synergies. For effective content marketing, collaboration is key!

4 quick tips for collaboration

• The overall strategy should be defined before any creation ready to give the whole team one consistent brief. i.e. Who are we creating for? Why are we creating it?
• Collaboration should not be suffocation. Still allow for all team members to work independently for creative freedom and then reconvene afterwards.
• Your designers and writers should be located in close proximity to each other to allow for natural discussion and decision-making at speed.
• Build in frequent, honest feedback. Not just between creators but with an impartial third party who can view the content as a user (not a wordsmith or an artist).

So that’s my top tips on smooth content creation between copywriters and designers. What’s your experience been? Have you found the same? Let me know in the comments below!