The importance of web design copywriting and how to do a good job of content-centered design

Designers often forget to value writing copy as much as design structure so that the copy stands out on the page. Today we’ll discuss why copywriting is so important, who should learn to master it, and how to do content-centered design well. Good Design, Bad Copy As designers, we rightfully spend our time focused on aesthetics. We are pixel pushers who firmly believe with the strongest conviction that attractive websites are fundamentally better websites. . We're the biggest believers in the idea that an attractive website can radically improve your website. We build our mockups with “lorem ipsum” so we can go back and write something better when we have the time. Deadlines approach and still we put off the text until the last possible second. Finally, as our various GTD apps inform us that the time has come to submit the artwork, we hash out some quick text to throw onto our beautiful creations and send them off, without a visual blemish yet still marred by the subpar copy that appears on every page. We use "Lorem Ipsum" text layout The generator builds our typography model so we can go back and write something better when we have time. And deadline practices (even by ourselves) can still push copywriting to the last second. Then, various GTD programs notify us that it's time to submit our work, and we rush to put some quick sketches on the beautiful work, and then throw it out. In the end, even though there is nothing visually picky about each page, there are still many flaws in the copywriting.

For many of us, this is simply how we're programmed. We're visual beasts that thrive on good design. The problem of course is that the neglect of solid copy will often cause the finished product to suffer as much or more than a poor design. Unless designers are your target market, your user base will be populated largely by individuals that don't speak design. Show them Dribbble.com and they'll wonder aloud why anyone would ever create such a service. For most of us As humans, how to program is very simple for us. We are visual monsters that thrive on good design. The problem is, however, that our neglect of actual copy affects our final product even more than poor design. Unless your target market is designers, most of your user base will not talk to you about design. Tell them about Dribbble.com and they'll wonder why anyone would offer such a service. Sure, they can often interpret what is ugly and what isn't similarly to how we can, but only on an intuitive level. What they really notice is how the website feels. Whether it's smooth or clunky, easy to navigate or impossible. This is what is meant when designers say that great design is transparent. If your users notice your interface too much, it's probably because they hate it. Of course, they can often explain what is ugly and what is the same, just like us, But only at an intuitive level. What they really care about is the overall feel of the site, whether it's smooth or cumbersome, and whether it's easy to navigate. This is what designers say, good design is transparent. If your users care about the interface, it's probably because they hate it.

This same metaphor of transparency applies to copywriting on the web. It's worth noting that the average user is in fact trained in reading and writing far more than design, though still only as much as a standard education supplies. To these users, we'll call them “normal people” as opposed to we visual freaks, browsing the web is a reading experience. Evaluating a service involves skimming the sales pitch and reading the list of features as much or more than evaluating the visual layout of the elements on the page . They'll even hire a designer based as much on what he says about himself as what appears in his portfolio. If you have strong copy, they won't notice or evaluate it too much, they'll be far too busy being convinced of what it's saying. This transparency metaphor also applies to copy on a web page. It is worth mentioning that in fact, the average user is educated far more in reading and writing than in design, although it is still only a standard education product. For these users, we would call them “normal users” rather than us visual monsters, browsing the web is a reading experience for them. They focus on reading promotions and feature lists that refer to a service as much or more than they focus on the visual layout of elements on a web page. They may even be more willing to hire designers who can create designs based on what they say. If you have solid enough copy, they won’t care too much or comment too much; they’ll be too busy making sure the content of the copy is there. Heads or Tails? The point that I'm driving at here is that design and copywriting are two sides of the same coin; inseparable in every way. The user doesn't see the design and the text, he sees a website. A single integrated item that is either desirable or not. The key point I want to make here is that design and copywriting are two different sides of the same coin and are inseparable from each other. Users are not simply looking at the design or the text, but are looking at the desirability of a website, a separate comprehensive project.

The trick then is to toss out “lorem ipsum” for as much of the design process as possible. Stop designing without any notion of the goal of the design. To engage in design without copy is to build a box before you know what will be placed inside. To put it differently, consider the following quote from Jeffrey Zeldman. One technique is to sublate "text typography" as much as possible in the design process. If you don't have any idea of ??the design goals, stop those designs. If the design doesn’t have copy, you can leave a box out until you know what to put in it. To put it another way, consider this quote from Jeffrey Zeldman: "Content comes before design. Design without content is not design, it is decoration." This is precisely my point. Unless you're designing purely for the sake of design and not engaging in some professional venture, the design should serve to reinforce the message, not the other way around. That's exactly what I mean. Unless you are designing purely for the sake of design, without some professional risk involved, the design should help reinforce the content message, not the other way around. As an experiment, try building your next project by first placing in all the content that should be on the page. Throw in the headlines, the copy, the features, the widgets, the navigation; everything you can think of, but do so without design. The first step is merely to put it all in one place. Once you've got it there, then begin to style it. Think about different ways you can arrange it, color it, and bring it to life. As an experiment , in your next project you can try something to put the content that should be displayed on the page first. Add titles, copywriting, columns, widgets, navigation, everything you can think of, without design. The first step is to get everything up there, and once you have an idea of ??where it will fit, then start stylizing it. You can try different ways of organizing it, add some color, and liven up the page.

This will lead to design that is both more effective and more original. It will be more effective because the entire page is structured to highlight and communicate your primary message. Obviously, to even begin this design process, you're forced to focus entirely on structuring your communication. Use a simple text editor so that you're not distracted by how the message looks. Instead pay attention only to how it reads. This design is not only more efficient, but also more innovative. It’s more efficient because the entire page is structured to highlight and express your main message. This is obvious, because even at the beginning of the design process, you have to focus on structuring your message. It's better to use a simple text editor so that you are not distracted by how the text "looks" but only on how it reads. Consider above all else your target audience. Who are you seeking to appeal to with this message? What do they already possess in this area and why ins't it good enough? And of course the most important question of all: Why wouldn't they want to use the site, buy the product, hire the person, etc.? We'll discuss this question more in a later article so for now just know that this question is the key to great marketing. Consider your target group high to everything. Who do you want to read these messages? What do they already have in this area? Why is it never good enough? Of course, the most important question is: What do they want to use the website for? Buy a product? Hire staff? etc. We will discuss these issues in future articles, for now just know that this is a key issue for good marketing.

Finally, the method mentioned above will lead to more original design because you're not designing by using other sites you've seen as a starting point. Rather than wireframing someone else's design with your own coat of paint you're instead solving a puzzle. The puzzle is of course how to best arrange and style the content that is already on the page. The tradition method involves jamming content into a predefined space as is the case when you purchase a pre-built design template. The better route is to tailor and evolve the space to accommodate pre-existing content. Ultimately, the above approach will result in more innovative designs because you're not using a website you've already seen as a starting point. You should be solving a problem—not using someone else’s design to dress up in your design. And the question is, of course, how best to arrange and style the content that's already on the page. In the traditional method, you usually just buy a pre-designed template and it involves filling the pre-defined space with content. A better approach is to tailor and design the space based on pre-existing content.