Message First Is Perfect For Designers

There’s a reason why we don’t sell design services ourselves, and it’s not because we don’t know a pantone from a pixel or because we don’t care about serifs and spacers. 

It’s because our message first approach doesn’t compete with designers or design agencies. It complements them. 

Just as message first is perfect for agencies, it’s a powerful asset for designers – freelance or agency-based. It’s why we work with dozens of them. 

Message first isn’t the same as copy first

Let’s get one thing straight. 

Putting message first doesn’t necessarily mean that all the copy and content should come before any design. 

This isn’t a chicken and an egg situation. A platform vs. content argument. Both copy and design should work together, in tandem. Collaboratively. 

Whether it’s a wireframe, a brochure, a brand identity or an ad, great design and great copy go hand in hand to deliver great results.

But having the message nailed down first, and a solid understanding of what copy is required where, is invaluable if you want the best results.

If you want a smooth design process, faster client sign offs, and a superior asset, the messaging – and the words associated with it – have to come first. 

Don’t get me wrong – the design stuff is important. It’s not just pretty colours and lovely graphics, it’s essential for a good user journey. Design elevates words to a new level. But it’s largely aesthetics. Without the substance, the design can just be… empty. 

By having the message in place first – designers benefit. Pure and simple. 

Designers, here’s why you should put message first:

Design is easier off the back of great content 

Designers are pretty amazing. You can literally take a blank slate and turn it into something amazing. 

That’s not easy. And not having a steer, or an idea of what you need to create? Well that’s pretty tough. 

It can sometimes just be a case of throwing stuff at the page and seeing what sticks. 

But when you have a clear idea of the messaging before you start designing, you have the framework in place. The basis is all there, now you can work your magic more easily. 

Because a key message is the structure of everything. Without it, and the design just sits there. 

If you don’t know what the key messaging is beforehand, you can’t design for it. 

And then copywriters, or strategists, or SEO guys or marketers come along and try and shove messaging in somewhere where it just doesn’t fit, ruining the whole design. 

You could try and guess what the messaging might be, what key points need to be pulled out, what should be emphasised on a page etc. But you could put loads of time and effort into designing a great section that then goes unused because there isn’t the right messaging for it. 

What a waste of time. 

Message first marketing saves you that time and that effort. It makes your job easier. 

The design brief is so much more straightforward 

When we put message first, we can also give you a much clearer brief too. 

One that you can understand and get to grips with. 

Because we’ve spent the time researching, questioning and analysing, we know what the business needs to sound like. We know the Tone of Voice that resonates with customers. 

We’ve spoken to those customers, so we know what kind of messaging really sold the product or service for them. What worked, and what didn’t. 

We then pass this over to you. We share what the target audience wants to hear and see, and we tell you what the business should sound like. 

Then you’ve got a solid brief and the flexibility to design how the business should look and feel, based on this essential information. 

The sign off process is much smoother 

That client interaction – the constant back and forth – is much smoother when we put message first too. 

No more too-ing and fro-ing with the client. No umming and ahhing over how “it just doesn’t seem like us.” 

We take that subjectivity out so you have the freedom to be creative. 

Everything is determined at the first stage, as we lay down the foundations of message first marketing:

• What needs to be included
• Who the target audience is
• What the goals are
• Why this is important

We discover, distil and deploy key messaging so you can be more creative with the designs, knowing that what you have in front of you is what you need to include. 

As long as you design for that messaging, barring a few tweaks, you’ll have completed everything you need. 

Put message first, and you won’t ever have to see a “oh, we just forgot this USP, we didn’t mention we needed all this included, we also need to add this section” again.

Never again will you have to try and squeeze a big chunk of content into a design that wasn’t made for it. 

You get more control as a designer

If you’ve already got the core messaging in place, as a designer you can then control the whole design process. You’ve got the key content. You have a solid brief. You’ve got the freedom to be creative. 

You are in control. 

If you run a design agency, this means you can put the process in place that works best for you and your team. You get to do things your way. 

The key ingredients are in place. The key messaging, the right content. 

You don’t have to wait for content from clients or agencies or copywriters.

You don’t have to sell-in your designs with dummy lorem ipsum content. No more “but why’s there Latin there?”

You don’t have to ruin a beautiful header with a headline that drops onto three lines instead of two. 

You can make more money

Freelancer or agency, it doesn’t matter. Design is your work, you need to make money. 

Putting message first means you can make more of it. 

Especially when you start talking Tone Of Voice. 

The unique Tone Of Voice workshops and verbal brand identity projects from Hampson Nattan Williams are the perfect upsell opportunity for you. They make your job easier AND make you more money. 

Before you even need to start worrying about design, you just tell the client ‘first things first.’ 

“Let’s nail down your messaging and tone first, before we get stuck into design.”

You offer an incredible Brand Messaging and Tone Of Voice session – one that helps your client beat out the competition and focus all the design work – and we deliver it on your behalf. We take care of everything, you reap the benefits. 

We can even add Tone of Voice and messaging implementation guidelines to your brand books, your brand bibles. Not just one cursory page. Several in-depth, highly relevant, actionable pages that are a huge help to your client. 

You can sell bigger, better, more effective brand guidelines, standing out from your competition. AND you can increase your prices for this deliverable. 

And of course, after the workshops, we’ll share the key messaging that makes the whole design process easier too. 

It’s win win.

Message first, designers benefit. 

Want to upgrade your design processes and services? Let’s have a chat about how we can support you.