Which comes first? Content or design?

It’s an age old question, but everyone knows the answer.

Everyone knows the chicken came first.

It was carefully crafted by nature.

The egg was simply the vessel for its delivery.

Just like design is merely the shell for the content within.

Without content, design lacks any substance, right?

Content first? Because surely design is empty without

When you put content first, you’re focusing on all the essential elements first. Which makes total sense.

Like when you bake a cake, you start with all the essential ingredients before you even think about decoration.

Content is the chassis. Design is the paintwork. You can’t design around something when you don’t know what it looks like.

You can’t design a brochure or ebook without knowing the content.

You can’t design a webpage without knowing the argument.

And you can’t design a killer advert without knowing the strapline.

So content must come first.

But hang on, content without design is just words on a page, right? There’s a reason copywriters partner with art directors and designers.

Design first? Because surely content needs to look good

When you put design first, you get the instant wow factor. Your work looks great.

Content is just the nitty gritty, the fine print. Words can easily be edited and tweaked.

Design is the big picture.

Without design, all websites would look the same.

Without design, all content would be just like reading an essay.

Without design, adverts would be simply black letters on a white background.

So design should come first.

Get the look and feel right, and the content can be added later. Switch out some Lorem Ipsum and you’re good to go.

If only it was that simple.

The problem with putting content OR design first

When you put either content or design first, you’re going to run into problems.

Put design first and you:

• Struggle to know where to start – wasting time and effort
• Make best guesses as to where content might go
• Design aspects that get ditched when there’s no content for them
• End up needing to redesign various areas to ‘fit’ longer content than you planned

You’re trying to create something out of nothing, and end up doing more work than should be necessary.

 

Put content first and you:

• Don’t have any framework or structure around which to plan
• Can easily end up with too much content and overwhelm the user
• Or will miss key areas that need descriptions and end up with not enough information for the reader.

You end up needing to revisit after the designs have been done to make copious amends and check the content works.

Of course these problems can largely be avoided if you’re a great designer or a great copywriting agency. But they could still happen.

It’s why design and content should really go hand in hand.

All content should be designed to be effective. All design needs to be packed with content to work. But neither should come first.

Message should always come first

Before you pick up a pen or a paintbrush, you should focus on the message. Before you write any content or sketch out any designs, you need to be crystal clear on your message.

Your message is the foundation of everything. Your message is:

• The core of your brand identity
• The structure for your website
• The benefits for your copy
• The key straplines for your advertising

Your message underpins everything. It informs how you communicate to your audience and how you sell to prospects. It’s essential for framing both design and content.

Your message connects content to design seamlessly.

So you should always put your message first.