Your logo and web copy are the two main pillars of your business’ branded identity. Together, they tell audiences who you are and what you’re about. Unfortunately, it’s easy to forget about content when you’re building a slick new website, but it’s important for a number of reasons. Here’s why you should think about putting your content first.
Good content helps you design a stronger brand identity
Your logo and website are forms of visual communication — they tell audiences who you are. But if you don’t know what to say, how can you communicate your visual identity? Knowing your brand messaging, tone of voice (how you speak to audiences) won’t only help you create better content, they’ll create stronger designs too.
Say you’re a jewellery designer launching a website. A fresh and fun tone of voice and copy may call for brighter colours and softer edges. On the other hand, darker palettes and bold designs may bode better for edgier and sharper content. You could work alongside a copywriter to develop your tone of voice, or if you’re on a budget, have a crack at developing it yourself. Read our handy tips on developing a tone of voice for your business.
It shapes your design structure
Say you engage a web developer to create a beautiful website for you. When it falls into the hands of the copywriter, the designs may not be aligned with the copy. The copywriter may have to overwrite or be restricted with what they work with, which could affect the messaging and vision for the brand. By coming up with the content first, this gives the designer a better brief for what they need to work with, paving the way for smoother collaboration between the two.
It saves time and money
Any content or design may require a bunch of revisions. But, as a small business owner, you may be strapped for time and money, so getting bang for your buck is important. Creating the design first, and then making the copy fit may mean there’s a lot of back and forth between your designer and copywriter, which can slow down the production process. As mentioned, nailing your content first helps your designer create more fluid designs, which means less versions and costly delays.
How to get the best out of your branding project
While your content should come first, harmony is key when it comes to the design. One can’t work without the other. Good design guides and captures attention, as well as having a big emotional impact on users. Content helps you tell your story, and why you stand out from the crowd when it comes to competitors. Getting everyone on board with your goals, thoughts and objectives from the outset helps you get the best out of your project.
At Shuttle Rocket, we’ve worked with plenty of designers to help brands launch their tone voice, messaging and web copy into the stratosphere. Get in touch with us today.