What comes first in the creative process – content or design?

Simple question – when you’re creating a new website is it best to tailor the design around the content, or create content to fit the design? We won’t keep you hanging – there’s one clear answer: Content is King.

Here’s why:

It’s faster and cheaper

Changing a design to fit each new draft of copy leads to scope creep, adding time and cost to a project. Designers like a clear brief. That’s why it’s best to hand over the final draft of content before they invest too many hours in the project.

It provides answers

People visit websites to find answers. Content provides these answers. Creating the content first allows designers to present these answers in the best possible way, provide the best possible user experience.

It improves SEO

Effective search engine optimisation starts before a website is even built, with a clear strategy that underpins the site structure. It should be part of the DNA of your website. Content first prioritises what’s most important to your target audience. This leads to a better user experience and supports better SEO results.

Don’t f*ck with the sales message

Remember what the website (or any other marketing material) is there to achieve. Your perfectly refined sales message and customer journey should never, ever be compromised to suit the whims of the design department. Their job is to make it look good.

“Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s just decoration”

A List Apart founder Jeffrey Zeldman

We never wireframe sites

It makes more sense to create and refine your message, then use design aptitude to make it look amazing.

Instead of wireframes, we focus on site maps – literally a layout of what content is needed and where.

Content inspires the design

This strategy has the added benefit of doubling up as a content checklist. We think of it as the dog wagging the tail, and not the other way around. Once content is complete, it inspires the design, making it easier to choose style elements such as layout, font size, imagery.

Branding