Guest post by Lilian Chifley
In this day and age, where instant gratification has become somewhat of a norm, design has become more important than ever. For instance, when it comes to web design, it only takes visitors about 50 milliseconds to decide whether they like a website or not, which sounds incredibly harsh. And it’s more of the same story when it comes to branding and packaging of products, as can be seen in Tropicana’s case, in which PepsiCo, which owns the Tropicana brand, lost $137 million dollars.
The competition is fierce and there is very little room for error, which means that you need to work hard and invest in your skills in order to edge out your competitors. One of those skills, which may not necessarily spring to mind when speaking of design, is writing. How does a designer like you benefit from good writing skills? The most obvious reason is that it will help you create a better online portfolio. If you know your way around a sentence, it can help you show off your works and tell a story behind each one at the same time.
However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we have decided to take a closer look into the matter and identify all the different ways in which writing can help you become a better designer. Keep on reading.
Writing Helps You Create Amazing Content
As a designer, you are probably communicating on a daily basis, whether it’s with your clients, collaborators, or your boss, provided that you have one. While it’s a given that people will mostly interact with all the visual content which you have created, they are also going to want to get things done in the fastest and most efficient way possible, and that can only be achieved through concise and well-written content, such as clear instructions and detailed user guides.
According Harrison James, who works as UX designer for Rushmyessay, design and writing go hand in hand, especially in the era of mobile devices, where users tend to glance at their screens and scan the content, before deciding on actually reading it. Therefore, the formatting and the layout of your content needs to be optimal, so that it sparks reader interest. Furthermore, if you can accompany your designs with some great content, you will be able to address a much wider audience and to separate yourself from all the other designers which are solely focused on the visuals.
Basically, it gives you a chance to infuse your interactions with a touch of personal flair, since you may not be able to do with your designs in some cases.
Writing Allows You to Document and Share Your Creative Process
According to Patricia Horn, who works as a designer for Paper Writing Pro Service, your clients only get to see the finished product, which basically eliminates all the information about all the hard work that has gone into creating it. One of the reasons why most designers are avoiding to talk about their creative processes, even though it may ultimately help them, is because they are worried about someone else stealing their ideas.
If that’s the case with you as well, then you have to take a step back and be honest with yourself and realize that everything you have every created has not only been the result of your own imagination, but also of something which you have seen somewhere. You were inspired by other designers at some point in your career, which is perfectly alright. Sharing your ideas with the world might be inspiring for someone else.
Another reason why you might want to share the story behind your designs, according to Jane Miller, who is the UX designer for Xpertwriters.com, is because it will help you establish yourself as a person of authority in the design industry. Rest assured that potential clients which are looking for design services will take notice of that.
Writing Enables You to Envision Different Scenarios
On the surface of it, it seems like design is only concerned with the way things look, but it goes way deeper than that, especially in the case of physical products, which need to function well in a variety of different scenarios. As a designer, it is your job to envision all of those possible situations and to incorporate them into your designs. However, according to Hannah Templeton, who is a designer for Write-my-essay-for-me.com, some of the design concepts you will come up with in your line of work will be very complex, and simply imagining them out inside your head may not be enough, which is why you should do your best to put them down in writing.
For instance, if you are designing a website for an online store, you need to think about who your clients are, and what their customers want from them, what their needs and pain points, as well as interests, age, gender, and perhaps even income. All of these variables will help you come up with optimal designs, but only if you have taken the time to write everything down. That way, you will have a more complete picture of what the end product should look like, even before you have started to work on it.
If you have a particular design in mind, the first thing you would do is come up with a sketch. Well, writing works in much the same way, but whereas sketching helps you work out the visual side of things, writing allows you to work out potential obstacles, limitations, and issues. Of course, it goes without saying that you should use both.
Writing Replaces Lorem Ipsum
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.” This is pretty much what placeholder text looks like, and which can be easily generated in order to get a better idea about how written content fits into one of your designs. This practice is so common that Adobe has implemented the lorem ipsum generator inside CC 2017. But, every college essay writer would be able to come up with something more genuine and useful that that in less than an hour, and which would fit into your designs.
While it’s true that you may not always be able to come up with useful content, and that temporary placeholder comes in handy, you should make it point to replace it as soon as possible, and hopefully before you present it to one of your clients, so that the final design ends up looking authentic and real. Actual content provides context, which significantly changes how your designs are perceived, especially by your clients, and you will find that their feedback will be much more positive if they are given a design which is focused on both the visuals and the content.
Writing Can Create New Job Opportunities
We have already mentioned how writing about your creative process can help you become a person of authority in the industry. But, as many designers will agree, you will also struggle with finding more clients in your career, or there will be a lack of design opportunities which are new and exciting. According to Roger Stanton, who is a designer for UK CareersBooster, writing is also the best way to solve this particular issue. You will have a much easier time attracting clients if you can provide them with an insight into what you do and how you do it. And building a strong online presence in the process doesn’t hurt either.
Of course, the most obvious way to do this would be to start your own blog, which will not only help you attract new clients, but also enable you to hone your writing skills in a productive manner. But, you can also set aside some time to participate in other online communities, such as Quora and Reddit. Reddit is especially useful, because you can easily find the right subreddit in which you will be able to share your expertise, whether you are an assignment helper or a designer, and over time, drive more people to your website or blog. In case a fellow Redditor is in need of a designer, they won’t waste time looking for someone else. They will most likely decide to hire you.
Writing Will Turn You into a Better Storyteller
Nowadays, whether you are trying to sell a product or offer a particular service, you need to be a good storyteller. Plenty of professionals get caught up in all the technical jargon or describing various tools and methods, which doesn’t really resonate with their customers. All people care about when they hire a designer is to have a particular problem solved. This means you need to be able to identify your target user, their pain points and issues, and then alleviate them in the most painless way possible. If a college student is looking for essay help, they will most likely turn to an assignment service, and they will opt for one which can help them as fast as possible.
In the end, you need to be a designer and a salesman. You need to explain what needs to be done and why, and which specific goals you client will be able to achieve if they choose your designs. Your writing skills will come in handy when it comes to this aspect of the job, especially if you are a freelance designer which needs to be in constant search of new clients.
Writing Will Help You Expand Your Knowledge
If you decide to give writing a shot, you will find that you will have to do a lot of research in the process, whether it’s in order to find the best way to formulate your ideas and thoughts, or to back your claims up with some case studies, statistical data, or relevant examples. In addition to that, you will also come across pieces of information that will take you down the endless rabbit hole named Google. Every time you do this, you will come across new topics, articles, videos, and podcasts which will expand your knowledge in different directions, and before you know it, you will have plenty of new information which will turn out to be useful for your business sooner or later.
However, when doing research on a topic which may turn out to be divisive for your readers or potential clients, make sure to consider arguments from both sides, which will allow you to come up with a more objective and balanced stance, and not alienate people in the process.
Where to Start?
As for how you should go about developing your writing chops, you should begin by committing to a regular writing schedule. At first, you should not get bogged down about the quality of your writing. In other words, it’s not about getting it perfect right away, but about getting your ideas out there. As for writing ideas, make sure to write them down as soon as they pop up inside your head, so you can come back to them later. There are plenty of apps which can help you capture them in a matter of seconds.
Also, there are plenty of places and resources which you can turn to in order to find writing inspiration. It can be something you have read, heard, learned, and it can even be something that you competitors have done. You can also take some of the mistakes you have made along the way and use that as a guide for what not to do. This applies to your struggles and successes, as well.
Summary
While it may seem like you need to be a jack of all trades in order to be successful designer, writing is actually one of those skills which can help you attract new clients and improve your communication with them, and since a great user experience is what most of them are looking for nowadays, you will definitely make a better impression than your competitors which have failed to focus on that aspect of the job. We hope that you have found this article useful. Good luck!
About the Author: Lilian Chifley is an editor at Ninja Essays. She also works as a writer at assignment writing UK. She loves shopping and spending time with family.