Design vs. Copywriting: The Why, When, and What Comes First
In other words, the ultimate guide to how your site gets written, designed, and launched!
I think there are very few people out there in the online biz world who would argue that your brand’s visual identity isn’t important. There’s just nothing quite like that immediate “OOOOH” feeling you get from a beautiful logo, a polished and well-designed website, and a sophisticated color scheme – it helps create that instant profesh factor (and “oh I WANT that” feeling).
But because we’re operating on so many visually-driven platforms, though, it’s easy for design to get an (unfair) upper hand. When you’re thinking about business investments, it’s common to know you want and need to hire a designer for a brand and website that *glow.* (Plus, who wants to spend any more time dicking around in Canva? Not me.)
With copy, though, lots of people fall into two different traps: 1) Forgetting that their website needs actual words on it until way too late orrrr 2) assuming that this is the part of the branding they can save money on and tackle themselves. Everyone can write, right?
But here’s the thing: the words, not the images or aesthetic, are what convince your dreamy person on the other side of the laptop screen to actually *do* something, whether that's signing up for your email list or booking a call. Design may draw people in, but it's the copy that ultimately grabs their head and their heart and gets them to stick around.
So if you’re…
Planning to hire a brand designer and not sure about hiring a copywriter too…
Trying to figure out how design and copy play together…
Or wondering who you should book first…
Let’s break it down!
DESIGN CREATES YOUR *VISUAL* BRANDING
Great design is a WHOLE vibe. It’s why you want to go to a Glossier showroom instead of a CVS in a strip mall. It’s why you can tell the difference between Birkenstocks and knockoffs that look like they’re made from cardboard and masking tape. It’s why you feel like a different person in an outfit you love instead of your polyester Catholic school uniform.
So yes, it can 100% be the difference between someone deciding to begin the scroll on your website instead of clicking away to any number of other open tabs. (In my case… you don’t even want to know how many I have!)
Your visual branding creates a design foundation for you, one that communicates your brand’s personality at a glance.
Most of us can take one look at a mood board or a pro-designed home page and immediately intuit if the vibe is luxury or earthy-crunchy or dreamy or playful.
Your logo, color scheme, typography, and imagery all do that work without words, and they help make you more recognizable and credible. When you can catch a glimpse of someone’s IG feed and know exactly who it is without even seeing their handle, design did that. They’re serving up consistency everywhere they show up, from their website to their socials and maybe even merch. You associate them with their colors, layouts, and images.
What design doesn’t do, though? Well, a few pretty damn important things.
WHAT DESIGN CAN AND CAN’T DO
If I was into creating little platitudes you could buy on a wooden sign at Hobby Lobby, here I might write something like “design catches their eye, copy convinces them to buy.” Buuuut I hate that, so let’s break it down with a little more nuance, shall we?!
Design on its own can’t communicate the unique value or positioning of your offer.
Yes, it can create a visually appealing brand image that stands out, but it can’t explain why someone should choose your service over anyone else’s. (This is a really important factor to remember for service-based businesses – good branding might get us to buy a can of kombucha (or any other product), but it’s not enough on its own for a service, particularly one with a premium price!)
Design captures attention, but it's the words that convey meaning and build trust with your audience.
Look, if *all* The Bachelor had to offer was the presence of attractive people on screen, you wouldn’t be coming back each week. You’re there for the gossip, the confessionals, and the awkward group date dialogue. Even the MOST aesthetic brand design can’t hold a potential client’s attention for long if the words aren’t equally engaging.
Visuals alone can’t effectively communicate complex ideas, details about your offer, social proof, and so much more.
You need words – thoughtful ones, and often, more than you think! – to build out all the context and detail of your mission, values, brand personality, and messaging.
Design inspires emotional connection, but it’s the words that inspire action (and yes, create that connection too).
The words, when done right, build genuine desire for your offer in the right people – and tell them exactly what to do in order to get it. Signing up for your email list, booking a call, making an inquiry, sending you a message, buying now – the words get ‘em there.
So, speaking of the words…
HERE’S WHERE COPY HAS THE EDGE
Where design gives you a first-instinct feel of the vibe, copy takes the baton and then builds out the whole damn message. It’s responsible for…
Connecting with your audience: Speaking directly, persuasively, and empathetically to their emotions. Telling genuine stories. Making your values clear. Helping people to get to know you – who you are, what you do, and why. Through well-crafted and thoughtful messaging (in a voice that sounds exactly like you!), you can speak directly to your ideal people and show them how your biz can meet their specific needs.
Differentiating your brand: Often the difference isn’t in what you do or say, but in how you say it. There are likely a whole bunch of people out there who offer really similar services to you, but your copy is where you get to make your own flavor clear. (Want more on that idea? Here’s an entire blog post on what really makes your biz stand out.)
Building trust and credibility: Good design helps set the stage for this one, but copy brings it home. The words you choose and the experiences you share help your reader understand why they should trust you. What expertise do you bring to your work? How have you built and grown your skills? What spot-on info, analysis, and recommendations can you share? All of that is essential to help establish your brand as a credible leader.
Likeability: This might sound frivolous, but it’s no small thing! Humans are hard-wired to want to connect with other people, and at the end of the day, you want to work with people you actually like. Your copy is where you get to make those references to your favorite shows, tell those hilarious or relatable stories, let people into your life, and help future clients imagine what it’ll be like to spend time with you. (And honestly, this goes both ways! If your reader is turned off by your personality, GOOD – because you’ve just sent a not-right-fit client elsewhere. Phew.)
Making the sale: Especially when it comes to premium services, people don’t buy just for the vibe. Copy speaks to different types of decision-makers (slow or fast? Practical or emotional?) and stages of awareness in ways that design just cannot do on its own. You’ve gotta tell your people what’s included, what’s in it for them, how it works, what the process is like, why they should choose Y-O-U, what the investment is, what they should do next… oh, and anticipate and answer alllll their Qs and concerns. Yup, that’s a job for copy.
WHAT COMES FIRST: DESIGN OR COPY?
By now you know that hard-working copy is obvi unskippable – but design and copy complement each other in a way that makes both stronger together!
So then to the ultimate question: which one comes first?
This one’s easy: copy. Hands down. Here’s why.
A brand is built on a clear and compelling message.
This message is the foundation of your brand, and it guides all of your other creative and strategic decisions, including design.
If you start with design and treat copy as an afterthought, one of two things is likely to happen:
You end up with visuals that look great but aren’t quite right for your brand’s message. If your designer has to get started without understanding your voice, tone, and messaging, they’re missing a lot of the info they need to design a brand that actually works for you instead of just looking slick. We want style and substance, k? (And to be clear, this isn’t a knock on designers. Tons of them run bomb-ass brand strategy sessions. But it’s not their job, or their area of expertise, to inform (or have to figure out!) the messaging.)
You get halfway into your design process and then… ohhhh shit. You need WORDS on your site, to fill in all those beautiful pages. And… you have no plan. So you try to DIY and things swiftly go off the rails, or you inquire with a copywriter and surprise, they’re not available to write your entire website this week (remember: we book out early too!), and your designer’s still waiting to get copy from you. That’s stressful! And it sells your investment in design way short!
Here’s what I recommend: after researching your fave copywriters and designers and making your selection, get clear with both of them on a timeline that has copy start before, or no later than the same time, as design.
Need an example? This is what it looks like when copy happens first:
We kick off!
We create your brand messaging guide, aka the head and heart of your biz put into words.
We write thoughtful, strategic, impeccably organized web copy that you can then easily hand off to your designer… who will want to KISS YOUR FACE with relief that your words are clear, compelling, and clearly laid out.
Your designer gets to soak up all of the messaging we’ve created together and implement it into the design and development of your site!
And here’s what it looks like when copy and design run in parallel:
Brand strategy kicks off together for copy and design, with your copywriter beginning to establish your verbal brand and your designer beginning to create your visual brand.
Vibe check: are the brand messaging guide + visual brand guide aligned?
I write web copy while your designer works on your branding and initial site design.
I hand off copy for your designer to implement onto each specific page!
Not every copywriter makes themselves available to your designer, but I always do – because when design and copy work seamlessly together, you get the most out of both investments AND ya just plain old have a better experience as a client.
SO, IF YOU WANNA TAG ME IN AS YOUR COPYWRITER…
1) YAY and 2) here’s what you need to know!
A good rule of thumb is to reach out to me at least 4-6 weeks before you’d like to start your project. (Earlier than that is even better, particularly if you have a deadline in mind!) We get to know each other a bit in our consultation call, I put together a proposal to walk you through, and I propose a timeline for your project. Once that’s booked, your spot is locked in! (And if you’d like some ideas of how to make the most of your time while you hang out until your start date, check this post out.)
Then once we kick off, how long the process takes depends on your project. Typically, Brand Messaging + Custom Web Copy projects take about six weeks from start to finish as we move from brand messaging all the way through every page of your site. Done-With-You Copy, on the other hand, can be as little as two weeks. I’ve designed both processes to have enough breathing room that we’re never rushing or trying to beat inspiration to the clock, but we still have a structure that supports our momentum.
So that just leaves one thing left - what’s next? If you’re realizing that now is the time to pop in an inquiry, head right this way to get started!