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Last week I wrote a blog post for the Content Marketing Institute titled, How to Make the Case for Design in Content Marketing. The purpose of the post was to help content marketers understand that working with a designer can improve even the best content. It’s a tough argument to make to people focused on words and writing. I should know, I’m one of them.

Taking Advice
I started Global Copywriting with the words of Peter Bowerman ringing in my ears. In his excellent book about freelance copywriting, The Well-Fed Writer, he recommends teaming with a graphic designer. As he puts it:

“When you team with a graphic designer, you’re not offering writing services and design services. You’re offering a complete solution to a business need.”

That made a lot of sense to me. While I was waiting for customers to beat down my door, I started looking for graphic designers to partner with – hoping they could throw some work my way. One of my first meetings was with Ryan Briggs. We’ve successfully worked on many projects since then.

Epiphany
Ryan and I are both independent freelancers. He’s a great designer and our personalities clicked. But I do a lot of work without him, too. Often a client has their own design people or they prefer not to spend money on design at all. Since I’m focused on content, it doesn’t really matter who does the design on my projects.

Or does it?

One of the best things I’ve written has been the least successful. Why? Besides being ugly, the design was so terrible it actually hindered the reader. The client worked with a designer who had specific ideas about formatting the document. My suggestions on what needed to be done to maximize effectiveness were rejected, (e.g., the call to action was edited out as being “too salesy”). It was a frustrating exercise.

Creating Assets
Over the course of the past year, I’ve discovered a pattern. Since I do all the writing, I’m certain the quality of the content from project to project is similar.

• Content with no design is often unsuccessful.
• Content with an amateur design is slightly more effective. I’m speaking about documents I’ve formatted myself or where an admin person does design “on the side”.
• Content with professional design is the most effective, but is dependent on the talent of the designer.

That’s right, I’ve discovered not all designers are created equal. I’ve worked with great designers and I’ve worked with okay designers. There’s a big difference in the overall quality of the final product. When a document is able to generate leads or establish authority for a business, it’s no longer a piece of marketing collateral. It’s a business asset.

The Takeaway
Developing content without design is not a complete solution. From my own experience, I know a talented graphic designer can enhance content in a way words never can. Design can convince someone to pick up a document, or not. Design can entice someone to click on a link or miss it altogether. Design draws people to your content and makes them consider reading or viewing something they wouldn’t otherwise notice. Even the best words cannot do that. It’s why design is critical to Asset Based Marketing. Without design, your content is not a complete solution and it’s definitely not an asset to your company.

Where has design or lack of design made a difference to you?

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*Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono at www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net