My specialties lie in design and front-end development. I love creating identities and websites. I love editorial design and typography. I love logos and color systems. These are things that I truly enjoy. I take various elements and put them together in the most optimal and beautiful way I can.
But there are things about my work that I don’t enjoy. Copywriting is certainly one of them, and is also why I’m venturing to start a blog in order to become a better writer. I also know that many of my clients don’t like copywriting, and it shows, too. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing you’re likely going to do a bad job. Copywriting and photography are the things you can’t afford to skimp on. You could have the most beautiful logo and website in the world, but if your content sucks then no one will take you seriously.
That’s right. The designer just said that content is more important than design. If you’re a designer you’ve probably heard the term “content is king.” This couldn’t be truer. This is why I’ve stopped taking clients that don’t have a copywriter or strategist on the team. And I’m almost at that point with stock photography. Users are smarter than a majority of the internet gives credit. They know when a photo isn’t authentic and is just there for decoration. They have to be engaged and connect with what they’re reading.
Right now I’ve got a wonderful relationship with Melanie Lux of Lux + Associates, a strategic communications firm that’s been around for decades. Melanie is a true professional, and she generates quality content. This makes my job so much more fun and makes the final product so much better.
I also love Jonathan Tercero’s photography. Instead of someone taking photos with their iPhone, which is absolutely unacceptable for a professional website, he takes incredible portraits and architectural photographs. Many of my clients have hired him for virtual tours. He took my portrait that’s on the homepage, and he even photographed my wedding.
These professionals and specialists are worth their weight in gold. Don’t get me wrong, design and clean, semantic code is incredibly important as well, but without good content good design is simply not possible. Keep that in mind when you begin your next project, or when you sit down and analyze the strength of your current marketing efforts.