The Link between Copywriting and Design.

Words and images can communicate the same subject. They can bind a thought and create an action. But why are they often so separated from one another?

To some designers, words are often an after thought. The aesthetic is so important to them they forget that words can help to amplify meaning and reinforce the foundations that the image already creates. To some writers, the content is the main focus. It doesn't matter how it's displayed or relayed to the human eye or how nicely kerned typography and beautifully laid paragraphs could really help to bring the page alive.

Yet, these two fundamental principles work in harmony together. They interact and cross over to deliver a forceful and powerful message. Think about the word soft, it sounds delicate and touchable, but yet without the imagery of what we 'see' as being soft how would we know what soft really is? The word recalls images of pillows, fabric, animals, carpets and towels, yet without the images in our heads the words are not as powerful on their own.

This is why I believe words and images need to be used together to create the most powerful impact as what ever words we see, we are almost always likely to tie them with a picture in our minds.

 

This is indeed a good discussion to have, but I wanted to point out a failing in this post too... you didn't actually ask anyone for an opinion.

As I work in adult affiliate sales, much of my content is combined with images and videos as standard. I create text content to support the media being presented, to increase audience engagement and for on-page SEO purposes.

I often see affiliates who neglect the layout of their content and the opportunities they have to present their media, they come to me to create text content to increase their sales, and I spend some time looking at what I think they could improve in their posts to increase audience interest. The layout of text and media is a very important aspect of this.

For example, an affiliate really needs to have a good piece of readable text to explain the product, connect with the audience and increase SEO, but that should not be a hurdle for the passing visitor who might not be interested in the text at all. Correct positioning of text and media in a post can create a balance for both the reader and the image seeker, while providing the text Google needs.

Something else I have seen is the excessive use of images. Really, all an affiliate needs to do is create a collage if they wish to present more than one image as a teaser (to encourage clicking for more of that content). Using collages instead of presenting a series of individual images does several things - it creates interest and makes your content stand out from the rest, it's good for branding (imagine someone sharing your images on Tumblr without a link to you, but having your brand on them), you have fewer links leading out from the post and you can add interest with text within the collage.

I have seen some fascinating discussions previously about the use of images and how they can increase sales. For instance, did you know that an image with a person looking out at the reader is more likely to get a click than an image of a person looking elsewhere? It seems we are more inclined to show interest in an image of a person when they are looking directly at us. There is also a belief that men are more likely to respond to certain color combinations in an image, while women respond differently. These subtle things are fascinating to me.

 

Hi there Conran! Many thanks for pointing out that I had missed a vital point of the post, bit silly of me really haha!

Thanks for your reply and discussion also, it is great to see a different perspective on the subject! I totally agree with you in regards to the positioning of text and media creating a balance, and this really is something that many people forget! It's a relationship that's so important yet so often neglected.

As you stated as well, excessive use of either images or text run into a lot of problems! I often find that text heavy layouts end up becoming quite daunting as you often end up trying to skip read, resulting in the potential for lost information. The same applies with the images, too many images and not enough text doesn't help explain to the viewer the purpose of all the image and what relevance they have to your message.

My line of work involves graphic design (mainly branding) and copywriting, which has helped me to understand the benefits of the individual communicative mediums. Whilst creating a brand for a new client, I often look at their core values and really try to make them obvious through the visual, the text then becomes a carrier and really helps drive that message home. I find the whole thing very interesting so thank you for your ideas regarding the subject!

 

It's more than just the image to text ratios.

I've come to cringe when I'm brought onto a project where there is a web design firm and they are 80-90% done.

All too often, the design was built for looks and not to sell the company it is for. They forget that the site isn't for a web design firm and seem to worry more about building their profile than helping their client. They don't always make core page decisions well. Several I have worked with left out such basic things as "About Us" and even a services page. Or they pick big beautiful images that have nothing to do with the business - the cleaning company based in New York with beautiful stock photos of recognizable Chicago buildings; the Realtor at a pricy beach community with photo to show how beautiful the beach is with a stock photo of...wait for it...beach erosion (that one was shocking, particularly considering the stock photo site labeled it as such); and then there was the one where they put photos of products the company didn't even sell into the site banner.

Some projects, the designers really get it. But, when they don't it can be extremely expensive for the client and can really tie the hands of the copywriter.

 

Hi YMC!
Thank you for your input! I completely agree with you, there are some designers and copywriters out there who simply create for aesthetic purposes with very little thought about the actual reasons behind the design or text in the first place. This is exactly the opposite of how I work and think about design and copywriting as a whole.

I have spent several years trying to have this debate with many of my friends and business partners with no prevail! To me design is all about communicating a message. If you are a cake decorator, you want to get that message across in your designs and writing as this is the fundamental aspect of the business and ultimately what the director of the company is trying to sell to people.

Knowing a few designers that literally couldn't care less about what the client is intending the design for has really made the subject a sour topic for conversation. People who don't care about the meaning or it's use really degrade the design industry, and degrade people like myself who have spent years and years educating themselves into the purposes of design and why they are a good investment for business.

In a nutshell, I believe that design and text are really important aspects of any business as long as the text backs up the intentions, aspirations and reflections of the companies brand and the design helps reinforce these values through visual representation, thus concreting them into the viewers minds. Any text or image that does not do this, is an expensive waste of time!!