A content designer is tasked with communicating information in the best way possible. An effective content designer is expected to be skilled in language(s), graphic design, and the technical requirements of front-end development. A content designer is an expert across various media, and is skilled in drafting compelling text, images, and videos.
An effective content designer is also a strong researcher. Content designers research the audience so that they can design effective content for them. They serve as advocates for users in the engineering and design processes. They try to make it simple for that audience to find the content they need. They also manage the content to keep it useful and up to date.
The term "content designer" originated in big technology, however, it is also used in online marketing, sound design, or government publishing. Content designers can work on the web, in print, or on digital services and applications.
Content design in government
Content designers working for government have to explain complicated information as clearly as possible. It is a form of
User centred design.
Content design is not editorial writing. According to Sarah Winters (was Richards) of Content Design London:
Content designers use data and testing to understand what people need and then try to meet those needs. This can help citizens understand their rights and obligations, and use government services.
Content designers make information easy to find, simple to understand, and accessible to everyone.
Content designer is a defined role in the UK government civil service and in the Australian government. In the UK government:
In Singapore, the Design Skills Framework includes the roles of Content writer and Content strategist, rather than a Content designer.
Content design in marketing
Content designers are often involved in online marketing, and usually focus on animated graphics, texts, videos, and sound depending on the message and the target audience. Most content designers produce their own content from scratch and work on their project individually, often using social media. The duties of a content designer vary, depending on the type of company, and the projects they are developing.
The format of the content usually specifies a more specific title such as
animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video gam ...
for motion graphics,
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
for textual content,
instructional designer for educational content, or a
programmer
A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software.
A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...
for automated program/data-driven content. Most content designers must create or draw original work which is relevant to a specific topic or message they wish to communicate.
An important function of this job type is being able to adapt to new advances in coding and design. Content designers also create new codes and templates, and often keep themselves updated by acquiring new technical skills.
Web developer vs. web designer
Content designers who specialize in programming might deliberate the role of a ''
web developer
A web developer is a programmer who develops World Wide Web applications using a client–server model. The applications typically use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in the client, and any general-purpose programming language in the server. is used f ...
'' versus ''
web design
Web design encompasses many different skills and disciplines in the production and maintenance of websites. The different areas of web design include web graphic design; user interface design (UI design); authoring, including standardised code an ...
er.'' Web developers deal with the non-design aspect of building websites, which includes coding and writing markup and site hierarchy, including: client-side coding,
server-side coding, and database technology. Web developers require a more intense education than web designers in order to create a website. Generally, web developers excel at coding and the technical aspects of
web programming
Web development is the work involved in developing a website for the Internet (World Wide Web) or an intranet (a private network). Web development can range from developing a simple single static page of plain text to complex web applications, ...
. Web designers create content, whereas web developers must create code that is easy to read; together they create user-friendly, and an overall enjoyable experience for the user to navigate.
Web designers use graphics and graphic design software to create visuals for a website. They then use coding to make it available online. Designers are creative and use both intuition and imagination. However, web designers express more concern with the look of a website than how technically sound it is. They often rely on a web developer to build a website from the ground up and know all the specific languages for that website.
Overall, online representation of a business through websites as a result of web development has made an impact on modern day society. Web developing serves a platform to promote online marketing for a business allowing it to gain global exposure. Millions of online users are able to engage with their favorite businesses thanks to web developing.
Web design and development introduce a convenient way to maneuver through websites. A simple design that easily engages users is an effective outcome. Web designs are constantly updated in order to stay relevant for its users. The aesthetic of a website translates how well users are attracted to use a website.
See also
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Communication design
Communication design is a mixed discipline between design and information-development which is concerned with how media communicate with people. A communication design approach is not only concerned with developing the message in addition to the ...
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Content management
Content management (CM) is a set of processes and technologies that supports the collection, managing, and publishing of information in any form or medium. When stored and accessed via computers, this information may be more specifically referre ...
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Content strategy Content strategy is the planning, development, and management of content—written or in other media. The term has been particularly common in web development since the late 1990s. It is a recognized field in user experience design, and it also dra ...
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Copywriter
Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or ...
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Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, ...
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Interaction design
Interaction design, often abbreviated as IxD, is "the practice of designing interactive digital products, environments, systems, and services." Beyond the digital aspect, interaction design is also useful when creating physical (non-digital) produ ...
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Service design
Service design is the activity of planning and arranging people, infrastructure, communication and material components of a service in order to improve its quality, and the interaction between the service provider and its users. Service design may ...
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Technical writer
A technical writer is a professional information communicator whose task is to transfer information between two or more parties, through any medium that best facilitates the transfer and comprehension of the information. Technical writers researc ...
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User centred design
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User experience design
User experience design (UX design, UXD, UED, or XD) is the process of defining the experience a user would go through when interacting with a digital product or website. Design decisions in UX design are often driven by research, data analysis, an ...
References
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Usability
Content designers