Design Concepts for Copywriters

Abridged with the author’s permission from Pro Copy Tips.

A lot of copywriters think that “copy is king.” And that’s true. Sort of. It’s true if you mean that the message is what matters. And it’s true that, as a copywriter, you are the one primarily responsible for writing the words that deliver that message.

But you’re wrong if you think words are ALL that matter, as if design is little more than window dressing.

You don’t see businesses photocopying your copy deck and handing it out to consumers, do you? That wouldn’t work. What works is copy and design coming together to deliver a selling message. And just as the designer needs to understand the copy, you need to understand the design.

So here are a few of the most basic design concepts you should understand.

• Attract attention. Certain graphic elements help make this happen, such as a face making direct eye contact with the reader, bold colors, money or coupons, a busy layout, large photos or illustrations, odd sizes and shapes, large headlines, and the word “FREE” set in large type just to name a few.

• Design for actual reading conditions. How something looks displayed on the studio wall is not how it will look to the reader. Mock up a design and stick it in a mailbox, insert it into a magazine, or view it on a website.

• Put headlines above body copy. Generally, headlines anywhere else will interfere with the natural reading pattern. And keep headlines close to the body copy so the reader can move from one to the other easily.

• Lead the reader’s eye into the copy. People in photos should be facing toward the copy, not away from it. Angles of illustrations should be headed toward the copy.

• Show products being used. This is usually better than static illustrations or tabletop photos, except when showing specific features. People like to look at other people. And it makes understanding and visualizing the product far easier.

• Make phone numbers big and bold. This will almost always increase response. Why? Because a big number gets noticed. Because a big number says, “This business wants me to call.” Never be subtle with a phone number.

• Call attention to key words. Use underlines, highlighting, boldface, italics, and other techniques, but don’t overdo it. Less is more.

Yes, of course, copy is king. But copy speaks through design. Good design can’t save bad copy. But bad design can kill good copy.

Dean Rieck is a direct marketing copywriter and consultant and publisher of Pro Copy Tips, a blog that provides copywriting tips for smart copywriters. This abridged version had room for only half of the valuable concepts covered in his original post.