The Best Designers Also Write

It might seem unnecessary for a web design professional to be involved with words. The design process is all about visuals, the arrangement of shapes and colours on a page and the way visitors interact with them. However, design is also about communication and, although images play a large part in this, there are usually words somewhere, even if they comprise a short phrase explaining how to download a file.

The designer's job cannot be separated from the user's experience of a site and, in many small ways the appropriate use of language has an effect on that experience. Words are used for buttons, headings, lists and warnings. The phrases chosen can help to convey the personality of the site, perhaps appearing cheery, formal or quirky. From a functional viewpoint, well-written words are more likely to be clear and useful for visitors, whereas sloppy vocabulary could lead to them scratching their heads and leaving the site.

Sometimes using a website involves entering information into the fields of a form. Conventionally, when users make an error a warning message is displayed and they are invited to resubmit their details. The wording of such a message could be styled in a number of different ways, and often there will be one option which fits the overall tone of the site better than the others. A designer who knows how to write in addition to having web development and search marketing skills will know how to select the most apt. At Click Consult, we always choose our words carefully to complement your web design.