Copywriting

Every design project needs text - get it sorted upfront. Copywriting and design can’t exist in silos - they work best together.

Designers often use imaginary ‘dummy’ placeholder text (Lorem Ipsum), but this has a downside: you can’t always tell how much space the real copy will take or which parts need emphasis. Having your words ready first makes the design sharper and more accurate.

We call this the ‘base copy’.

Base Copy Structure

You don’t need to stress about word count for base copy - your main goal is to distill your core messages. Once you have this foundation, writing additional copy or scheduling social media posts becomes much easier. For multipage or text-heavy publications, you’ll naturally put more emphasis on copywriting, but even then, we recommend finalising the text before you start designing. This all equals less time wasted backtracking because you’re creating designs to accommodate the content, not the other way around.

Here’s how we typically structure base copy for most designs that aren’t text-heavy:

1. Headline

• The main attention-grabbing line that conveys the core message, or title.
• Keep it concise and clear.

2. Body Copy

• One or two sentences expanding on the headline.
• Explain the purpose, benefits, or context of the message.
• Keep the text focused, condensing the message rather than adding unnecessary fluff.
• Include brand-appropriate embellishments if they enhance clarity or tone.

3. Key Details (bullet points)

• Dates and times
• Location or venue
• Costs, fees, or registration info
• Contact details or website links
• Any other logistical information the audience needs

4. Highlight your ‘call outs’

Different to a ‘call-to-action’, a call-out is a highlighted benefit or message — the bit you want pulled out of the block of copy and given its own deviceGraphic device. Any visual element used to hold or highlight something — a circle, a bubble, a coloured panel, a banner, a rule. It is the container the message sits in, not the message itself. Covered properly in Graphic Devices, in the Design Principles stage. on the page. Worth identifying up front, because the designer needs to know what’s getting that treatment.

5. Call-to-Action (if relevant)

• Make it clear, for example:
  • Shop Now
  • Learn More
  • Register Now

Pro Tip
Start with your base copy before designing. Once it’s set, it can be adapted for different designs or channels while keeping the core message consistent across all platforms. It’s also a good idea to get any of your stakeholders to confirm the information in the brief, including copywriting, so they can check the information is correct as well as the written tone of voice - this prevents the risk of backtracking later on.

Using AI tools such as ChatGPT

We love AI tools that help us speed up our copywriting output, which has always been a major part of our work as an agency. That said, we still need to use our brains - they’re helpers, not replacements. Use them to draft faster, then put your brain to work: read, edit, and make sure everything actually fits the brand.

A few quick checkpoints to think about when you’re writing:

• Who’s this for? Think about the target audience, their knowledge, and what they care about.
• What do we want them to feel or do? Keep that single outcome front and centre.
• Tone-of-voice isn’t just visual styling - it’s the words you choose, sentence length, formality, and rhythm.
• Check facts, dates and claims. AI can be confident and wrong.
• Read it aloud: if it doesn’t sound like your brand personified, tweak it.
• Trim anything that doesn’t help the message. Clear beats clever.

Use AI to get momentum, then slow down and make it yours.