Why give a talk once, when you can give it twice but make it better the second time? Learn how to incorporate principles and tactics from content strategy into your design practice. Voice and tone guides, audits, content models, and governance will all help you make better design decisions.

1. Content strategy
for designers
Brought to you by your friend Alaine Mackenzie
For the Style & Class conference on December 13, 2014

2. Oh hey, that’s me
Content strategist @yellowpencilweb
Occasional Twitter user @alainemack

3. Borrowing from content
strategy will make you
a better designer.

4. So what is content
strategy, anyway?

5. – Kristina Halvorson, “The Discipline of Content Strategy”,
A List Apart, 2008
Content strategy is
“the practice of planning
content creation, delivery,
and governance.”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wparsons/3502120483/

6. (Good) content
strategy and (good)
design have a lot
in common
Irrational love of
oxford commas
Irrational love of
bezier curves

7. Your content strategy arsenal
Content audit
Voice and tone
Content models
Governance plan
Image by Pearson Scott Foresman [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

8. Content audit
Find out what your client has now
Decide if it’s any good

9. The content audit for designers:
Do an automated inventory
Read everything you can
Get to know the highest priority content and the cobwebs
Ask your client (lots of) questions

10. Voice and tone
Define your client’s personality
Understand your users’ emotions
Ensure consistency

11. http://voiceandtone.com/public-site/

12. Voice and tone for designers:
Make a “this-but-not-that” list
Define your users’ emotions
Make sure words and pictures tell the same story

13. Make a “this-but-not-that” list
Fun but not childish
Clever but not silly
Confident but not cocky
Smart but not stodgy
Cool but not alienating
Kate Kiefer Lee, (amazing) content strategist at MailChimp: voiceandtone.com
uxmag.com/articles/the-elements-of-a-style-guide

14. Voice and tone for designers:
Make a “this-but-not-that” list
Define your users’ emotions
Make sure words and pictures tell the same story

15. Define your users’ emotions
http://voiceandtone.com/public-site/

16. Voice and tone for designers:
Make a “this-but-not-that” list
Define your users’ emotions
Make sure words and pictures tell the same story

17. http://digixav.com/2012/03/19/comic-sans/

18. Content models
Define elements, priorities, and relationships

19. Content models for designers:
List all the elements you need to design
Prioritize them for client and users
Think about structure

21. Governance
Figure out who will take care of all this stuff

22. Governance for designers:
Who will request, create, edit, approve, publish,
and maintain this stuff?
What people and skills will you need?
How much effort will it take?

23. Your content strategy arsenal
Content audit
Voice and tone
Content models
Governance plan
Image by Pearson Scott Foresman [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

24. Borrowing from content
strategy will make you a
better designer.
You can do it!

25. Hey, thanks for
your time.
@alainemack
alaine@yellowpencil.com