Every project that the Luna 9 team works on is different, but pretty much without exception, each brief involves the creation of content in some form. Whether that’s pages of copy or snappy facts, key numbers to highlight or raw data to visualise – the content forms the foundation of any project.
The first thing we do in our discovery phase is ask “what do you want to say?” – we spend time exploring your message and learning your motives before it’s time to bring the content together. This could be created by a professional wordsmith or a subject matter expert, internally or externally, by one or more people; it will undoubtedly go through an initial draft stage and an amends stage – perhaps several – and then at some point the content will come to us, so that we can brief our design team.
What we’re often faced with is a sort of chicken-and-egg scenario, where you’re not sure how you want to say something until we’ve given you an idea of how things might look – and we want to know what you want to say so that we can use this as a springboard to get creative. There are many different ways to combat this what-comes-first conundrum (we’re here to navigate that, so don’t worry!) but at some point, we need to commit to the idea that we’ve developed together and focus on the design stages – which is why for the majority of projects, we use the Content Lock.
It’s a line in the sand that signals the end of the tweaking and the start of the design work. It’s a clear benchmark that we’re all working towards – a beacon in the schedule that signifies the transition from working and reworking the content to starting a clear path forward for the next phase of the project!
Key stages in the design process
Let’s first look in a little more detail at our design process. Of course there are many different types of projects, some longer or more complex than others. But in general, each will come down to four main stages:
- We always kick things off with the discovery phase, which is all about information gathering and ideas. This is to determine what the project’s intended audience needs to know so that we can explore how to best develop the output. At the end of this phase, we might provide you with a content framework to help structure what you’d like to say.
- Next comes the content phase, where all the information that needs to fit into the design starts to take shape.
- The creative concepts phase is where we create a direction and a strategy for the project and begin to outline design concepts. At this stage things need to stay flexible while still being thorough enough to create an outline to work towards.
- Lastly we can get to work on the design development phase. This is where we create the designs using the content and showcase the finished draft, ready for your review.
The Content Lock needs to happen between the third and fourth phase. Without it, that final phase can get stuck in a feedback loop and end up taking more time, budget and ultimately causing everyone an awful lot of stress!
Why do content changes make such an impact?
It’s all about the quality of the end result! To put it plainly, ongoing editing after the Content Lock can very often result in a watered-down message and we risk losing the crux of the project that was established at the beginning!
But that said, we’d be lying if there wasn’t an efficiency element to it too. Imagine that we’ve been briefed to create an infographic. In phase one we learn that this infographic needs to feature 10 key points. In phase two we sketch out some ideas around a numbers-based framework and in phase three we are given the copy that fits with this concept. So we get to work.
Later, just as we’re ready to reveal the first design draft, we’re told that four of the original 10 elements aren’t needed any more. Or, there are four more that need to be added in.
In most cases, making these changes isn’t just about doing some rejigging. The entire concept will need to be rethought, as each element impacts the next and the knock on effect is what gives the whole its effectiveness.
But isn’t change and development a good thing?
Yep! We love to see an idea evolve and it’s one of the most amazing parts of working with our clients to see how they pull on different threads and watch as something incredible starts to take shape!
This is why we pour plenty of energy into the discovery phase — the dedicated space for ideas, brainstorming and teasing out those all-important fibres of inspiration. It’s arguably the most important part of our process, to ensure that no stone is left unturned and helps clients to feel really comfortable that the direction chosen is the right one. Armed with this knowledge, we can focus on making the project the best it can be!
The most successful work that we’ve done has all shown this clear shift from exploration to commitment to the brief, where we’ve collaborated with clients and supported their content creators to dive in, review and rework the content in advance of the Content Lock. From here, we’ve progressed to the design stages safe in the knowledge that things are where they need to be.
On the other side of that coin, the projects that have struggled (we’ve all been there!) have notably been the times where content development did not necessarily have the time it deserved. These are the ones we learn from!
Before and after the Content Lock
In closing, let us affirm that we’re not against changes to copy in the first instance! Every project has its edits, tweaks and little last-minute changes. We’re just familiar with when it is likely to impact the integrity of your project and when it isn’t.
At Luna 9 we’re always really happy to be available during the content creation stage, to feedback on how we feel the copy is going to sit within the concepts agreed, being consultative about what might work for the brief.
But we’re also here to help you draw that all important line in the sand that says, “You’ve done enough — let’s get the content into its final position.” After all, we want to get it out there so it can achieve what it’s intended to do!
For any questions on this, or any other aspects of a project contact us via info@luna9design.com