When I suggest we should all be designing our written work I hear a lot of excuses. Some valid, others not so much. So I wanted to dispel the most common ones I hear. Then you will have no excuse! Seriously though excuses almost always come from a place of fear. I can't take that away with one article, but I can hopefully give you some steps that are small enough for you to find the courage to start because that is the only way you will improve. Eww ok, that's starting to get too deep for me so let's just get to it.
Don't we all love blaming our tools? I get it, I was there once. How can I make something look good if all I have is PowerPoint? Well I'm here to tell you you don't need a Mac or Adobe Creative Cloud to design your content. Those tools are great if you are a designer but for most people they are unnecessary. So what can you use?
Powerpoint
The great news is Powerpoint is the perfect tool for non-designers to start designing content. Why? Well first off most companies provide it for you (hello, who doesn't like free?). If this is the case it's also likely that you are, at least a little, comfortable using it so there will be less of a learning curve. The main reason though is that PowerPoint is really powerful. Way more than people give it credit. If we compare PowerPoint to the commonly used Adobe programs it can perform enough of their functions needed for the non-designer; it can be used as a layout program (Adobe Indesign), to edit images (Adobe Photoshop) and create elements and icons (Adobe Illustrator). Ok, it can't do it to the same level as Adobe but it is plenty for the non-designer. One exception here is if you are looking to create long, text-heavy documents. That would be a nightmare in PowerPoint. In that case, I suggest either:
stick to Word but use PowerPoint to create/edit any images you need. These can then be saved and inserted into your Word document. If going this route I suggest playing around with the indenting and spacing of your text in Word to create more whitespace and a cleaner look.
check out Microsoft Publisher (if you have it). Publisher gives you added functionality not available in PowerPoint that will make laying out lots of text easier.
Canva
A good free online alternative is Canva. I don't love it to be honest. Personally I find it a bit restrictive, compared to PowerPoint, as you are limited to the elements available in Canva (unless you have a program to create elements - which I assume you don’t if you are reading this article, duh). However, if you don't have access to PowerPoint, or you just want something simple to use then Canva is your go-to. I think it is particularly useful for creating your own social media content or personal projects like invitations. You can get access to most of their functions for free or upgrade to Canva Pro for more.
Affinity
Want to really up your design game? Well, then I would recommend the Affinity programs. They currently have 3 that rival Adobe Indesign, Illustrator and Photoshop - but at an amazing price point. Word of warning though, these are professional grade tools and, as such, there will be a steep learning curve unless you're already familiar with design programs.
This is a tricky one. I'm not going to lie, consciously designing your content obviously takes more time than if you just dump information without a second thought. But, like everything, if you are willing to put the time in it will get easier. So with that in mind, I have a few tips when you are starting out:
Don't attempt to design something that has a critical due date. This will just create more stress and put you off design.
Do build some time into each day (workday, you are allowed to have a life) to hone your design skills. Even 15-20mins will make a big difference over time. This could be to:
focus in on one element of design for content that isn't time-critical. For example, you may want to make sure that everything is well aligned or that there is good contrast between the elements.
go back over work you have already completed and try and improve the layout and design.
Do take notice of the design around you. What works? What doesn't? What do you personally like? The great thing is that EVERYTHING is designed (for better or worse) so there are endless possibilities to do this and it can be done at any time. Take note (even mentally) of the things that work and start applying the same style, approach and principles to your own work!
When I hear someone say they don't know how it's usually code for I'm not creative. This is a biggie. If you believe you aren't creative (and I would guess a lot of people in business feel this way) I honestly cannot write anything in a couple of sentences that will suddenly make you believe you are. What I can do is offer you one piece of advice: learn the basics. Generally people aren't taught design or how to present information so just knowing and applying the basics will put you ahead of most people. The more comfortable you become with the basics the more you will start to experiment with more creative and interesting designs. Ok, I lied, I have one more piece of advice to go with this: don't compare your designs to others (especially not professional designers). Instead, when you come across a design that catches your eye, take inspiration from it. Use it as a way to grow your design eye and aesthetic rather than wallow in shame. It may be hard at first but it's a much more constructive and positive approach.
So, ready to start designing your content? Great! Start working with what you have in terms of time and tools - the main thing is to just start. Oh and to learn the basics of design check out a design book or two (see which one I recommend here).
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