![]() Which order will yield better results? Art and copy live together. But not always harmoniously—if you’ve ever worked at a newspaper or ad agency, think of “Art Department” and “Sales.” The end user—that is, the reader—should not see any conflict. But competing agendas perennially assure one. Ditto for art and copy. And when we say “art” we mean “pretty much any creative that doesn’t include the words.” So that can mean storyboard panels, layouts, stock photos, website mockups, jingle tunes, and so on. All of these vehicles require writing to make them work. But which should be undertaken first? Should the artwork be created, and then the copy added? Or should the words be crafted first, and used to inspire the visuals? Let’s take a look at both sides of this argument and then compare the results. Art first. This is the more common approach to most assignments. Most creative directors cut their teeth on the art side (or, these days, the Illustrator/InDesign/Photoshop side), and since they develop the germ of any concept, it’s expressed in the medium in which they’re most comfortable and fluent. Whereas a writer may start with notes, an art person may start with a pencil sketch or a thumbnail. This is then developed to the point at which it requires copy, which is often indicated as “Greeked-in text” or a lorem ipsum file.
Copy first.
So now that we’ve weighed the pros and cons of each, we can make a judgment call, right? Not yet. There’s a third approach to consider, one that borrows from each of the above. Let’s call it: Hybrid. This is the artwork with a headline written in. The website mockup with a few of the key links indicated or named. Or the catalog page with the first item described in detail. At first blush, this would seem to be the perfect solution to any creative challenge, but it’s not that simple. It, too, has advantages and disadvantages.
The verdict. This is a clear-cut case of “it depends.” That’s not a cop-out. It depends on the assignment itself and the media it will employ. It depends on the talent of the creative leads, and the strengths (art or words) they have. It depends on the composition of the team and its contributors and their roles. Regardless of the route you choose, it requires a real park-your-ego-in-the-lot mentality. Reminds us of a Ronald Reagan quote we always liked: “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.” Whichever side comes first, it presents the other with a golden opportunity to do amazing things. Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think.
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