The Importance of Content vs. Design

What is more important? Design? Content? Both? I did this talk specifically for (and in the context of) Wordpress, but it can be applied to a couple of other things.

Transcript

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF DESIGN CONTENT &
2. THE QUESTION OF WHETHER CONTENT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN DESIGN IS LIKE ASKING, "What came first - the chicken or the egg?"
3. THE BASIC ANSWER USUALLY IS, One cannot exist without the other
4. BUT WHAT IS DESIGN, EXACTLY?
5. BUT WHAT IS DESIGN, EXACTLY? Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation. Steve Jobs
6. BUT WHAT IS DESIGN, EXACTLY? ! Good Design is a Language. Massimo Vignelli
7. BUT WHAT IS DESIGN, EXACTLY? Clutter and confusion are failures of design, not attributes of information. Edward R. Tufte
8. IN THE CASE OF A BLOG, THERE IS ONE IMPORTANT THING TO CONSIDER: The concept of blogging was born out of a need for self-expression and content creation.
9. THE CONTENT DEFINES THE STRUCTURE (SOMETIMES) And good design promotes understanding and helps to enhance what you have to say
10. JENNY HOLZER'S "MEN DON'T PROTECT YOU ANYMORE" (1983-85) IS IT DESIGN? IS IT CONTENT? OR IS IT A MESSAGE?
11. WHERE CONTENT AND DESIGN MERGE GLITTER IN THE DARK: HTTP://PITCHFORK.COM/FEATURES/ COVER-STORY/READER/BAT-FOR-LASHES/
12. SO, YES. DESIGN IS IMPORTANT. but it shouldn't distract your readers from what you have to say.
13. OVER THE YEARS, I CAME TO REALIZE THAT MY BEST WORK HAS ALWAYS INVOLVED SUBJECTS THAT INTERESTED ME, OR — EVEN BETTER — SUBJECTS ABOUT WHICH I'VE BECOME INTERESTED, AND EVEN PASSIONATE ABOUT, THROUGH THE VERY PROCESS OF DOING DESIGN WORK. I BELIEVE I'M STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT GRAPHIC DESIGN. BUT THE GREAT THING ABOUT GRAPHIC DESIGN IS THAT IT IS ALMOST ALWAYS ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE. CORPORATE LAW. PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL. ART. POLITICS. ROBERT WILSON. AND IF I CAN'T GET EXCITED ABOUT WHATEVER THAT SOMETHING ELSE IS, I REALLY HAVE TROUBLE DOING GOOD WORK AS A DESIGNER. TO ME, THE CONCLUSION IS INESCAPABLE: THE MORE THINGS YOU'RE INTERESTED IN, THE BETTER YOUR WORK WILL BE. — Michael Bierut
14. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING STALK ME ON twitter: @alicetragedy web: www.alicetragedy.org instagram: ..you get the point