網頁設計文案的重要性以及如何做好內容為中心的設計

設計師往往忘記重視設計結構那樣重視編寫文案，以便在網頁上突出文案。今天我們將討論為什麽文案是如此的重要，誰又應該學習掌握它，以及如何做好內容為中心的設計。設計好，文案差 As designers, we rightfully spend our time focused on aesthetics. We are pixel pushers who firmly believe with the strongest conviction that attractive websites are fundamentally better websites. 作為設計師，我們理所當然地多花時間專註於美學方面。有吸引力的網站可以從根本上改善網站，我們正是這種觀念最堅信的推崇者。We build our mockups with “lorem ipsum” so we can go back and write something better when we have the time. Deadlines approach and still we put off the text until the last possible second. Finally, as our various GTD apps inform us that the time has come to submit the artwork, we hash out some quick text to throw onto our beautiful creations and send them off, without a visual blemish yet still marred by the subpar copy that appears on every page. 我們使用“Lorem Ipsum”文本排版生成器建立我們的排版模型，所以我們有時間的時候還可以回頭寫更好的東西。而截止日期的做法（甚至是我們自己）仍然有可能把文案推遲到最後壹秒。然後，各種GTD程序通知我們是時候提交我們的作品了，我們就在漂亮的作品上臨急臨忙的放些速寫的文字，然後就扔出去了。最後每個頁面即使視覺上都沒有什麽挑剔，卻依然看到很多美中不足的文案。 For many of us, this is simply how we’re programmed. We’re visual beasts that thrive on good design. The problem of course is that the neglect of solid copy will often cause the finished product to suffer as much or more than a poor design. Unless designers are your target market, your user base will be populated largely by individuals that don’t speak design. Show them Dribbble.com and they’ll wonder aloud why anyone would ever create such a service. 對於我們大多數人而言，如何編程對我們來說簡單的很，我們是靠優秀設計成長壯大的視覺怪獸。然而問題是，我們對實在文案的忽視導致我們最終的成品大受影響，影響甚至超過那些差勁的設計。除非妳的目標市場是設計師，否則妳的用戶群中大多都是不跟妳談設計的。妳告訴他們Dribbble.com，他們會好生奇怪，為什麽有人會提供這樣的服務。 Sure, they can often interpret what is ugly and what isn’t similarly to how we can, but only on an intuitive level. What they really notice is how the website feels. Whether it’s smooth or clunky, easy to navigate or impossible. This is what is meant when designers say that great design is transparent. If your users notice your interface too much, it’s probably because they hate it. 當然，他們往往可以解釋什麽是醜陋的，什麽是雷同的，就像我們壹樣，但只能在壹個直觀的水平。他們真正在意的是網站的整體感覺，是否流暢或繁瑣，是否易於操作。這就是設計師所說的，優秀的設計是透明的。如果妳的用戶對界面很關心，很有可能是因為他們很討厭這個界面。 This same metaphor of transparency applies to copywriting on the web. It’s worth noting that the average user is in fact trained in reading and writing far more than design, though still only as much as a standard education supplies. To these users, we’ll call them “normal people” as opposed to we visual freaks, browsing the web is a reading experience. Evaluating a service involves skimming the sales pitch and reading the list of features as much or more than evaluating the visual layout of the elements on the page. They’ll even hire a designer based as much on what he says about himself as what appears in his portfolio. If you have strong copy, they won’t notice or evaluate it too much,they’ll be far too busy being convinced of what it’s saying. 這個透明的比喻同樣適用於網頁上的文案。值得壹提的是，實際上壹般用戶在閱讀和寫作方面所受的教育要遠遠超過設計方面，雖然依然只是壹個標準教育的產品。對於這些用戶，我們會稱他們為“正常用戶”而不是我們這些視覺怪獸，瀏覽網頁對他們是壹種閱讀體驗。他們關註那些涉及到服務的促銷廣告詞和特性列表的閱讀，相當甚至是超過關註網頁上元素的視覺布局。他們甚至會更願意聘請這樣的設計師——他們自己說什麽就做出什麽樣的設計作品。如果妳有足夠紮實的文案，他們就不會太在意或諸多評價，他們正忙於確信文案的內容。 Heads or Tails? 正面還是反面? The point that I’m driving at here is that design and copywriting are two sides of the same coin; inseparable in every way. The user doesn’t see the design and the text, he sees a website. A single integrated item that is either desirable or not. 在這裏我想說的關鍵點是，設計和文案是壹個硬幣上不同的兩面，是相互聯系密不可分的。用戶不是單純看設計還是文字，而是在看壹個網站，壹個單獨的綜合項目的可取與否。 The trick then is to toss out “lorem ipsum” for as much of the design process as possible. Stop designing without any notion of the goal of the design. To engage in design without copy is to build a box before you know what will be placed inside. To put it differently, consider the following quote from Jeffrey Zeldman 有壹個技巧是在設計過程中盡可能的揚棄”文本排版“。如果沒有任何設計目標的概念，就停止那些設計。如果設計沒有文案，在妳了解要放什麽在裏面之前可以先留出壹塊方框。換種方式講，應該考慮壹下Jeffrey Zeldman下面這句話：“內容先於設計。沒有內容的設計那不是設計，是裝飾。”This is precisely my point. Unless you’re designing purely for the sake of design and not engaging in some professional venture, the design should serve to reinforce the message, not the other way around. 這正是我的意思。除非妳是純粹為設計而設計，而沒有涉及到壹些專業風險，設計應有助於加強內容消息，而不是相反。 As an experiment, try building your next project by first placing in all the content that should be on the page. Throw in the headlines, the copy, the features, the widgets, the navigation; everything you can think of, but do so without design. The first step is merely to put it all in one place. Once you’ve got it there, then begin to style it. Think about different ways you can arrange it, color it, and bring it to life. 作為壹個實驗，在妳的下壹個項目中可以嘗試壹些把應該在頁面顯示的內容最先放上去。加上標題，文案，專欄，小掛件，導航，壹切妳能想到的，不要帶設計。首先是把所有內容都放上去，壹旦妳想好了排版位置，然後開始風格化。妳可以嘗試不同的方式來編排，加些顏色，讓頁面活潑起來。 This will lead to design that is both more effective and more original. It will be more effective because the entire page is structured to highlight and communicate your primary message. Obviously, to even begin this design process, you’re forced to focus entirely on structuring your communication. Use a simple text editor so that you’re not distracted by how the message looks. Instead pay attention only to how it reads. 這樣做設計不但更有效率，也更具創新。之所以更高效是因為整個頁面的結構都突出和表達了妳的主要信息。很明顯，因為甚至是在設計過程的開始，妳就不得不把重點放在結構化妳的信息表達。最好使用壹個簡單的文本編輯器，這樣妳不會受文字信息的“長相”所幹擾，而只需關註它的閱讀效果。 Consider above all else your target audience. Who are you seeking to appeal to with this message? What do they already possess in this area and why ins’t it good enough? And of course the most important question of all: Why wouldn’t they want to use the site, buy the product, hire the person, etc.? We’ll discuss this question more in a later article so for now just know that this question is the key to great marketing. 考慮妳的目標群體高於壹切。妳希望誰閱讀這些消息？他們在這方面已經具備了什麽？為什麽還總不夠好？當然，其中最重要的問題是：他們希望使用的網站幹什麽？購買產品？雇用職員？等等。我們將在以後的文章中討論這些問題，現在只需要知道這是良好營銷的關鍵問題。 Finally, the method mentioned above will lead to more original design becauseyou’re not designing by using other sites you’ve seen as a starting point. Rather than wireframing someone else’s design with your own coat of paint you’re instead solving a puzzle. The puzzle is of course how to best arrange and style the content that is already on the page. The tradition method involves jamming content into a predefined space as is the case when you purchase a pre-built design template. The better route is to tailor and evolve the space to accommodate pre-existing content. 最後，上述的方法將會產生更多的創新設計，因為妳沒有使用妳已經看過的網站作為壹個起點。妳應該解決壹個問題——而不是使用別人的設計披上妳設計的外衣。而這個問題當然是，如何最好地安排和風格化網頁上已經有的內容。在傳統的方法，壹般只是妳購買了預設計的模板，才涉及到給預定義的空間填充內容。更好的方法是根據預先存在的內容剪裁和設計空間。