Content outline

What is a content outline?

A content outline is a document that formally lists the objectives of a project. The objectives are based on the customer's needs. The content outline will ultimately be used as a guide, or checklist, for the customer and the Web/Print team to ensure that a project’s content and message stay focused and on course.

Why have a content outline?

A good content outline offers the following advantages:

• serves as a reminder to the customer and Web/Print team members of content discussions
• there will be fewer misunderstandings because the issues have been written down and agreed upon
• ensures that there are fewer revisions because the project has been thoroughly thought through
• different disciplines will have an opportunity to offer insight early in the project; this may steer the project away from pitfalls and toward unexpected opportunities

Who’s involved?

From the very beginning, the customer and all of the assigned Web/Print team members will contribute to a project. This process begins and ends with lots of communication. Whenever possible, members of the creative team should work together. Each needs the other. The customer may involve himself as much or as little as desired, but customer involvement at checkpoints is required.

Tips on how to Make a Content Outline

Everyone will come together to gain an understanding of what the customer wants to do and how the project fits into the larger goals of OPO. The project will be scoped with emphasis on message, audience, budget, and time constraints. Use the following steps to help scope the project.

Information Gathering
The customer should gather as much information as necessary to help the team members thoroughly understand the subject. Understanding the subject is crucial because ideas and creativity come from what we know. We can‘t pull out of our heads what isn‘t in there.

Analysis
What is the problem? Be careful not to drift into decision making on format, color, and design elements before the problem has been identified. To get at the problem, ask the following questions:

• What are we trying to communicate and why?
• Who needs this information and why?
• What does the audience know? What does it need to know?
• What single, unique, focused message should the audience walk away with after reading or seeing this piece?
• What have we done to communicate this information before?
• How will our audience respond? How will we respond to our audience’s response?
• Will the audience receive the same information from another source?
• Does the audience want this information? Do they not want it? Do they care?

Setting Objectives
After analysis, decide what the project should accomplish. Stay focused, be specific, and clarify the objective. Consider the following:

• Define the audience. It is difficult to reach a 16-year-old and a 70-year-old in the same communication. Who is most important?
• Define expectations. How will we evaluate the success of the communication?
• Decide on a single message. If the message can’t be stated in two sentences, we are saying too much.
• Develop design criteria such as format, production, usage and longevity, budgets, and schedules.

Setting objectives helps us know where to begin and when we’ve reached the end.

Documentation: The Content Organization Chart

Once the broad objectives have been identified, it’s time to organize the content into its component parts. This is a place to document the discussions during the Information Gathering, Analysis, and Setting Objectives phases.

What is a design script?

A Design Script is an idea or strategy for communicating the material contained in the content outline. It may include metaphors, analogies, or other devices to enhance the viewer’s understanding of the material that’s being presented. There may be more than one Design Script. Each potential idea will be presented in Design Script format, which can be thought of as a traditional design rough. The Design Scripts will be judged by the customer and the Web/Print team as to how well they communicate the content. The production team will implement the approved design.

Why have a Design Script?

Design Scripts offer the following:

• a complete way to present a solution to design problems
• enable the customer and others to visualize the proposed design strategy and idea
• serve as straw man to add and subtract as necessary to better communicate the content

Who's involved?

Web/Print team members; in particular, the designer, writer, and programmer.

Making a Design Script

Brainstorm and Evaluation
Generating design ideas is really a matter of exploration and experimentation. Ideas and creativity can come from imagination or mistakes. For guidance, use the information in the Content Outline to define parameters and judge how well the design solution fits the design problem. In the early design stages, never believe that we can come up with the best idea. We should always believe that we can do better. This mindset will move us beyond convenient, often trite ideas into more creative ones. Consider that we spend most of our time executing ideas. We certainly ought to make sure our ideas are worth execution.

Make the Design Script
There isn't a set template for a Design Script. A Design Script can take the form of sketches, storyboards, or any other means that effectively communicates the proposed idea. Design Scripts should encompass all decisions made for look and feel, writing, and functionality.

Critique, Refine, and Approve the Design Script
Judge the design for effectiveness (Is the message clear?) and aesthetics. In cases where there are gridlocks of opinions on aesthetics, the designer’s opinion should be granted more weight. Likewise, programmers should have more say about programming protocols, and the writer should be given principal authority on the copy’s tone.

The customer, of course, has the final word when determining how well a product meets his audience's needs.

Brainstorming

What is Brainstorming?

Tips for Developing Ideas

1. Work fast. More is better. Write it all down, whether the ideas are good or bad. Refer to these thoughts as fuel concepts. Consider the benefits:

• Racing past obvious thinking will free your mind
• Quantity will lead to quality
• Working fast cuts down judgment; suspending judgment allows for more creativity
• Good is the enemy of great; if you stop at good ideas you’ll rob yourself of great ideas
• Fear is the enemy; working fast circumvents fear; if the idea isn’t a little scary it probably isn’t very original
• Build failure into your process; those who fail the most win the most; be prolific.

2. Follow an uncharted trail of ideas. This is the key to a new and unique solution.

3. Look to the obvious. Often the most brilliant ideas are readily apparent.

4. Go beyond the obvious. Obvious ideas may be good, but they may not be very innovative.

5. Define parameters or boundaries. Boundaries don’t really limit creativity; they narrow options to a manageable level and should serve as opportunities.  Make sure they are fixed from the beginning.

6. Look to extremes and opposites. If something demands to be white, make it black. Exploring opposites can turn your first idea into many more.

7. Collaborate with a genius. You never have to work alone. Look to others outside the design field and ask how they would solve the design problem. Look for competent people. Use proven mental resources.

8. Know when to go for a walk. Decompress and let the subconscious work for you.

Evaluate the Possibilities

1. Evaluate your ideas. Allow ideas to soar, but be grounded by your objectives. Balance yourself between realism and creativity.

2. Review the design criteria.

3. Edit and eliminate:

• if any aspect of the idea doesn’t work
• if an idea is entirely built from style and technique
• if an idea isn’t clear
• if an idea doesn’t solicit reactions (boring)