Comments on: Copywriter thumbnails and how to draw them

By: Dean Rieck

Dean Rieck — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:01:18 +0000

@Michelle: That’s good news. I know how it feels to “fill in the blanks” for predesigned items. I once had a client who would send me layouts with text boxes and ask me to just fill them in. It was absurd.

By: Michelle Wood

Michelle Wood — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 04:22:17 +0000

I do thumbnails for just about everything – can’t imagine writing something like a multipage brochure without sketches.

Since I started out doing tech writing in pre-formatted corporate documents before becoming a freelancer, it was a while before I realized I should have a say in content layout. I just thought it was the plight of the writer to be frustrated with shiny – but ultimately impractical – designs full of lorem ipsem that the client had “already approved.” Imagine my joy when I met the designers I most often partner with now, who actively engage me in content design up front!

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:34:32 +0000

Since most people create the design of their website before they write the copy, I find I’m usually writing with the design already in mind. I’ll ask the web designer for a wire frame before I write to make sure I cover all the elements.

By: Merryl Rosenthal

Merryl Rosenthal — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 08:13:29 +0000

Just like you and Andrew Rogers, I do thumbnails all the time.

Actually, I’d be shocked to learn that most writers don’t!

By the way, I’m all out of Gilligan’s mind-reading seeds. Are you
selling any on ebay?

Cheers.

By: Andrew Rogers

Andrew Rogers — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:46:28 +0000

I do thumbnails all the time for newsletters, brochures, and other complex pieces. I don’t know how I’d keep track of what I need to write and where it’s supposed to fit if I didn’t. Not to mention that it does help the designer figure out what I had in mind, if not necessarily what she has in mind.