A few minutes with Content Designer Dominic Warren

Dominic Warren

Dominic Warren is a content designer and a writer. He's worked in a diverse range of sectors, including government, insurance, travel, and social data. We caught up with him to ask a few quick questions about his career...

What first attracted you to working in a content-focused role?

“I really fell into content design through chance. I originally studied and trained in graphic design. My first job in that career was digital design — concentrating on websites.

“When I started looking for a new job, I found a position that required “some web design skills”. This was at the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), part of HMRC. It was here where I was introduced to the Government Digital Services (GDS) and the principles of content design. I was hooked from the start, absorbing any and all information I could. I went to GDS training courses and to their conventions. And then at the VOA, I got my first content designer position.

“What struck me about content design was the intersection between writing and design. And the focus of making complex information readily available to anyone.”

🔍 Related: Here’s why content design should matter to you

Your role at Brandwatch evolved from ‘UX writer’ to ‘content designer’. Was this something you initiated?

“Brandwatch, when they hired me, knew they needed something that filled the space that content design does. They understood the necessity for good, clear content. And how this fits alongside their talented product design and research team.

“As my work progressed at Brandwatch, I started showing how what we do can be more than ‘just the words’. How it can influence design, and be influenced by design. How it can work with, and be improved by research.

“Ultimately, I feel ‘UX writer’ is a more focused discipline within content design. We wanted to open up the work I do and change how other departments approached me. We wanted to improve their understanding of content within the UX and product design world. And content design is more widely recognised across the industry.

“It doesn’t change what I do, but it improves understanding and opens up future possibilities.”

What’s the main mistake you see big brands making with their content?

“I don’t dislike wacky, over-friendly tones. But it becomes a problem when it’s inconsistent or doesn’t actually tell me what I need to know.

“Every company now seems to want to have that super fun voice and not be boring. But this only works if it doesn’t distract or completely block out the information. Brands like MailChimp get this right because they balance it really well.” 

What drives you and keeps you motivated in your role?

“Hopefully, this doesn’t sound too self-aggrandising, but I try to always remember that what I do has, in some way, an active benefit for someone else.

“It could be what I’ve written helps someone press the right button. Or it helps them understand a complicated concept quicker. If it makes their job that little bit easier, then that’s a good thing.”

For those new to content design, what’s the hottest tip you can give them about how to be an excellent content designer?

“Firstly, I think you should always remember: the first draft is always a bad draft. If you can keep this in mind, it takes a lot of pressure off. And it helps focus you towards the iterative way of writing and designing.

🔍 Related: To write is to rewrite

“Part of that is also to try and work on how you accept and understand feedback. I think it’s a skill that’s never truly mastered and it’s certainly one I’m still working on. The hardest part of our job is opening up our work to scrutiny and criticism. We’re all human and we make mistakes or miss things. It’s only through this that we can improve and make our writing the best it can be for the user.”

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