Everything is different
Why you should avoid PDFs, effective letter writing, a book-making tool and the reality of being a content designer.
It's been a while, so you might be surprised to find that here's another edition of Plain English recently-not-so Weekly, sent to you by me, Iain Broome.
Needless to say, I have been busy. I'm currently in the middle of some of the most challenging, rewarding work of my entire career. And I can't even say what it is! But it's meant putting the newsletter on pause for a while.
We're back now though and the plan is to pick up a regular publishing schedule again. Starting today with this very missive.
Don't forget, if you have something you think your fellow clear language enthusiasts would like to read, watch or listen to, do let me know.
That's it. Enjoy the links.
Iain
Content design: what they don't tell you in the books
This is a 25-minute talk by Liberty Howard, Head of Content Design at consultancy, TPXimpact.
As it happens, I've worked as a freelancer with TPXimpact (starting when part of it was called Futuregov) for more than six years and can confirm that the very best way to learn about being a content designer is through actually doing.
Every project is different. All teams are different. The problems you are trying to solve are indeed different too. Everything is different! And that means you need to be pragmatic and adapt the stuff you learn through reading to whatever situation you find in front of you.
Why you should avoid PDFs and what to do if you can't
I'm sure you have either been told or find yourself telling other people that you should avoid PDFs at all costs. But can you always remember the reasons why that might be a good idea?
Enter this page in the NHS service manual, which says:
Creating a new PDF document is a last resort and you should avoid it unless there is a specific user need for it. You should always provide an HTML version too.
Not only can you use this page to bolster your no-PDFs argument, it also includes examples of when you might really need to use a PDF and, if so, how to do it in the best possible way.
I wrote a letter this week! Well, a prototype letter. A letter that could form part of a pretty complex service that I'm currently working on. And you won't be surprised to hear that the UK government's service manual has some good guidance here on how to write good letters. I will also point you to this shorter piece about designing letters as part of the whole user journey.
Writebook: write and publish a book online (for free)
Writebook is a brand new service from 37 Signals, the folks that make Basecamp, Fireside and other software products:
Blogging and posting on social is easy. But why is it so hard to publish a whole book on the web? It’s not anymore. Writebook is remarkably simple software that allows you to publish text and pictures in a simple, browsable online book format.
I share this with you because it seems to me a pretty interesting way to publish your organisation's style guidelines. Or your team manual. Or anything else at all, really.
The second edition of Content Design by Sarah Winters and Rachel Edwards
If you call yourself a content designer, you will be aware of this book. It's not an overstatement to say that it has been the foundation for a great many careers in the world of content design. I can't recommend it highly enough.
The first edition by Sarah Winters was ace, but this updated version is even better and co-written with Rachel Edwards. It includes lots of small updates and a whole new chapter on journey mapping, which is just as brill as the rest of it.
Full disclosure: Rachel kindly sent me a preview copy and I am just very late sharing it with anyone. Fullest disclosure, I would have happily ponied up and bought a copy anyway because it's essential reading for the work I do.
"This is the crux of all content strategy and content design. If you don't know what actually starts a journey, you could be missing your audience."
Winters and Edwards, Content Design
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