9 Things I Wish I Had Figured Out Sooner

8. If copy isn't good, design won't fix it

I hate to think about the number to times I've struggled to get copy right but just couldn't quite do it — then ended up saying, "It's not quite there, but we'll make it work with great images, brilliant type treatment and flawless layout." It doesn't work. Good design matters. But it can't make bad copy good. Copy that goes in incoherent will come out that way.