LOL catch me reading this all night!

A10: If there’s a platform your client/organization uses for design, watch some videos or do a tutorial. It’s helpful to know key functions and limitations. If the designer is working in InDesign but you’ve only ever seen Canva, you’re not sharing a language. #ACESChat

A9: If you have the opportunity to have a call and get to know each other, you can learn how you can both show up for each other. Take the time to share style tips. And show appreciation for their work! Design is hard, and reworking a design can be frustrating! #ACESChat

A8: Lesley came up with a plan to design a pickleball court – in our brand colors – and flow the text around it. She asked me if I had other copy to fill empty space on a page, and I could go back to copy I had cut to pull a new sidebar together. 2/2 #ACESChat

A8: Recently we worked on a spread for the organization’s magazine with tips for new pickleball players. I had great copy, but it was short, and I wanted it to make an impact. 1/2

I could watch Lesley design all day. It's soothing for my brain, like one of those adult coloring books, and I learn a lot just watching her thought process for design play out on the screen for both of us.

Exactly! As a reader, I want the information in 100 words, not 500. I don't have time for that!

A6: Editors may also think about words differently than designers do. We are thinking of them for meaning and spelling, and designers are thinking of them for how they appear visually. 2/2 #ACESChat

A6: Be flexible and willing to do another editing pass. It’s not always possible to fit the copy you provide into the space the designer has to work with, so you may need to try again. 1/2

A5: It’s helpful to know the final format of something you’re working on. Is it a graphic for Instagram Stories or a printed handout? Ask about that so you can edit copy for the way people will interact with the piece, and you can visualize what it will look like. #ACESChat

A4: I’m fairly open to copy suggestions from a designer to make the design really pop (like “This is too many words. Can we shorten it?”), but those changes have to be within the style guide. I’m not going to approve a wrong word just because it fits better in the design. 2/2 #ACESChat

A4: Designing with words is all about how the words fit in the space, so if copy grows or shrinks drastically with editing, the design will also change. I’ve learned that can be frustrating for a designer when a design is in progress, so I try to get copy as final as I can before sharing. 1/2

A3: Communicate! Is the copy not final? Warn the designer. Is there a word in the title that is most important? Let the designer know in case that lends itself to a design. Lesley and I will often jump on a call to talk something through. #ACESChat

A2: If you’re tight on space in your design, are you able to abbreviate words, use numerals instead of spelling out numbers, etc.? 2/2 #ACESChat

A2: It’s helpful to know the basics of the style guide so you can make choices that stay in line. For example, our style prohibits the splitting of two words in our organization name across lines, so a design must adhere to that. 1/2

I'm ready for the next!

I try SO hard not to be that person who gives Lesley a file and tells her, "So, this is probably going to need some work from me."

@lesleyhall360.bsky.social and I are looking forward to this!