Insights on design and leading creative
Over the course of my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with and leading several seasoned copywriters. It’s taught me a lot—not only about the craft of writing but also about how to create an environment where copywriters thrive alongside designers. Managing copywriters is as much about coaching and empowering them as it is about understanding the nuances of what makes great copy work. Here are some of the key lessons I’ve learned along the way:
Working with executives can feel like designing for five vastly different clients, all stacked in a trench coat pretending to be one cohesive decision-maker. You’ve got the CEO with a broad vision, the CFO focused on costs, the Product leader eyeing feasibility, and the Marketing leader advocating for customer impact—all pulling in different directions. Getting them aligned on a singular path forward isn’t just challenging; it’s an art form.
Yet, as a creative strategist and leader, I’ve refined a system that ensures alignment every time. Here’s how I do it:
First, what the heck is a “dark pattern”?
'Dark patterns' are flows or design created to mislead users—usually to take an action they didn’t want to take. NNGroup correlates some dark patterns with 'needy patterns' (that's a little nicer as far as intent) and describes them as "desperate attempts to influence user behavior." Sometimes dark patterns are not intentional, but the consequence of not empathizing with users.
You've seen these and likely fallen victim. It's possible you've even built one. I'm not judging you—even I’ve suggested dark patterns to hit goals and immediately regretted it. ‘Doh.
