Content Design

How to write UI copy that serves users rather than impresses them. This section synthesizes patterns from production content design systems — MailChimp, Shopify Polaris, and industry writing practice — into principles that apply regardless of which design system or brand you're working in.

Content design is not copywriting and it is not visual design. It is the work of making words do their job in a UI context: communicating the right thing, in the right tone, at the right moment, with no more words than necessary.

Use these principles before writing any new UI copy, when auditing existing copy for consistency, or when establishing a voice guide for a new design system.