Content or design: which comes first?

[high seraph]

So yeah, I've been toying around with making sites now, and been working with two ideas simultaneously (partly because I want to open my new collective with new stuff to show ), and this thought crossed my mind and I figured I could discuss this with you guys: when you're creating a new shrine, what do you focus on first: the raw content of the site or it's overall design and appearance?

Let's define "content" as "text, essays and other media (images, sound, etc) that compose the body of the shrine", and "design" as "layout, presentation, coding and styling that help deliver the content to the reader".

I don't really remember how I used to do it, but I noticed that the first thing I worked on while writing up my new collective as well as these two other sites was the layout. I get the feeling that seeing the layout ready first gives the project a clearer shape, it feels more solid. And I think that same feeling also helps jumpstart the whole project. Since working on the layout requires a lot of creativity, originality and inspiration, getting a layout done basically means that I'm inspired enough to write the content of a shrine. Not that writing doesn't require those things, but I personally think the layout demands a little more from me.

The funny thing is, even though I have all of those layouts practically ready (some CSS is still missing in every one of them), I'm having a real hard time implementing the text in a harmonic and reader-friendly way. Basically, now that I have large chunks of text written up, I feel like the layout should be reworked to better accommodate it. Which kinda sucks!

This discussion may have already happened in the forums but I didn't find anything!!!! So sorry if I'm bringing up a dead subject lmao

[Mayumi]

Usually when I want to start a shrine, the design comes first then the content. But now since I get easily distracted with the layout up and still haven't finished (XD;) I find that the content is more important to do first then the design cause I feel more focused when I just see text when I have either TextEdit or NoteSuite opened. ^_^ I would probably complain later if the design doesn't look too great. XD;

[Crystal]

For me the layout comes first. If I have something I'm really happy with I find it easier to write up the content, plus I find it also motivates me to also want to write up something for it. I've tried doing the content first a couple times and I find it doesn't motivate me as much and I struggle a bit trying to figure out what I should write for the subject. At least when I do the layout first I have it all planned out and know exactly what I want to do. Of course, my indecisiveness tends to get the better of me sometimes and I change things but not a whole lot. It generally stays the same through the end, but when it does it I find I come up with something new and cool which often motivates me even more.

[Tara]

I always need to get the layout done first, because it helps me to figure out how I'm going to organize and lay out the pages and subjects. It also helps me to see the content on a layout with all the images and styles as I go. I'm a lot more motivated that way! It also helps me to realize if I'm actually satisfied with the layout since I stare at it so much during the writing process. The only bad thing about this method is that sometimes I'll get tired of the layout too quickly and feel the need to make another one, so oftentimes I'll have made 2 or 3 layouts before I even really focus on the content!

I've tried doing it the opposite way but I just get so distracted and I'm not as motivated that way. I procrastinate so much as it is... oops.

[Chibi]

Well... it really depends on various things, I guess. When I went back to web design, I made layouts both for my Kai and Watanuki shrines before I wrote any content (which I'm still working on). I had tons of ideas and designs came easily for me, so I always made layouts first. Then I started working on the content first, so that I would have a shrine actually ready first, and then think about the layout later. Now I write content first because I have a huge layout block and I cannot think of a layout for the life of me. And I tend to procrastinate a bit on the content as well, so that makes everything really frustrating for me at the moment. XD;

But if I had to choose which one I preferred... I think I'd go with layout first, so I can organise the content and maybe even get more motivation to have the shrine done!

[Eimii]

For the most part it has been design/layout first. Sometimes ill try to keep in mind how i want my content organized before i make the layout. Sometimes my content forces me to go back and reconsider the layout or css choices i have made. or i just kinda add on as a i go.

[dubiousdisc]

At least enough of the content to figure out what sort of layout I need, haha. But then I often rework both the content and the layout at the same time and I change things so many times, so it's...complicated.

[Michelle]

I like making layouts first because they help me form the content for my shrine. Once I get a design in mind, I know how I want to set up different pages and sections, which in turn helps me decide just how I want to present the content and what the content should be. Like Tara and Crystal said, it's good motivation. Once I have a layout set up it shows me what I need to work on.

There are some exceptions... in the past I really wanted to shrine some characters but I had the worst time thinking of names for the shrines (my Jade and Aizen sites, specifically), so I wrote a good deal of the content before I had any sort of layout made. I just can't seem to make layouts without having a name for the shrine first for some reason!

[Sarah]

I have to make the layout first. I tried doing the content first and then the layout with a shrine I'm working on right now, my Creature Feature, but I didn't get very far. IDK, I just like to have the design part done and out of the way before I can really get into the content. Part of that is probably because of what others have mentioned, that seeing the layout helps you decide how to present your content. It's also nice to see how long a page of content will be in the layout.

[high seraph]

Haha it's funny that everyone seems to follow pretty much the same steps, for pretty much the same reasons. Earlier this week I tried to forget about the layout I had designed for one of the sites I'm planning and just write content for it, but that didn't go anywhere.

But yeah, I feel like I'm gonna need to rework things a lot as I go adding content, because I'm suddenly just not satisfied with what I have for the layout, it doesn't wrap around the content the way I originally planned it to lmaoo. Thanks for all your comments!