'Content Design' revised edition - available soon

We have some exciting news. We’re releasing an updated, revised version of ‘Content Design’. It will be available soon.

‘Content Design’ was first published in 2017 and since then has sold copies around the world. It was written to go with the early versions of our Foundation in Content Design course that Sarah was teaching at the time. It’s probably our best known product, and one we’re very fond of.

So why did we decide to update it?

Content needs to be maintained

Content needs to be cared for and maintained. Even books. Language changes. So do behaviours and attitudes. So does technology. This book deals with all of those, so it needed to change too.

But maintaining a book is a tricky process. As soon as it’s published it freezes in time. And since 2017, we've learned a lot. 

This past summer, 3 of us got together in a cottage in Yorkshire, in the rain, to talk about what needed to happen. We had ideas for new books, but we decided to bring the original book up to date too. And so we began the revision process.

What’s new

In some ways, content design has grown a lot since that first edition, but the basics are the same. Here’s the rundown of what we changed, updated, and added to the book.

Journey mapping, and badgers

The biggest thing is a new chapter on journey mapping. Journey mapping is completely fundamental to content design, and it deserves a chapter. 

To go with it, we have a new example too. 

We’re delighted to introduce you to Badgers of Brock charity, a fictional organisation on a fictional island, dedicated to protecting badgers. You’ll get to know more about them - and more about badgers than you ever imagined - as you go through the book.

Language

It’s amazing how quickly language can change. Some words have moved on in just a few years so we’ve provided more context and explanations, and updated language where we’ve needed to.

Google analytics

There was a big change when GA4 replaced Universal Analytics in 2023. The updated chapter explains what to look for with analytics, and what the different measures mean. 

Research, studies, and stats

Throughout the book, research links and studies have been updated. We’ve added some bits around reading patterns, and there are new sections on sketching and emojis, among other things. 

Remote working

In March 2020, Covid introduced many of us to remote working. Workshops don’t always happen in rooms anymore, and discussions aren’t always around a table. To reflect that, there are suggestions throughout the book for how to work online and offline. (Spoiler: biscuits are the secret to success in both situations.)

Co-author

Content people know that creating content together is one of our strengths. It can help us write more clearly, see things from different angles, or just get us unblocked when we are stuck. This revised edition has a co-author, Rachel Edwards, who developed our new example that runs through the book.

What’s the same

The revised version is a bit longer, but still short enough to fit in your back pocket. It still has real-life examples, tips, and tricks for navigating the world of content design, and learning how to write for your users. 

What's next

The book will be available for sale on our website soon. We’re also launching an eBook version which will be available at the same time. We’re planning some events, talks, and a webinar to launch the new version, and we hope to see you at some of them.

The original version will always be special to us. We hope you like the new one even more.