Content design Guides, templates and articles
Guides, templates and articles about content design, government communications, digital experience with a few case studies thrown in for fun.
Information architecture vs sitemap: what the difference means for government websites
Information architecture vs sitemap: a sitemap lists the pages you publish; IA is how people find and understand them. Confusing the two breaks your navigation.
Working with policy subject matter experts: a content design guide for Australian government
Most Australian government content design fails at the SME relationship, not the writing. A practical guide for working with policy experts across APS contexts.
Government letters and notices: a content design guide for Australian agencies
Government letters decide whether people pay, appeal or miss deadlines. A practical content design guide to writing letters and notices for Australian agencies.
Content design vs UX writing vs content strategy: the disciplines, the overlaps, the differences
Content design vs UX writing vs content strategy: what each discipline actually does, where they overlap, and why naming them right saves teams time and budget.
How to write alt text for (Australian government) websites
How to write alt text for Australian government websites: when an image actually needs it, how to describe its purpose, and who should own it in your workflows.
How to brief AI for content: the three layers of context it needs
Generic AI content is a briefing failure, not a model failure. How to brief AI for content using the three layers of context it genuinely needs to get it right.
How to write for the web for Australian government: a practical guide for content teams
A practical guide to writing for the web for Australian government. Seven steps, from defining the user task to publishing a page that works.
Year 7 reading level isn't a target. It's a constraint that should change how you write everything.
The Style Manual sets the year 7 reading level for Australian government content. Most agencies miss this target because they edit the words, not the structure.
AS ISO 24495 plain language is now an Australian Standard. Use it as a governance lever.
AS ISO 24495.1:2024 makes plain language a citable Australian Standard. Use it in your content governance framework, your next tender, or in your audit reports.
FAQ pages are usually poor content design. AI does not change that.
FAQ pages feel productive to build, but usually signal a content design problem. Here's why they fall short, what AI changes about them, and what to do instead.
What is content design? It's not copywriting, and the difference matter.
Content design is not copywriting. It's the discipline of structuring content so people can find it, understand it, and act. Here's what that means in practice.