Copy vs Design: What Comes First? The Egg or The Chicken? Thankfully, we won’t be solving that riddle today. Instead, let’s deconstruct how good design plus good copy equals a strong brand identity. Think of design as music that sets the mood for your brand and copy as lyrics that shape its meaning. Just like a melody triggers a memory of different life moments, each element in design can carry diverse associations.

Every design decision is a conscious choice centred on people and shaped by context because how the audience interacts with it is often more subconscious than conscious. And, of course, the lyrics make it personal. They make it you. Do you gatekeep a playlist just for how good it sounds or because it resonates? In copy we say, ‘consumer at the heart of the brand’, in design thinking we say, empathy.

That’s exactly why it’s not Copy vs. Design but Copy + Design. There! Fixed it! To a designer, text might seem like just another element; to a copywriter, design might only feel like the end product. So, can we break the mold right here? Can we think—Brand Experience?

1. Good Design + Good Copy = Complete Experience

Let’s sail our paper boat- a beverage brand example that is no stranger to marketing and innovation discourse but makes for an effective case study of how design and copy come together to build a (complete) experience.

We know that the award-winning packaging design stood out in the crowded beverage industry by swapping the conventional bottle for a stout pouch and giving it a unique shape that remains its key differentiator today.

But what else comes to your mind when you think of the brand?

If your answer hints at nostalgia, continue reading… because ‘drinks and memories’ is more than just a templatized tagline. It is integral to the identity.

The storytelling splashed nostalgia at every touchpoint. Picture a kid discovering hidden treasure—that’s what the copy at the pouch bottom feels
like. From relatable illustrations to Gulzar’s poetry to music from Malgudi Days, the brand took us back to the days we can never forget. Childhood.

#WhatsYourTake
How would the experience change if one of them were missing?


2. Good Design Alone = Appealing But Superficial

Here’s a short story…
One day, you run out of air freshener and quickly add a new roll of toilet paper to your cart to dodge the devil of delivery fee. And voila! You find yourself face-to-face with a brand that you Google Before Use :)

But have you or have you not run out of love already? Noo! This toilet paper makes you think. It still feels incomplete—almost like reading the synopsis of a book you just can’t find anywhere. Design adds depth and creates a persona. Or, as the design team would put it, ”It’s not just a logo!”

So… ShoutOut!
Who Gives A Crap, an Australia-based toilet paper company that started “to stay true to our roots: toilet humor and making the world a better place”.

(Who Gives A Crap - Brand Packaging Images)

It sure fulfils my long-forgotten wish of a toilet paper brand that’s always on a roll!

#WhatsYourTake
Can you see the difference Design makes?


3. Good Design Alone = Appealing But Superficial

Types of tea lovers? Sure. Many. Good relatable content for your reel. A lover for every type of tea? Untapped Market Potential. So, how do you infuse fermented ‘cha’ to the fourth largest tea drinker in the world?

Brewcha, a four-year-old Kombucha brand based out of Bangalore that tells you to “drink better, not sugar”. Its emblem logo features a vintage style with an ethereal air that’s bound to remind you of Starbucks.

Unfortunately, we don’t hear much from the brand beyond the fact that their product is refreshing, low on guilt and a healthy choice. A little more brew time, and then some fermentation and we can surely acquire a taste for the story it has to share.

So… ShoutOut!
Rise Up, a free and fizzy brand from Maharashtra that is selling Kombucha as if to say we’re the ones missing out on the coolest party if not already tripping on probiotics.

“Revolution takes guts”, and rightly so! This’s one deliciously daring.

#WhatsYourTake
Can you see the difference Copy makes?

Conclusion Point

Align for Consistency for Impact

So do I really believe in ‘collaboration’?

Yes. Working in a room full of designers, I get to learn a thing or two every day. After all, who doesn’t like the transition from script to screen? At the end of the day, our audience doesn’t view the two separately.

Let’s test more ideas together!