Is it normal for writers to be expected to input all their copy into Indesign files?

I will write, get all my copy approved & then I have to wait a few days for my designer to set up all of their files. I then drop the copy in mildly edited (sizing, font, color) and then let them know so they can cont to work. The task usually takes me 1+ hours bc of the amount of ads + different sizes that need to go out. I just find it silly bc I’m literally just copy/paste from the doc I made for them.

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Yeah that’s the designer’s job. Next.

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Only if you’re a rockstar unicorn ninja

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I have never had a cw do this at any of the agencies I have worked at. They hand off word docs to the designer and then add it to the layout. They might work together on layout but not like that

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Maybe ID is too extreme but i do think it’s kinda weird when copywriters can even put a deck together

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Former art director who transitioned to strategy:

I hear you, and I agree that writing takes focus and is very time and energy consumptive. Most of my job is writing now and I don’t listen to music or podcasts while doing it.

Still, I’d rather do this than the madness that an AD deals with every day. Many AD’s also write and come up with concepts, they fill in copy blanks in decks to improve the storytelling, they update graphics across numerous assets if there’s even 1 word tweak, and the bulk of their work is typically a huge sprint that can only be done at a desk and can still change on a dime. They do this on top of responding to every slack/email/deck comment that takes them away from the flow of their work, and honestly, it’s why I barely listened to podcasts or music even when I was an AD, there’s just so much ‘noise’ to attend to.

I’m saying a copy partner should at least help with an outline of a deck, even better if they improve it with their storytelling skills. So much falls on an AD in the final hours that I’d hope my copy partner would try to help in whatever way they could to make our work look great.

We thankfully stopped using InDesign years ago. We build our decks collaboratively in Google Slides.

But yeah, it should be a copy and paste situation for the designer.

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I get it. This is the sausage making that drives me crazy. Wrangling it all as the creative lead.

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The most I’ve done is have a CW comment things in Figma. Never on my actual design file

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I’ve described the feeling to my partner as like just walking into someone’s bedroom & lightly tidying for them

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No but I would welcome that chance to ensure no typos happen in the cut and paste. Be grateful you know how to do it!

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So, not INDD, but similar… our team is on Figma about 95% of the time and CWs are all expected to populate wireframes and/or modify content in digital assets (web pages, banners, social,etc). Designers still take the lead if it’s a more complicated layout or requires some more detailed styling, but otherwise most writers we work with are pretty confident finding the right layers.

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Figma is an absolute nightmare for copy version control

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I often drop copy into live, shared presentation decks but never into Indesign files.

That’s just bizarre.

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That’s so bizarre.

Usually get a manuscript

I’ve been a designer with many titles ranging from from Paste Up Artist to Graphic Designer to Senior Graphic Designer and all the way up to Senior Creative Director and I’ve never had a writer drop copy into any layout.
They worked on their copy in word or whatever word processor they want.
I’ve had rough layouts set up and all my copy blocks were FPO and roughly in the correct point size but definitely in the right font. All would be roughly typeset.
All they would get is a pdf with fpo all over it.
They would write everything. Send it to me and I would drop it all in and I’d adjust it and then I would either ask for less copy for something or I’d cut it myself and act as editor.
I’d turn in layouts and marketing managers would proof it because often times they would be the copywriter because they knew the product and would need to write for it. All of this was for catalog work.
If it was for ads I would write the headlines, a they’d written the rest but I’d polish it.
I’ve been doing this for 30 years and counting.

I have never been asked to put copy into inDesign. I wouldn't even know how.

Designers are expected to know 500 programs and be masters at all of them, surely a writer can copy and paste some copy in Figma - she’s not being asked to design it

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