What is this?

1. A practical guide to making a personal content design system—from building a brand to creating patterns. I used myself as the example.
2. A conversation continuer. Anyone can comment here—ask questions, provide insights, challenge ideas on what is and isn't useful.

Who is this for?

Anyone in "content", including:

• Writers transitioning into content design
• Content designers trying to stand out during the hiring process
• Managers and mentors who want to share their perspectives to empower candidates

Who the hell is Bill Kurland?

Head of Content Design at The Zebra. But this isn't about me, and I certainly didn't create this on my own. I learned from colleagues and conspirators at companies from Allstate to Walmart.

Why did they build this?

A mentee told me that breaking into content design was life-changing for her.

Recruiters and hiring managers said that the work I did here made me stand out.

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Try to make it a little easier for others to stand out and change their lives too. I hope this does that.

Full disclosure: The punk rock kid in me saw this as the path of most resistance. So I couldn't resist.

Have at it.

Foundations

1. Why "content design"?