The duties of a content designer typically vary depending on the type of company and projects he or she is developing content for. One of the most common types of designer is someone who creates content for websites, in which case he or she may be responsible for making original graphics and images or generating text that utilizes search engine optimization (SEO) standards. A content designer working on a software program is usually responsible for creating various parts of that program. Video game companies often hire content designers to create the different events and scenes that take place in a game, especially role-playing or online games.
A content designer may be responsible for a number of different tasks, often based on the type of project he or she is working on. Companies may hire content designers to work on websites they own, including professional commerce sites and informative news sites. A content designer working on a webpage is likely to create original artwork and graphic designs to be used on that webpage, often to make the site more appealing. Writers often create original content for websites as well, and SEO methods and other techniques are used to improve the chances of a site appearing in relevant search results.
The responsibilities and duties of a content designer working for a software company, however, are likely to involve creating various features for a piece of software. A content designer might work on a graphical editing program and create the user interface (UI) for that program. In this capacity, the designer might work with other UI designers and interface experts to generate a UI that is different from competitors while providing customers with effective controls and a unique interactive experience. Another designer might work on choosing the types of options that will be available within the software and ensuring customers can control those options effectively.
Much like a software designer, a content designer working on a video game usually creates the events and scenes that take place in the game. While modelers and artists make the creatures, props, and environments in a game, content designers often use these assets to actually populate the game world. In certain genres within the game industry, such as role-playing games and online multiplayer games, a content designer is usually responsible for creating and implementing quests or missions within the game. The designer uses art assets and scripting languages to program the game to have certain events happen in response to the player, creating a world that seems more alive and reacts to the actions of the player.