The Same Old Song and Dance
I had a conversation recently with someone at a small agency. We were talking about the kind of stuff that gets quietly ignored until it becomes a pattern. Specifically: Why do designers (and other creatives) send out work without running spell-check?
As someone who’s been an art director, designer, copywriter, and founder across multiple businesses, I’ve done it more times than I care to admit. My wife (who produces theater work) has called me out for it more than once — especially when I’m swapping letters on the marquee with a ladder and forgetting to check the spelling.
At first, I laughed it off. “It’s just what happens.” Fast deadlines. Limited bandwidth. Division of roles. But after this recent conversation, I started thinking: Why does it happen so often, and what could solve it?
Turns out, there’s some real behavioral psychology behind it.
The Mindset Behind the Miss
- Role Compartmentalization
When we’re in design mode, we tend to shut off the editorial brain. It’s a different mode entirely. Spell-checking gets pushed into “someone else’s job.” - Mental Bias (Einstellung Effect)
We default to familiar solutions. So if the original role didn’t require editing, we won’t adopt it even when we’re solo or hybrid. - Planning Fallacy
We underestimate how long something will take — like checking spelling. So we assume we’ll “do it later,” but later rarely comes. - Cultural Assumptions
In some teams, especially small ones, the unspoken belief is that editing is someone else’s responsibility.
A Simple Fix: Make It a Shared Step
Instead of pushing the responsibility onto one person (like a copy editor), build it into your team’s shared workflow.
Example: create a shared email like copycheck@yourdomain.com.
- Before anyone sends a deliverable, they send the content to that address.
- Whoever’s got the bandwidth does a quick grammar/spell-check pass.
- The work returns with clean text before it ever goes out.
This turns what used to be a “side task” into a team norm — no shame, no finger-pointing.
Even Creatives Need Guardrails
I know this because I’ve been the one to skip spell-check more times than I can count. But when you reframe it as just another part of the process — like file naming or version control — it stops being about individual habits and becomes a shared standard.
Small teams don’t have time to chase avoidable mistakes. But with a little structure, even the most creative brains can hit ‘send’ with confidence.