Monthly Archives: April 2008

Ask Nubby #2: 13 Steps to a Successful Blog-Based Business

April 22, 2008

Question:

I’m hoping to take my community and move it to an actual domain in the next few months and expand it into an online magazine, blog and general artist resource on the web. Any tips on transforming a site into something like this? The business side of it is the part that I am the most worried about, I don’t want to forget to do something and having it hurt me a few years down the line.

You’re smart to consider these things ahead of time! The better defined your niche is, the faster you’ll rise. Blogging isn’t all about fun and games, especially when you’re doing it for a larger audience. Blogs are a great format for your online artist resource and magazine. In some ways, I agree that they’ve killed conventional websites.

Some major benefits of blogs are:

a. The ease of updating and modifying content
b. The lack of printing costs / more environmentally friendly than magazines
c. Being in charge of who can advertise
d. Networking and linking for self-promotion
e. 24/7 access for fellow readers
f. Ease of contributions from fans (commenting, surveys, contests)
g. If you love something, it can be bookmarked!


Steps to launching a successful blog:



1. Bookmark Inspiration

What do you like and dislike? What pages will you need? Take screenshots and save a folder of inspiration on your desktop. When the time comes to build your blog, things will be so much easier when you can dive into a pile of things that make your heart beat a little faster! Visual inspiration is overflowing at FFFFOUND! and we heart it.

2. Define Why You Want to Put Effort Into a Blog

Do some soul searching and brainstorming. Ask yourself:

Will it double as your portfolio?
Is your sole goal to provide content to help artists succeed?
Are you also wanting to gain notoriety for yourself?
Is your goal to turn the domain into a primary source of income?
Do you want to make a living off of selling products and advertising?

3. Define a Topic / Niche

If you’re still figuring this out, Darren Rowse suggests that you ask yourself the following questions:

What do I know about?
What topics do I read about and seek out information on already?
What topics do others come to me for advice on?
What topics keep coming up in conversation for me?
What topics would you write about for free?

4. Make a Decision: To Profit or Not?

If your answer is yes, how will you do so? You can sell advertising space, products, and consulting services. The sky’s the limit! Give Blogging for Money the once-over to get an idea of what can be expected if you go this route.

5. Develop a Business Plan

A business plan will help you define and outline your wants, needs, and overall purpose.

Spot-on advice from Freelance Switch:

When someone asks you, “what do you do?” or “what type of business is it?” can you answer in 30 seconds or less? It’s called an elevator pitch.

I did my first business plan for Nubbytwiglet.com as a senior project before I graduated with my marketing degree; this was years before it became a blog, but I still was able to iron out my expectations. I explained exactly how I planned to reach my goals and what I needed to do so; it was the solid foundation that I needed. The Small Business Administration can get you started.

6. Develop Differentiation

Find a minimum of five of your closest competitors and jot down what you admire about them and how you could improve upon what they’re doing. How can you do it in a different way? Give some serious thought about what sets your idea apart from what’s already out there. This is important so you can create differentiation to demonstrate the unique aspects of your product and create a sense of value.

7. Define Your Market

Once you’ve figured out what you want to do and how you’re going to do it better, clearly define your market. If you’re running a business, you’re going to need customers, even if they’re all based online. Who are they? What do they like? What websites do they visit? How old are they?

Remember, marketing is not unethical. We all have the power to make our own choices. There’s the possibility that thousands of people can do the same thing as you and maybe do it better, faster, and cheaper. BUT! Do they have brand recognition? It doesn’t matter how amazing you are if no one knows that you exist, what you do or how to contact you.

8. Pick a domain name

It seems like all the good .coms are taken, but if you can avoid a name that is super long and full of dashes, all the better (use whois.net to see if yours is still available). If all else fails, you can make up something nonsensical like Nubbytwiglet.com! I’ve registered all of my domain names through GoDaddy.com. Besides being reputable, their 24 hour customer service is super knowledgeable.

9. Get Server Space

Buy some server space to store your site files and images on. It’s always a bonus if the domain name and the server space are through the same company so that the changes you make can be as seamless as possible.

10. Templates, templates, templates

Personally, I’m a huge fan of WordPress because there are thousands of free blog templates that are easily modifiable and WordPress.org gives you instructions on how to install its software directly onto your domain.

Resources:
a. 6 Cutting-Edge, Minimalist WordPress Themes
b. Thousands of free WordPress themes; sort by color, number of columns, etc.
c. 30 Must-See Comment Designs

11. Develop a Unique Logo / Brand / Image

There are 110 million blogs and over 175,000 new ones join the ranks every day. That’s a lot of competition! How do you plan on standing out from the crowd? Give a logo, tagline and header some serious thought. You’ll have the ability to potentially reach thousands of people a day who have never met you in person. Your blog will immediately convey an image of who you are (online, at least). First impressions count!

Are you going to use your own name to blog under, an alias, or do it anonymously? These options all have perceived advantages and disadvantages. Since my domain is the same name as my business, I sign and take credit for all of my posts. The goal of my blog is to make a personal connection with readers and showcase my portfolio, so this was an easy decision for me. If your blog is a general resource and online community, this may take more thought.

12. Think about a ‘Signature’

I use my handwritten signature at the bottom of each blog post while other people use quotes or unique sign offs (Gala Darling’s air of excitement and positivity is conveyed in ‘Super-love & cupcakes’ at the close of each article). This is important so that your posts are easily picked out when someone is quickly scrolling through an RSS feed.

13. Keep a Running List of Future Topics

What are some topics you’ve always wanted to write about? Who have you always dreamed of collaborating with? As soon as you’re up and running and gaining notoriety, administrative tasks begin to eat away at your time; having a list of what to cover will keep you on track.

Related Work That Will Add to Your Success



a. Answer Your Emails (or, as many as you can)

A close friend (who’s got a massive following) once told me that he tries to answer every email because if it wasn’t for his fans, he’d be working at McDonalds. If people are taking the time to write you and are genuine about it (not spamming or being rude), it’s polite to respond in whatever capacity you can, even if it’s not right away.

b. Have A Cohesive Image Across the Board

My blog mimics the colors and feel of my press kit. I try to keep most of my typography choices consistent in online and offline materials. But, there’s no reason to be uptight about branding; the old rules have softened. It would be so boring if everything you did looked the same. I constantly design new business cards, rotate between three logos and occasionally change my blog header. If you do this, give it some thought. Make the dots easy to connect. It’s good to be remembered!

c. Get Business Cards

Order a stack and get your freshly minted domain on there somewhere. You never know who you’ll run into. Who knows who you’ll meet at the bar; it may be your future business partner and nobody wants to jot down important details on a martini stained napkin! This should be all the convincing you need.

In Closing



Since you’re wanting to start an online artist resource, the 27 Thoughts On Blogging For the Artist is a must read. It’s pretty amazing. If you’re passionate and willing to put in the hard work (and do your homework!), you will be successful. Good luck!




Modern Baroque Art Added to Nubbytwiglet.com Store

April 20, 2008

I’ve decided to add some original art back into the online store as much of the Modern Baroque series has made the rounds to three solo shows and I need to free up space to continue work on my show this July.

All work is 1/1 edition and either on wood or ceramic. Each piece is sealed in epoxy resin and signed on the backside. Since each is handmade, they all have unique characteristics and I can provide more photos upon request. Prices are reflective of the size of the work. The large red crosses are quite heavy and over three feet wide / long.

Close-ups of the art can be seen here. Shipping within the U.S. is included in the price. If you’re outside of the U.S., please contact me for a shipping quote before ordering.

View all available work here.




What I Wore: 4.15.08

April 16, 2008

I feel like a mod Snow White here! At my internship I often research streetwear lines and was recently turned onto Insight from Australia and now I’m totally hooked! I just bought this suspender skirt last week and can’t stop wearing it…

Suspender skirt, Insight
Tunic, LA Made
Leggings, AA
Red headband, F21
Nameplate necklace, Helpless Romantic
Boots, Fluevog
Thrifted German mug




Portfolio Revision #3: Saint Cupcake

April 15, 2008

Disclaimer: Although it’s true that Portland’s Saint Cupcake produces the best cupcakes in the world, I am simply a faithful connoisseur of their products and I am not affiliated with them in any way!

This was originally a first year design project that required my class to choose a local company and develop a new logo and set of accompanying ads. The ads had to be based on particular art movements so I chose Russian Suprematism, Plakastil, Dada and Bauhaus. While they were fun to make, the colors were loud, the designs were flat, and the overall feel was unrefined.

The logo was the only part of the project I liked, which I’d done in Helvetica Neue Ultra Light. I’d imagined the decorative details lending a lightness (and representing frosting):

When I redid the ads, I wanted to keep some of the references from the design movements I’d chosen before, but not as strongly. I also toned down the colors and added in some major textures. Since the company outputs a premium product (no gritty grocery store-grade frosting here!), I wanted to incorporate lots of space and refine the typography.


I still may make some more changes, but for now, it’s time to move on to the next project! This last semester is already speeding by…




Ask Nubby #1: The Best Typography Resources

April 15, 2008

Question:
What are your favorite sources for fonts? I’m a total font junkie who’s always on the hunt for new ones to add to my collection.

There are so many resources for typography these days! Should you pay or go the free route? Do the free sites offer the same quality?

Great for a quick project or for those who are on a budget, these sites will give you instant gratification, but free isn’t always better. Sometimes, you can inadvertently make your computer sick in the process.

I’ve found some gems that I use constantly, but the quality can vary widely. Sometimes characters are missing (even numerals and basic punctuation), inconsistent kerning is common and alternate weights may not be available.

1. Dafont is my favorite free site; there’s an endless supply of guilty pleasures including extensive Dingbats and Holiday sections, but don’t go too crazy with the decorative options or you’ll resemble a secretary on a rampage!

2. Most of Smashing Magazine’s 40 Excellent Free Fonts for Professional Design are really nice but Anivers is my favorite.

3. If you can get past the jarring layout, Font Foundry has some great options.

4. Outlaw Design Blog’s 63 Must-Have Grunge Fonts are perfect for all your smudgy, messy needs!



These sites charge for their wares because their options are painstakingly crafted, are of a professional grade (no pesky viruses) and can contain glyphs into the hundreds.

According to Thinking with Type:

Tens of thousands of digital typefaces are available for use on desktop computers. Most of them are junk.

In other words, typography is like most other things in this world. Often, you get what you pay for.

1. Veer offers an amazing selection of hip, neatly categorized typography. I’ve purchased a handful of typefaces from Veer and once paid for, the they can be downloaded instantly. They also offer a student discout program that allows you to save 30% on typefaces and their innovative catalogs can now be downloaded as PDFs.

2. Typography.com is a foundry specializing in a selection of classy, refined options that are easy on the eyes and timeless.

3. House Industries is loaded with rad typefaces, but if you can’t afford their wares, score their (free) catalog here. Their Neutra typeface looks especially tasty:





1. Affair: Retro and classic, I could imagine using this on hand printed invitations.

2. Archer: Specially designed for Martha Stewart Living, their exclusive license has ended and the endless variations included make it super versatile.

3. Pilo: Super retro and perfect for your next rollerskating party!





1. I Love Typography is the gold standard of typography blogs (and their layout is beautiful):

2. Why not create your very own typeface with Fontstruct?

3. A brief overview of typewriter typefaces! So sooo cool.

4. The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst: often called the ‘Typographer’s Bible,’ this book is thick, wordy, poetic, beautifully laid out. Heavy reading; no image-laden pages here! I keep my trusty copy close by:

5. A Bold Use of Blackletter.

6. Marian Bantjes does some of the best hand-drawn typography around (she’s responsible for the iconic Saks Fifth Avenue “Want It!” campaign):

7. Typographica is a journal of typography featuring news, observations, and open commentary on fonts and typographic design.

8. They’re Not Fonts! is a spirited discussion (over five years of comments!) about the author’s take on fonts vs. typefaces over at AIGA.



In closing, I Love Typography reminds you:

Good typefaces are designed for a good purpose, but not even the very best types are suited to every situation. A new typeface is something like a newborn baby (though it doesn’t throw-up on you): don’t drop it, squeeze it too hard, hold it upside-down; in other words, don’t abuse it, treat it respectfully, carefully.

Also! Please send all typography-laden objects my way! Do your part to feed my addiction:





Do you have any favorite typography-related resources you’d like to share?
I’d like to build up a collection of useful links in the comments!




Tools of the Trade: Jan V. White Books

April 13, 2008

The author I credit with teaching me the most about design is Jan V. White. A former art director at Time-Life, he’s written more than a dozen books on visual techniques focused in publishing. The best part about his books are the sketchy images (no fancy, computer-generated pictures here)! Instead of huge, wordy paragraphs, he fills pages with hand-drawn diagrams and quirky notes. He doesn’t just tell you about design, he shows you.

Book Titles by Jan V. White:

1. Editing by Design (1974)
2. Designing Covers, Contents, Flash Forms, Departments, Editorials, Openers…(1976)
3. Graphic Idea Notebook (1980)
4. On Graphics: Tips for Editors (1981)
5. Designing for Magazines (1982)
6. Mastering Graphics: Design and Production Made Easy (1983)
7. Using Charts and Graphs (1984)
8. The Grid Book: A Guide to Page Planning (1987)
9. Graphic Design for the Electronic Age (1988)
10. Thoughts on Publication Design (1989)
11. Great Pages: A Common-Sense Approach to Effective Desktop Design (1990)
12. Color for the Electronic Age (1990)
13. Great Color (1991)
14. Color for Impact (1996)

*Most of his titles have been re-issued multiple times, so there are newer editions of many of these. I’ve found very little difference, so I usually stick with the earlier editions which can be found on Amazon or Half for a few dollars each.

The most popular and beloved of all of Jan’s books is the Graphic Idea Notebook, a collection of more than 2,000 illustrations and line art that visualize the abstract problems that page editors encounter. The images are arranged in five groups that reflect the key concepts of design: mime (body language, pointing, showing, displaying), time, place, type, and idioms. I found mine online for under a dollar and it’s a still groundbreaking book, almost 30 years after its release :


Images courtesy of You Work for Them

Jan’s books are never intimidating; they’re fun and inviting. They have a way of getting your creative juices flowing that is unparalleled. The information contained in each volume is so fundamental that it crosses the barriers of both publication and graphic design. Any visual artist can benefit from the techniques he teaches.