March 20, 2010
Skylar Challand – idsgn.org
March 3, 2010
It was probably around this time last year that I got real excited about the blogosphere. Up until that point I had never known blogs that I really built a loyalty to. It was when I came across some really great blogs of other graphic designers, web developers, advertising firms, tutorial networks, and a plethora of others that I made the decision to start blogging myself.
One of the blogs that was particularly insightful and inspiring during this time was idsgn.org – easily understood as ‘a design blog.’ It features a creative and unique set of writings on modern design, branding, marketing and in my eyes, our culture. For this reason idsgn has been a great resource in more ways than one. The blog has covered industry highlights such as last year’s Tim Hortons venture into New York, the Nickelodeon rebranding, the new Ikea catalogue typography and various Olympic identity competitions.
This is why I’d like to share with others the inspiration and insight I received from idsgn.org. I thought in what better way than to ask questions (something I have come to love) and give readers a better sense of what the bloggers themselves are like – what they do, why they blog, and what inspires them.
I was lucky enough to get a hold of Skylar Challand, one of the few bloggers responsible for idsgn content.
I thought of a few questions in which I hoped to reveal the art of blogging and the culture it brings with it.
This is what he had to say:
1. What pays your bills?
Client work. I love writing, but it doesn’t quite pay the rent just yet.
2. Can you describe a typical morning at the office?
I usually start my day off at home, checking e-mails and writing for the site. I head to the office after walking my dog and eating breakfast. I’m lucky enough to share space, which just happens to be down the street in Brooklyn, with some really talented people like Workshop and Jason Santa Maria. Next door is fellow design blogger Swiss Miss and another group of great people at studio 612a, which really makes for an inspiring and fun workplace. The views can’t hurt either.
3. What is your favorite beverage brand?
I don’t know if I have a particular favorite, but I’m a sucker for packaging design.
I’m really into Boylan Soda. They have beautiful vintage glass bottles but they are also have a line of natural sodas. It tastes good, and you can feel good about drinking it. I like that.
I also love it when big companies like Pepsi do something out of the ordinary. Last year, I raced around the city to find myself a Pepsi Natural, and I’d have to say it was mostly because of the bottle.
I’m also a fan of Tap’dNY, for their design and for how they are trying to change the bottled water industry. They actually encourage people NOT to buy their product, their slogan is: “The Anti-Bottled Water Bottled Water”
4. Are you a subscriber to Wired or any other magazines?
I have a bad habit of subscribing to too many magazines than I can possibly read in a month. Yes, Wired shows up at my door every month, along with Interview Magazine, GOOD, Ready Made, and a handful of others. A magazine I have been really into lately is the nicely designed Uppercase Magazine from Canada. Of course, we wrote about it on idsgn here.
5. Is idsgn your first blogging experience?
I’ve worked on a lot of web projects over the years, but idsgn really is the first project where I embraced the word ‘blog’ …although I still don’t really like the word.
6. What is the criteria for the content you post on your blog?
I try to only publish things that really interest me. I assume that if I find it interesting, someone else will too. There are so many other design blogs out there that seem to recycle the same content, we really push ourselves to focus on original material.
Many posts stem from things I see around me. I could be at the grocery store and wonder ‘Why did they change my favorite brand of tea?’ or at looking at my airline ticket and think ‘Why does every snowflake have to be Zapf Dingbats!?’
idsgn began as an outlet to start a discussion around questions like these.
7. Where do you see yourself and idsgn in three years?
I never would have guessed when we launched back in April that we would reach over a million visitors in a few short months. I’ve been extremely happy with what the blog has done so far, and I hope it continues to grow.
Right now we have 3 semi-regular contributors and we hope to grow that number to help round out the discussion.
8. What are your top 2-3 favorite blogs to read?
My RSS reader is overflowing, but GOOD, Brand New, and PSFK are among my daily must-read list.
9. What do you do when your not blogging?
In the odd hour I’m not writing or working (or sleeping), I could be found walking my French Bulldog or out exploring New York City, which is still very new to me having only lived here for less than a year.
10. Do you have any future projects in mind?
In April, idsgn will turn one year old. We have some exciting additions and improvements coming, but it’s top secret at this point… Stay tuned!