Over the past year or so I have been diving into the online design community, meeting and getting to know all kinds of interesting people from all over the world. As I come across different design-related blogs, I have added the ones I like or find interesting to my RSS subscriptions, and I check in with most of them daily. I currently subscribe to about 300 design blogs, everything from the most popular to the least known. I learn a great deal from most of them, and must credit my ongoing education to these wondrous websites that continuously put out tutorials, showcases, inspiration, discussions and more.

Recently I have become particularly enthralled with some new-to-me discoveries in the design blog world. While I do gain quite a bit of knowledge and inspiration from the majority of the design blogs, these three websites have risen to the top of my own personal list because of their distinctly different approaches. Where many others have an obvious focus on driving traffic, which in turn influences the content they produce, these three blogs write from their inspirations and passions. They wrestle in their writing with subject matter that they are dealing with themselves. They challenge and question. They inspire discussion and debate. They ask the all-important question: “Why?”

I have an affinity toward people who go deeper, who don’t just accept the way things are but examine them, pick them apart and try to understand how they became accepted in the first place or if they are the best option. Through different experiences in my life I have learned how foolish it is to blindly follow the crowd instead of think for yourself and I love to commiserate with those who challenge popular thought. I truly believe these types of people are leaders, influencers and world shapers. Not because they aspire to be leaders, but because their actions inspire others to follow.

I believe the creators and authors of these three design blogs are such people. Their writing challenges me. It gets me to look at things from another perspective. It dares me to enter into debate with the status quo. It inspires and motivates and strengthens what I do as a designer. I believe it does the same for others.

So I want to share them with you in the hopes that if you have not already discovered them, you will today be exposed and begin the journey alongside them as they contribute to the shaping of the future of design.

Drawar

I would like to think that Paul Scrivens, the creator of Drawar, and I are kindred spirits. He writes with an in-your-face style and pulls no punches. His words seem to just flow as though he were speaking to his readers directly – I imagine he doesn’t plan out his articles as much as just ‘vomit’ them. He always throws down some type of gauntlet, challenging popular thought and inspiring debate and discussion. He walks his talk, too, producing designs that speak of what he’s writing about.

I asked Paul to share a little about why he started Drawar. Here’s what he said:

“Design is one of the few activities that we all have in common. Everyone likes to design in some way or another. Maybe it’s your wardrobe or the inside of your car, either way we all design. However, the few of us that get to do it for a living are the fortunate ones. We get to solve problems to make the world a better place. It’s pure happiness. I wanted to feel that happiness when I looked at the design community and for me it wasn’t there.

I understand that to design well you need to know the how’s and that is why sites that showcase tutorials, lists and other things are a benefit to us all, however, to really understand design we need more exploration into the why’s. There wasn’t much of that around so I figured instead of hoping that it pops up one day I would start to write it myself. This gives me a chance to better understand why I tackle design problems the way I do and give me a chance to give back to the community. The community deserves better and I’m just trying to do my part. Plus, I enjoy hearing myself talk.”

Drawar is not only a design blog, but a design community, and Paul is constantly tweaking and expanding as he looks to create a place online that grows and strengthens its users. He is funny, interesting and always worth reading. The forums are just as engaging, and a critique section is in the alpha stages. If you are interested at all in design, you must make Drawar a daily stop.

Echo Enduring

Matt Ward is not only an exceptional designer, but a prolific and talented writer. His efforts at Echo Enduring Blog have enlightened me and made me a better designer. He shares quality tutorials and even a few great lists now and then, but I really enjoy his thought-provoking discussions on design. His writing style addresses tough subjects with an ease that invites the reader to participate rather than be offended or raise our defenses. He presents his points clearly and wonderfully articulately, and I really value where he takes my mind.

When I asked Matt about his philosophy behind Echo Enduring Blog, here’s what he said:

“The Echo Enduring Blog is less than a year old, and was something that I started as an extension of my main website. Over the past 11 months or so, I’ve sort of let the blog evolve and transform and really enjoyed the process. I’ve published basically every kind of content you can imagine – from articles and freebies to tutorials and giveaways. I’ve even published a few list posts, though these days I only ever publish “lists” that are also accompanied by some solid editorial explaining the selections in some way.

In the past several months, and moving forward, my basic philosophy for the blog has and will continue to be centered around four words: Teach, Motivate, Challenge and Equip. With the vast majority of posts, I aim to accomplish at least one of these things. I suppose you could add a fifth word – Entertain – since I sometimes like to write posts that are more amusing than anything else. I also try to produce interesting content that people will actually be excited to read – the kind of stuff they will forward to their friends or share on Twitter, and hopefully even come back to in the future. It’s all about quality, and though my subscriber count isn’t as high as some of the bigger blogs (yet), I like to think that I have a higher level of subscribers, who appreciate my work and are prepared to really engage with it.”

That last sentence sums it up for me. Matt invites us to engage with his writings. He not only welcomes interaction and discussion, he inspires it. Be sure to make your way through his past articles and add Echo Enduring Blog to your daily web surfing habits.

Design Informer

Jad Limcaco has succeeded in creating a design blog that at first glance may appear to be very similar to others out there, but digging a little deeper I realized he was not only providing valuable resources, he is also stretching the boundaries beyond what the “biggies” in the business do. Design Informer brings together a number of contributors and is building a community that seeks to expand on what is being done elsewhere not out of spite or competition, but in an effort to raise the bar and pursue improvements.

I asked Jad to share a bit about himself and what Design Informer is about, and he sent me an entire article! He started out writing a couple paragraphs and it turned into what will eventually become a post on Design Informer. To me, that is a prime example of an author expressing his passions – when you start you just can’t cut it short. Here’s an excerpt of what Jad shared with me:

“When I started Design Informer, I had a goal to be different. I didn’t want to just do what the other blogs were doing; I wanted to be known for being a blog that had a great design, high quality articles, and a great community behind it. I care more about quality than quantity. There will be weeks where you will see me not post at all, and there would be some weeks where I post two or more articles. If I wanted to, I can post every day, but coming up with a quality article takes time and I strive to make the articles on Design Informer to be of that standard.

I’m crazy about the small things. When I designed my site, I really spent time thinking about every aspect of the design. Until today, I’m still constantly tweaking my site. These changes might be little, but it’s what really make Design Informer the site that it is. When I publish my posts, I obsess over the little design details.”

The idea of never being satisfied, constantly tweaking and striving for improvement, is one I admire and pursue myself. It also seems to be a common thread among these three.

I realize this list is not exhaustive, and by creating a list at all I am leaving SO many others out. For other design bloggers who read this, I apologize if you are offended in any way. My intent is not to raise these three up at the expense of all others, but instead to challenge us all to find our own voice and use it. Sure, we can all whip out list posts and tutorials, and I hope no one completely abandons them. I do think there is a place for design blogs that share tutorials and roundups and showcases and such. I share them on Twitter all the time, I browse through many of them daily, and I have learned much from and been inspired by the multitudes of them.

However, I personally want to associate myself with the thoughts and passions of those who challenge me. I want to hear your voice. I want to wrestle with your questions. I want to become better because we all are asking “Why?” In the end, isn’t that what design is about? Finding the best solutions and creating them where there are none. I truly believe these three are doing that. I applaud and celebrate them, and I encourage you to do the same.

If you know of any other design blogs that you would consider “different” from, say, Smashing Magazine or the countless clones, please feel free to share them in the comments below. I would love to discover more members of the design community that contribute to challenging and questioning and growing it, and I’m sure others would too. Also, please feel free to subscribe to this blog either by RSS feed or via email to receive all the latest posts and never miss a single one.

I have been a part of a few different discussions regarding design trends recently. One of the best articles I’ve read on the subject was written by Matt Ward at Echo Enduring Blog. In it, Matt helps a rebel like me realize the importance of design trends and best ways to respond. I recently wrote a guest post on Pelfusion.com discussing design standards and trends and challenging us all to break out of the expected to create new, interesting and unique designs, possibly birthing more new trends along the way, or maybe generating some one-of-a-kind, stand-alone masterpieces.

If you have read much of my writings and ramblings, you are probably aware that I am bent towards breaking myself and others out of the status quo, so when it comes to this topic of following trends and adhering to standards I am pretty opinionated. I don’t necessarily think I’m right, or an authority on the subject, but I do have some strong feelings that are rooted in my own personal experience and philosophy. In this post I want to continue to challenge our thinking so that we will extend our approaches to design in any context beyond the perceived boundaries that can bind the creative spirit.

Almost everyone at some point in their life has colored in a coloring book. At a young age many of us were forever shaped by the adults who commented on our crayon creations. Some children were challenged or required to color inside the lines, making a nice, neat picture. Others were encouraged no matter what they produced.

“Beautiful colors, Jimmy!”

“I really like how you scribbled so vigorously, Suzie! It shows your exciting personality!”

Most parents, babysitters and teachers never realize how dramatically they have contributed to the formation of the creative spirit in the child. Unwittingly, they quite possibly have helped to limit or unleash, to confine or set free.

It is my concern that design standards and trends possess the ability to do the very same. The best trends will unleash the creative spirit in us all. The worst will be mindlessly followed and serve only to bind us to conformist attitudes and sticking with what is proven to succeed.

Playing it safe is never the key to success in its truest form, although financial success may quite possibly still be attained in this manner. True success, as I define it anyway, comes out of pursuing the fulfillment of your passions and your dreams. The journey, the experience of this is far more satisfying than riches or fame. On occasion the riches and fame follow the fulfillment of this pursuit, but when they become the object of it, the adventure is usually lost.

True art, true creativity should not come from a place that is restricted. It can come from places of emotion, pain, struggle, celebration and so on, but if it is to be an expression of the individual artist, who am I to dictate the artist’s boundaries? It’s a cliché, but aren’t rules made to be broken? And who makes those rules anyway?

Of course, when we’re talking about design and art in the same context, there is another debate separating the two which I don’t want to address here, but I will say that I consider myself a designer AND an artist. I create art. I design to provide solutions. Sometimes the paths of the two are integrally entwined. It is my opinion that the results of those times are my best work.

Not because they meet some standard, or because they attract the biggest crowd. Not because they have made me a fat paycheck, or because they are admired by my peers.

What I consider to be the best of my designs are those that I have poured my heart and soul into, an inspired thought, an idea that may contain plenty of trends and standards, but simultaneously contains something that is a piece of me. Something only I could have come up with. Something that breathes in unison with my spirit.

I derive complete satisfaction from these projects. Unfortunately I have a hard time identifying many that currently exist within my portfolio. Why is that? Maybe because clients tend to desire trends as much as designers tend to adhere to them. Maybe because we as designers will advise our clients to use proven techniques and styles, sometimes even when they challenge us to do something different. We provide a solution rather than explore the possibility of a revolution.

What if the revolutionaries had chosen to play by the rules? What if artists did their best to color inside the lines, succumbing to fear of failure and rejection? What if designers continued to put out the same trends and standards that that were in place 10, 20 or 50 years ago?

Someone has to start the trend. Someone has to stretch the boundaries. Someone has to say it’s okay to color outside the lines. Someone has to be the first.

How disappointing and utterly dismal this world would be if we all chose to stick to what’s safe. What’s proven. What someone else has proclaimed the standard or the trend.

I choose to at least attempt to design outside the lines. I will fail. I might even be laughed at or dismissed. But I believe it’s worth it to take the risk. What could possibly be a better way to die than in the passionate throes of pursuing your dreams?

I am a frugal person. If there is a deal to be found I will sniff it out and make it happen. If there is a way to do something myself rather than pay someone else, I will take the extra time (and sometimes the headache) and figure it out in order to save money. The ever-expanding library of online resources has helped me save money by doing my own auto repairs, computer upgrades, and much more. Of course, I have also used it to continually teach myself web design and development for the past 15 years.

Because of my personal understanding of a desire to save money, I have at times helped potential clients install and set up their own WordPress websites when their budget did not allow for the hiring of a professional. While this means less paid business for me, in the end I am helping someone out who couldn’t afford to pay me anyway. If I can help save someone a headache or two by giving them a small amount of my time, pointing them in the right direction and answering a few questions, I will do it.

Unfortunately, there are usually problems that occur when someone with little or no experience begins attempting to set up their own WordPress website, and I have had countless inquiries from the frustrated and confused webmaster wannabes, buried under the weight of something they never really completely understood in the first place. While WordPress is a relatively simple way to set up a basic blog or uncomplicated website, it can quickly become a nightmare for the weekend warrior website builder.

In this post I want to point out a few of the pros and cons of hiring a professional to set up your WordPress website versus doing it yourself. If you are considering either, hopefully this will help you know what to think about and weigh in your decision making process.

DIY Will Save You Money

If you are on a tight budget, setting up your own Wordpress website is a good way to go. You will have to secure a domain name ($5-$20 per year) and a hosting account ($75+ per year) that accommodates WordPress, but those will be your only expenses, unless you decide to purchase a premium WordPress theme ($20-$100 one-time fee). All in all, you could have a new WordPress website running on your own domain for only $100-$300! What a deal!

Pro Will Save You Time (Frustration, Confusion and Quite Possibly Your Sanity)

If you have never set up a website before, or if you have little understanding of what a web host or domain name is, taking on the installation and setup of your WordPress website could be as foolish as representing yourself in a court of law. There are instructions available to guide you through the process, but many of them assume some type of basic knowledge. A qualified professional knows the best places to go to get your domain name, your hosting account and everything else you will need. They will have a complete understanding of the process and what is required. They will know the right questions to ask before getting started to accommodate your specific website needs and desires, as opposed to a cookie-cutter approach. Typically a professional will have a WordPress installation set up within a fraction of the time it will take the uninitiated to do it themselves. As they say, time is money, so how much money is a do-it-yourselfer actually saving if they take weeks or months to do what a pro can do in an hour or two?

DIY Will Give You Complete Control

Doing it yourself will give you final decisions on every move you make. You decide your domain registrar, web host, WordPress theme and how much you are going to spend on each. You dictate the speed with which each element is completed, and you steer the entire project. No waiting on proposals, contracts, recommendations, mockups and so on from your hired professional. Doing it yourself frees you to push ahead as quickly or as slowly as you want on the project. For micro-managers or just fiercely independent and self-reliant people, doing it yourself relieves the stress of depending on someone else to meet your deadlines.

A Good Pro Will Help You Make Great Decisions

An experienced and quality professional will not take the reins out of your hands, but will instead guide you through the process with sound advice and recommendations. Having walked down this path many times before, they will know what you should be looking out for, best ways to handle your specific requirements, and provide solutions when sometimes you would otherwise not even know one was needed. One of the primary benefits of hiring a professional is that they will anticipate and supply everything that you need and want in order to make your website exceed your expectations.

DIY Means You Pick Your Design Style

There are literally thousands of free and premium WordPress themes available. Many of them are organized into searchable directories, so this makes it easy for the do-it-yourselfer to find the best available theme that fits your functionality and overall style. A place like ThemeForest, which has over 600 premium WordPress themes for anywhere from $9 to $47 can give you all kinds of options to choose from. There are also listings of top free themes to be found by using search engines. Because of the many available themes the do-it-yourselfer should be able to find something that meets or at least comes close to their desired design.

Pro Will Give You A One-Of-A-Kind Custom Theme

Of course, there are many different routes you can take with your project, from hiring a pro to install a theme you’ve already found and love, to hiring a pro to design a completely custom theme that looks and functions exactly the way you want it to. Many do-it-yourselfers don’t realize the many aspects involved in the website they want, and I have fielded quite a few questions from people wondering why the theme they chose and set up themselves doesn’t function the way they want it to. One of the biggest benefits of hiring someone to build your WordPress website to look and operate exactly the way you want is that it will do just that. The likelihood of finding a cookie-cutter theme that has every single option you want is slim to none, but a professional can create a unique design for your site that speaks to visitors in the best possible representation of your business, brand and/or personality. Although there are thousands of themes available, using one means you wil almost definitely have a website that looks exactly like or very close to someone else’s who is using the same theme. For some, this may not be a concern, but for most it is important to separate yourself from the pack and present a website that stands out in the crowd.

Which Will You Choose?

Obviously, I am a bit biased, since I design and build custom WordPress themes for a living, but I have also helped people on several different levels and budgets to take the path of their choice. First and foremost I try to help those who come to me with suggestions to accomplish the most they possibly can within their budget. This has ranged from providing some direction and resources to a complete do-it-yourselfer, to taking on the small project of helping someone get a chosen premium theme installed and set up, to completely custom WordPress websites from start to finish (the bulk of my clients.) Unfortunately I have also received numerous questions and problem-solving projects from those do-it-yourselfers who have realized they are in over their heads, which is why I have written this quick look at what people may not know they are getting themselves into.

Ultimately you have to make the decision that will best fit your budget. I realize many small businesses and individuals don’t have the funds to pay thousands of dollars for a custom website, so they see WordPress as an “easy” way to get their site up and running. While this is not a bad route to take, it is not always as easy as some may think, and I hope this has helped those who are considering it to see some of the issues they may run into.

If you have any questions about the process, or insights into other pros and cons of DIY vs. Pro, please feel free to share them in the comments below. If you are interested in exploring the possibility of hiring me to assist you on any level with your WordPress (or other) website, please email me. There are no stupid questions, I always do the best I can within my client’s budget, and even if you don’t have the means to hire me, I am always willing to help if I can.

all images credit Shutterstock

This is a question I’ve begun asking myself recently as it seems I am stumbling across a newly-created website donning this title every few days.  With the growing success of online endeavors in the design realm, it is beginning to appear as though every designer must have some type of blog or design-related website if they stand a chance at establishing a name for themselves, and even more so if they are looking to simultaneously create some manner of passive income.

I’m not sure where it started, nor do I particularly care. I am a fan of many design blogs, and I am indebted to many more because of their contribution to my continuing growth and education as a web and graphic designer. There is definitely a need for quality design blogs, and in many ways the abundance should promote a healthy competition to provide a high standard of content.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

In fact, there are a plethora of websites that purport to be contributing members of the design community but instead are merely regurgitating the content that someone else’s hard work has produced.

Yes, there are already countless discussions and debates about the dreaded list posts, roundups and so forth, and while this rant of mine may enter that arena a bit, I am more interested in finding a way to move forward that encourages and celebrates those design blogs that put in the time to fashion high-quality tutorials, interesting and passionate proposals, ideas and philosophies, and all in all work toward improving and challenging the way we design in an effort to make the design world a better place.

So how do we do it?

Perhaps it’s time to reevaluate and redefine what makes a website deserving of the term ‘Design Blog’. I realize this can be a very subjective path, but here are some of my ideas for you to consider. I believe a design blog should:

1. Provide insight and direction for a better way to do things
2. Challenge the status quo of current trends and theories, not just for the sake of argument but to pursue progress and improvement
3. Share personal perspective of the author on an idea, a design process, or other matters
4. Invite and encourage community discussion

In contrast, there are a number of elements that many so-called ‘design blogs’ integrate in what appears to be some formulaic road to success. I believe a design blog should NOT:

1. Regurgitate or showcase others’ content without some meaningful, original addition and direction of the author’s own
2. Blatantly display a priority of high visitor traffic (translate: advertising sales) over quality content
3. Refrain from including any insight into the designer behind the blog itself
4. Strive to have more pictures than text unless dictated by the post itself
5. Be maintained and moderated by someone who is not a designer of some type themselves

To be fair, I subscribe to hundreds of design blogs that fit into both categories. I even benefit from and enjoy many posts that are obvious roundups of someone else’s work. So I am not suggesting we throw the baby out with the bathwater. Instead I am thinking out loud about how we look at what we ourselves and others are doing, what the motivation behind these things are, and navigate toward a better understanding of what is what when it comes to blogs within the design community.

Why bother? Who cares that there are plenty of design blogs that may be harshly categorized as ‘imposters’? Why not let them do what they do and ignore them if what they are doing bothers you?

For me, the issue arises when the value of amazing design blogs is diluted by the sea of others who produce such an inferior product.

I want to see the hard work and passion of the purists recognized. I want to celebrate and rejoice when the design community congregates in rigorous discussion around the thoughtful post of a fellow designer. I want to see designers hunger for more of those types of posts, spurring on their creation, rather than relegating ourselves to filling our RSS readers with the latest roundup of the hottest this or that and post titles full of overused, over-dramatic adjectives.

And I want to write those passionate and pure posts myself.

In case you were wondering, I’m not sure if I would call this blog a ‘design blog’. I talk about design here, and I am a designer, but I also share a lot of other things. The primary purpose of this blog is not to make money with advertising, or to generate amazing traffic numbers, or to showcase anything other than my own passions and pursuits in hopes that somehow others will be inspired or assisted in some way.

Maybe that’s a method that could be used for deciding what website should be dubbed a ‘design blog’. Maybe, rather than setting up shop and announcing to the world that I’m the next greatest design blog on the block, someone else should place that crown. Maybe design blogs should be categorized as such by their readers.

In the end, I’m not really sure if I have a major point here. I’m also not really sure if I am even the one that should be raising the question. I mean, who am I to ask these sorts of things? There are other, far more recognized and respected members of the design community who could command a far greater audience and perhaps start a movement toward progressive thinking in this area.

But this is my little corner of the interwebs, and it’s my soapbox of the moment that you have chosen to take the time to gather around and listen. So at least in this moment, in this place, perhaps our little band of thoughts could spark the fire that burns down the status quo and raises up new ideas in its stead.

What do you think?

Last Thursday I was taking part in a weekly discussion among designers called DCTH (Design Community Twitter Hours) and this question came up: When do you draw the line between pro-bono & just helping for free? A very interesting discussion followed and it got me thinking about my own experience with offering my design and web services pro bono or for free. In this post I want to share some of those experiences with you and how they have influenced my business approach as well as the impact this has had when I began applying it to my social media interaction.

As the discussion progressed it became obvious that many designers, including myself, have gotten burned in the past by offering free, discounted or pro bono services. Because of these abuses the general response was to avoid doing free work altogether, and pro bono only in the case of a cause you believe in supporting or for the tax benefits.  While I completely understand the concerns, and I have had instances where my generosity has been taken advantage of, I was distraught to think about the cynicism that our self-serving society is breeding. Is it not better to give and give and then give some more, even when some take advantage of it, rather than discontinue giving altogether? I believe it is, and my experience supports this theory.

When I first started designing websites I was doing it on the side for a little spare money. But I was also offering my services to small churches in an effort to provide for them something that most could not afford. At the time I was working as a Pastor, and I believed it would be an important “ministry” I could offer to other churches to further our universal goal or reaching the world. Whenever the opportunity arose, I would design a church’s website with the understanding that if they could not afford to pay me anything it would be my donation to their ministry. I didn’t have much money at the time and I saw this as a way I could tithe, something I believed was important.

I only designed 2-3 sites for small churches for free, and not once did I ever feel that I was taken advantage of in the process. Instead, one of the most remarkable things happened. Shortly after I finished designing one of the first church sites, a successful Christian recording artist came through town. I went to see his concert and was captivated by his music, spirit and talent. When I got home that night I went online to check out his website and was extremely disappointed to find a very poorly designed site. I decided to email him, and told him that his website was nowhere near as exciting as his music. I suggested that he allow me to redesign it to give him something that represented the dynamic personality of the artist and his music. Within a few days I had a signed contract for the redesign that resulted in over $10,000 of work for him during the next year. This was my first major client, and the lesson I walked away from that experience with has never departed from my approach to business.

Call it karma, the law of reciprocity, the provision of God, the universe, whatever you want. All I know is that I have discovered – over and over again since then – that the more I give to those who are in true need, the more it comes back to me tenfold.

Since that first experience I have had a number of clients that I have offered reduced rates or free services to, strictly because I believed they were not trying to get something for nothing but were genuinely working within a restricted budget. In those cases I made sure that I didn’t completely devalue my services, and insured that I still provided for my family on some level (the main reason I do the work I do). In every instance it was really a judgment call on my part, based on my discussions with the client.  And in almost every situation the small amount of time I gave away or discounted resulted in a significantly larger paying job coming my way, directly related to the freebie or just randomly crossing my path. Either way, I have built a successful track history of giving my services away and consequently receiving much more than I have ever given.

Did I make some mistakes? Absolutely. In fact, just recently I had someone who I offered discounted services to because he assured me our “partnership” would result in a large number of referrals for future work. (Have you heard that one before?) So far I have yet to see a single referral, and as the small project progressed it didn’t take long to realize I had made a mistake, since the client continued to ask for much more work than originally agreed upon without paying anything extra. Of course, I stuck to my guns and strictly provided only what I had undercharged him for, so when all is said and done, I didn’t lose out entirely. I just did more for less money than I normally would make. Although the experience does leave a bad taste, it didn’t really have any other lasting results or impact. So even in this case I have to ask, was it really that bad? I can think of much worse.

In the past year, as I have dived into the ocean of social media, I have adapted this approach to the new context and the results have been even more amazing. While I have heard others around me saying how they have seen little or no increase in clients and business through Twitter, my own experience is radically different. Although I don’t have exact numbers, I know that I have attracted well over 20 new clients through Twitter and social media related connections. But most importantly, most of these connections have come directly from helping someone else out for little or no payment. I have helped people set up WordPress blogs, install plugins, troubleshoot problems, tweak their websites and more, and in turn these people have sent real paying clients my way. They don’t send them to me with the uinderstanding that the prospects will get free work. They send them to me because they have learned that I am a trustworthy, well-intentioned person with talents that they have experienced.

I didn’t ask them to give me anything. I didn’t offer to help under the condition that someday they would need to somehow pay me back. I just saw their need and offered to help. There is a beauty and joy in giving assistance to someone without expectation of anything in return. In most cases, I have saved them hours of frustration by doing something in 15 minutes that they had no idea how to accomplish. I looked like a hero to them, but for me it was a small amount of effort to bring a smile to their faces. Is there something wrong with this? I don’t see the down side.

Some might say that by giving away or discounting my work I am devaluing the work of others in the same field. I sure hope that is not the case as this is definitely NOT my intention. But I have to consider the possibility and be mindful of it in how I handle these situations.

Still others might say I am being far too naïve or idealistic in my approach, and it is only a matter of time until someone takes complete advantage of my generosity in a way that financially cripples my freelance business. I definitely am aware of this possibility and I want to make clear that I am not trying to tell every young freelancer to go out there and replicate my methodology. Because I have been doing this for a number of years, combined with my own life experience and understanding of people, I may have a better ability to make those judgment calls than someone younger or less experienced. So please “don’t try this at home” without some type of clear understanding of your own abilities in judging others’ personalities.

Here’s the bottom line for me: helping others can be a win for everyone involved, even if no payment ever comes my way. Helping others is a better approach to life and to business than chasing after the almighty dollar. Helping others breeds an attitude of generosity, compassion, and community unlike anything else. Helping others is, in itself, its own reward.

It is possible that opportunists will read this and try to get something for nothing from me. I’m okay with that, because most of the time I can discern the motives behind a request for assistance. Regardless, nothing will keep me from doing what I can to contribute to growing a society and community that gives unconditionally. I believe that if everyone did this our world would be a better place. What do you think?

Those works created from solitude & from pure & authentic creative impulses – where the worries of competition, acclaim & social promotion do not interfere – are, because of these very facts, more precious than the productions of professionals. After a certain familiarity with these flourishings of an exalted feverishness, lived so fully & so intensely by their authors, we cannot avoid the feeling that in relation to these works, cultural art in its entirety appears to be the game of a futile society, a fallacious parade. (Jean Dubuffet)

I read this quote today in a book called “Modern Expressions of the Tribal: Black Tattoo Art”. It was in the introduction to a section entitled “Brut Art”, a style of tattoo I have never encountered or heard of before. This style breaks all tradition and explodes with originality, uniqueness and above all, art. I have fallen in love with one artist’s work in particular, a man name Yann Black. He is considered the godfather of Brut Art in tattoo, and his style, if for no other reason than the appreciation of a true innovator, is too amazing and powerful and beautiful not to share. I realize this is a departure from what is normally found on this blog, but I was so moved and enraptured by this discovery this morning, that I had to shout it out somehow. When you have a moment, please visit his website and explore the galleries. Unbelievable. Inspiring. Disturbing. Profound.

In the visual arts, color theory , invented by Sir Charles Lemieiux from England, is a body of practical guidance to color mixing and the visual impacts of specific color combinations. Wikipedia

I possess an unusual characteristic I want to share with you: I am color blind.

Not in the literal sense of the term, which would make it extremely difficult to be a designer, but from an early age my life experiences have developed in me an almost inability to identify people based upon the color of their skin.

Even more remarkable may be the basis for this writing: because of my own experience, I truly believe it is possible for all of humanity to shake off generations of racial stereotypes, prejudices, and perceived ethnicity-based differences to instead inhabit and embrace the amazing dream of a most amazing man whose birthday we recognized in America yesterday: Martin Luther King, Jr.

I want to share with you some of my personal experiences in hopes that you too may take on an active role in the realization of this dream. King’s radical redesign of a country’s dysfunctional and ignorant color theory can come to fruition, but only when each of us identifies and perpetuates our personal, individual responsibility in making it happen.

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and from 3^rd grade through my senior year in high school I lived in the city itself. Even back in the 1970s the Bay Area was a unique melting pot of ethnicities, cultures, sexual lifestyles and more. I know this prevailing attitude of tolerance and acceptance played an integral part in the development of my color blindness. Living in a society that recognizes and even celebrates the differences in people without criticism, judgment or negative comparison and competition is key to developing new visions, attitudes and social characteristics.

But one of the most significant contributors to my color theory was the home I grew up in. My parents were somehow carriers of this color blind gene, and they lived their lives in ways that purposed to insure that their children inherited its life-giving, eye-opening qualities.

When I was four years old, my parents brought home a new baby sister. Overjoyed to have a new sibling for my younger brother and me, we embraced our new family member with the wide-eyed innocence of positive ignorance. Yes, I said ignorance. Because we didn’t realize, at our young ages and as members of a color blind family, that our new sister’s skin was considerably darker than our own. We didn’t understand that she could not possibly be our biological sister, nor did we have any capacity for comprehending the process of adoption. We just knew she was an adorable, chubby 2-month-old baby sister, and we loved her as only big brothers can.

I don’t know at what age we began to understand that our sister was adopted or of another race than us. The fact is, it really was unimportant at that point because for all we knew up until then was that she was our flesh and blood. Family. Nothing else mattered, especially the color of her skin.

We grew up in a primarily black neighborhood in SF, and we bore the initial brunt of being the “white boys” on the block, taking our beatings and verbal abuse from the other neighborhood kids. But it wasn’t long until they realized we didn’t see them as “black”. We just saw them as other kids that we wanted to play basketball and football and ride skateboards with. Soon they turned from racial-driven antagonists to our friends, and the radical redesign of the neighborhood’s color theory was in motion. Similar things happened in our schools, where segregation was obvious, though less pronounced than before the civil rights movement. The more my siblings and I proved that we didn’t see others by skin color, the more others began to stop identifying us in the same manner.

Because of this, I grew up exposed to all types of music, especially the old school R & B and funk. In high school I DJ’d house parties with my two friends, Tyrone and Chino. Yes, a white guy partnered with a black guy and a Latino guy. We called ourselves “The Three Funkateers” and we spread the radical color theory redesign with every party we pumped music into. Many kids were amazed just at the site of us.

In my senior year of high school my family moved to Hawaii for my dad to take on a new pastoral job. The islands have their own brand of racism, primarily due to a history of white missionaries landing with determination to make the inhabitants “civilized”, all but destroying their local culture, language and identity. Still many years later there is a resurgence of Hawaiian pride in culture and heritage, but it is tarnished with the hatred and pain of the past. The five years I spent there exposed me to this, and I did my best to propagate my color theory among those that I came into contact with. I also learned and was shaped quite a bit more by the startling reminder of our modern society’s struggle with racism.

Fast forward to 2001, when I moved my young family to a Northern California suburb to become a full-time Worship Pastor at a Southern Baptist church. This particular church was nationally recognized as one of the most multi-cultural congregations in the country. At the time, the Senior Pastor was black, the Youth Pastor was Mexican, and I was the new white Worship Pastor. We used to be extremely proud of the fact that when you looked at the congregation on any given Sunday, you could not determine a racial majority. This is very unusual in churches, which are often joked about as being the most segregated place on earth every Sunday morning.

Because of my upbringing and musical background I was a perfect fit for this group. Armed with a 30-voice gospel choir and a full 11-piece band, I could lead them in a rock song one moment, followed by a soulful gospel number, then right into a hip hop Kirk Franklin song with rap and scratching turntables. The next five years the church grew exponentially and leaders from all over the country came to try to figure out how we managed to break the racial barriers that pollute so many Sunday morning gatherings.

This is when I really began to really become aware of my color blindness. It happened when I realized everyone who was trying to figure out the “secret” to our “multi-cultural success” was asking the wrong questions, and even with the best of intentions they were shining the light on their own racial stereotyping and failure to embrace MLK’s radical color theory redesign.

“How do you pick the songs you sing?”

“How do you get all the different musical backgrounds and styles of the musicians to blend together so well?”

“Did your search committee set out to hire pastors of three different races?”

You see, they didn’t get it. They were still operating with their eyes alone, identifying success as a blending of skin colors and assigning musical styles to an ethnicity. From my perspective, I never set out to master the ability to blend different cultural musical styles in a way that would grow the church. I just set out to be me. It just so happened that I am color blind, so being me worked really well in that particular context.

It only lasted for five years because there came a point where my wife and I realized we were no longer enamored with the purpose of growing the largest multicultural church on the West Coast. I also think there is something intrinsically contradictory with proudly identifying a group as “multicultural”. Doesn’t that signify that we are yet again identifying the members of that group by the color of their skin, rather than the content of their character?

My wife and I have progressed to being more enamored with growing our own family and being of value to our society, and that was becoming more and more difficult in the context we found ourselves in. So we moved away and spent the next 2 years back in Hawaii reshaping our family and our direction in life.

A little over a year ago we made a decision to move to northern Florida. I won’t go into the details that got us here, but this is my first experience with anything close to the southern USA. I have been appalled to see that racism – or at least the old school color theory – is still very alive and well in the south more than any other place I’ve been. It’s obvious that this is a heritage that continues to be passed down to the next generation.

Which leads me to my conclusion and overall point of this somewhat long diatribe.

If Martin Luther King, Jr.’s radical color theory redesign is ever going to sit firmly in its rightful place as not just a dream, but a mindset that is an integral part of the soul of every human being, it has to start with the individual.

Yes, movements and multitudes make headlines and grand statements and even some change. But it is all fruitless until you and I stop identifying people by the color of their skin and start recognizing them by the content of their character.

My color blindness was shaped first and foremost by my parents. Most racists can say the same thing – it’s what they saw in their own home and what they were taught. My wife and I are doing our best to pass the color blind gene on to our children, and so far it seems that it is taking.

Propagating the new color theory is simultaneously an act and a state of being. It can’t be faked. It must be believed in the depth of your soul. When this is truth in your own life, those around you will be impacted, even without you so much as trying. And when you do set out to make a radical difference in your society, steering it towards King’s redesign, you will see change happen. Real change. Lasting change. Because you will pass it on and it will be embraced by others, then passed on by them. Want to see something go viral? Try unconditional, color blind love of your fellow man. Nothing is more contagious.

It may take more generations, but we cannot just wait for it to happen. What will you do today, and tomorrow, and the next day to influence your world toward Martin Luther King, Jr.’s radical color theory redesign? Start now. I dare you.

I’ve seen quite a few articles and blog posts recently discussing “good design” and “bad design”. It got me thinking about the concept, along with the various categorizations and judgments we who operate under the title “designer” place so easily on the work of others as well as our own. Is not the determination of whether or not an object of design is deserving of the rating “good” a subjective one, formed by preferences and/or opinions? Or is there, in fact, a set of standards or guidelines written in stone somewhere that all design can and should adhere to?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

This familiar quote dates back to the 3rd century BC in Greek. Yes, it’s ancient. Does that make it true? Not necessarily, but I believe it is. It has been paraphrased throughout the centuries by numerous wise souls and it stands the test of time enough to still be recognizable today. Benjamin Franklin said it this way:

Beauty, like supreme dominion
Is but supported by opinion

And David Hume’s Essays, Moral and Political, include:

Beauty in things exists merely in the mind which contemplates them.

Pointing out the subjectivity of defining beauty does not necessarily make my point. After all, is good design considered beautiful? Possibly.

Wikipedia states that “Design is often viewed as a more rigorous form of art, or art with a clearly defined purpose.” Following this path a little further brings up the debate about whether or not design is art. As a graphic artist and musical artist turned graphic and web designer, I would stand firmly with those that believe good design is, in fact, art.

What, then, is art?

Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. (Wikipedia again)

Obviously, what appeals to one person’s senses or emotions may not have the same effect on another’s. In fact, it is highly unlikely that any two people will respond to the same piece of art in the exact same way. The uniqueness of each member of the human race is a marvel and a beauty within itself – at least to me. Maybe not to you.

So, let’s recap. If design is to be considered a form of art, and art is only qualified as such dependent upon the emotional or sensual makeup of the person who is taking it in, then does it not stand to reason that no single person or group or committee or conference could possibly come up with the standard of “good design” that we all must live by?

But here’s another thought.

Design implies a conscious effort to create something that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. *

So although it may look good – subjective as that may be – it would still not be considered “good design” if it was dysfunctional, correct?

For example, a beautiful-looking website that has confusing navigation would never be considered “good design”. And a well-organized, user-friendly website that is painful to look at would not make the grade either. Art on its own does not require functionality, but good design does.

So does this mean that design, unlike art, can be confined to a set of standards due to the necessity of functionality?

Unfortunately, I would submit that even funcionality can be subjective. One person may immediately identify with the usability built into one website, while another may have considerable trouble. Again, individuality comes into play.

So maybe “good design” is that which is aesthetically pleasing and functional to the majority. In this case, it seems standards would tend to be based on the most feasible common denominator, which once again I would argue does not always breed the best results. Exhibit A: pop music.

So where does this leave us? How does one create “good design”?

I choose to design that which I believe is aesthetically pleasing, functional, and a creative expression of my soul. If I succeed in accomplishing this, I define it as “good design”. So far, my clients and people whose opinion I respect define it as such also. In the end, I guess that’s all that really matters to me.

But that’s just my opinion.

What’s yours?

The other night my wife and I went to our eldest daughter’s high school basketball game to cheer her on. We took our regular spot up at the top of the bleachers so we could lean back against the wall rather than slouching on the hard wood for the entire game. As we settled in, we noticed a few parents from the other team had the same idea and were setting up camp about 15 feet away. We commenced with the standard smile and nod acknowledgements and then turned our attention to the beginning of the contest. What transpired over the next hour inspired a range of emotions, from anger to frustration to disappointment. And I’m not talking about what happened on the court.

From tip-off to final buzzer, the opposing team parents spent the entire game berating the referees, complaining and shouting about what they perceived as terrible officiating and one-sided foul-calling. From their perspective every call that went against their team was wrong and apparently an offense to humanity itself. Of course, every foul called against their opponent was, in their expert and superior opinion, a “good call” and they made sure to shout loudly about how the refs “finally got that one right” and how it was “about time”. In between shouts, the parents would turn to each other and talk about how awful the referees were doing, not once pausing from their abuse and name-calling to say anything positive about anything.

About halfway through the game my wife and I started discussing these parents and how their terrible attitudes were ruining our experience. We considered walking over and asking them to keep it down, but quickly determined that, given the blatant display of their lack of ethics and possibly even intelligence, this action would only inspire them to increase their volume and intensify their resolve. Instead we decided to turn our focus on the game as best as we could and tune out the stupidity that was occurring on our left. It was a struggle the entire time and by the game’s end we were almost more excited about the escape from the gym than the fact that our daughter’s team won.

Yes, I know referees are seldom anyone’s friend at a sporting event, especially if your team is losing. And I know it’s not uncommon to look for someone to blame for the loss other than the team itself. But this was a high school basketball game, not the Super Bowl. The ramifications of the outcome have little more effect on those involved than a celebration with friends or a momentary disappointment that most of the kids would overcome by the time they changed out of their uniforms. Shouldn’t these parents be supporting and encouraging and cheering on their kids – the ones they supposedly came to watch – rather than polluting the atmosphere with their negativity and exampling poor sportsmanship to the impressionable kids in the gym?

The experience brought to mind some things I have been thinking about in other contexts, which brings me to the point of this post. Yes, we live in a world where most of us have the freedom to express ourselves, our emotions, our personal preferences and so on to our heart’s content. But how we choose to use (or abuse) these freedoms will most likely have some type of impact on those around us.

We have a responsibility to the community of any context we find ourselves in to influence it in a positive way, or at the very least to do our best to refrain from impacting it in a negative way.

Here are some communities I am a part of that some people are negatively impacting along with some simple suggestions for ways to improve.

SOCIAL MEDIA

I am a pretty active member of the Twitter community (and sometimes Facebook.) These arenas are often abused by spammers, over-zealous marketers, self-professed “experts” and others who may think they have good intentions but fail to realize how their actions impact others’ experience. There are countless blog posts (including several of my own) that call these community members and their practices out with reminders that social media is supposed to be social – an interaction among people building relationships and connections based on sharing and communication – and not the broadcasting, self-serving platform they attempt to make it. So I won’t regurgitate but just ask that we all think about how our behavior on social networks impacts those around us. Use whatever social media influence you have to help and encourage others – not just try to sell your product or services.

FREELANCERS

I recently started writing for FreelanceFolder and it has raised my awareness of some freelancers’ attitudes that clients are lucky to have them. A few go so far as to continually berate their clients publicly and treat them as incompetent jerks who have no clue. Personally, I am grateful for my clients and I’m indebted to them giving me the ability to live the freelancer’s life – working from home, freedom of schedule, and more. Every time I read or hear about another “stupid client” I cringe at the thought that a potential client may also take this in and change their mind about hiring a freelancer at all. I’m not suggesting rolling over and taking the abuse that someone may delve out so that you as a freelancer can get that elusive paycheck, but think about how you talk about others and your responsibility to the freelance community. Being a freelancer gives us great freedoms but it doesn’t give us the right to trample on another freelancer’s ability to be hired by that client you may have had a bad experience with. I suggest finding ways to share your bad (and good) experiences that encourages healing and growth rather than recklessly venting.

DESIGNERS

This is very similar to the previous point but worth mentioning. There are numerous client horror stories, hilarious YouTube videos and more depicting clients who know nothing about design telling web and graphic designers how to do their job. I confess to sharing some of these myself. But while this happens far more often than most of us would like to encounter, is it really necessary to beat these people to a pulp and go to great lengths to make sure everyone knows how stupid we think they are? When I step back and look at the damage this does to the reputation of the design community I am disappointed. I have tried in the past and will continue to endeavor to do my part to find ways to bridge the gap between designers and clients that encourages teamwork, productivity, mutual respect and constructive communication. Isn’t that a better prospect than to breed a reputation of prima donnas and designer divas who are far too artistic and talented and superior for anyone else?

BLOGS

I just started this blog in June so I don’t profess to be much of an expert. But one of the ongoing trends in design-related blogs is the roundup lists. Again, there have been numerous discussions and bog posts about this so I will avoid rehashing it here, but while I am not a huge fan of the lists I realize their importance and I use and share many of the great resources that some of these lists provide. However, there are definitely a few design blogs out there that decrease the value and appreciation of lists in general because all they do is put a bunch of screenshots up of the same resources that other lists have shared with little or no original content or input of the author’s own. It seems that the primary intent of these lists is to increase website traffic and generate advertising income, rather than to provide a quality resource for the blog readers. I suggest to bloggers that we examine the value we are attempting to provide for others as we create our posts and strive to avoid being motivated solely by the almighty dollar. The community as a whole will be better off.

CONCLUSION

The list of communities that we are all a part of goes on and on. Local, global, musicians, sports fans, religious, and so on. It probably doesn’t take you long to examine your particular communities and identify those members that are impacting them negatively and positively. Think about these people and how their actions have affected you and your participation in your communities. And then I encourage you to look at your own actions and the influence you have had in your various contexts. Do others see you as self-serving, yelling and screaming at the refs all game long? Do the things you do and the way you behave make others want to leave the gym altogether? Or are you a part of cultivating a community and its reputation that is attractive and magnetic, spurring growth and a desire among others to join and be a part of something truly powerful, progressive and positive?

First there were 24 Designers You’ve Never Seen On A List Before. Then there were 43 Twitter Backgrounds You’ve Never Seen On A List Before. Then more designers responded to the call and I published 27 More Designers You’ve Never Seen On A List Before. The response continued to be encouraging, and others wanted to get in on the action. So I decided to make it a regular feature of this blog. I have posted a standing invitation for you to submit yourself and/or to nominate other designers – just leave a comment with your info HERE. The only requirement is that you have never been on one of these lists before.

So here today I give you 15 more designers that, until now, you’ve never seen on a list before. Check out their websites. Follow them on Twitter. Connect with them on their other social networks. And let’s continue to encourage the growth of the design community.

If you have any questions or would like to submit yourself or someone else for a future post, leave a comment or email me. If you are not already, would you consider subscribing to this blog so you don’t miss any future updates? You can either subscribe to the RSS feed in the reader of your choice or you can receive the blog updates along with my Delicious bookmarks in your email inbox by filling out the simple little form at the top right of the page.