Frank Chimero - Blogs - Good or Bad?

Continuing to get peoples opinion's about blogs, Duane recommended that I emailed Frank and asked him the same set of questions. So I emailed Frank Chimero (an illustrator graphic designer and writer) and he happily replied with his set of answers on the topic.

Questions and Answers;

1. Would you recommend that students produce a blog? If so why?

I would recommend students creating some sort of creative archive of work they find inspiring. Reference libraries are always useful for creatives to get themselves "unstuck," I think, and doing so online is easier, but I think it encourages students to share inspiration with one another.

I also think it's a good idea for students to write and talk about their own work and share their process with one another. If a blog is their chosen medium to do so, than so be it. But if it isn't and they decided they'd rather do so exclusively person to person, than so be it.

2. A lot of students aren't safe with putting there designs up on blogs due to the idea getting stolen. What would your opinion be on this?

I think educational environments need to be felt safe by the students. If they fear that posting their ideas will result in theft, I think there's a larger issue at play than just blogging. If it's professionals stealing ideas from students, than shame on them.

3. People see blogs as a way to publicize themselves and there work, but a lot of blogs don't get a lot of hits, so what should the purpose of a blog be?

The purpose of a blog should be to archive and share your process, thoughts and work. The archiving aspect makes you the audience. The sharing involves everyone else. Who says that you need a large audience?

4. Finally what is one positive and one negative about having a blog?

Positive: Force you to write. I think writing capabilities is an under-appreciated skill that all designers should have. It makes you organize your thoughts and communicate them in a clear, concise and compelling way. Communication is communication, wether visual or not.

Negative: The time you spend blogging is the time you take away from making design. As a student you learn by doing, so the more exposure you give yourself to the design process, the better. Also, with publishing entries and commenting, it may make some students overly concerned with people's opinion of the work that they produce.