5 Things About Design and Me

The more I learn about Char, who writes on Essential Keystrokes, the more convinced I am that we are kindred spirits. Brian, a much newer acquaintance whose work needs no intro, is causing me to raise my brow for the same reason. :) Both have tagged me with a fun little meme - 5 things about design and me…

What is something that would surprise people about you and design?

I am nearly all self-taught. I do have a degree, but I never considered the depth and breadth of my formal education to be sufficient. On-the-job training didn’t take me much further. It was just as well. I have an affinity for books and a passion for design, so I’ve enjoyed continuing my education independently. I’ve learned more about my industry in the past two years as a freelancer than from schooling and work experience combined. Thank you, Amazon.

If you could design one blogger’s site for free, whose would it be?

Yikes, loaded question. This is me trying to gracefully side-step it. ;) Might be fun to do a design swap though. Ya know, I do a theme for your site, you do one for mine. It could be a contest or challenge of sorts. Eh, random thoughts on a Saturday morning.

What blog platform do you prefer, and why?

Wordpress, without question. Since discovering it about 18 months ago, I’ve really latched onto it as a platform for managing my entire site. I love having the power to customize the software I use with plugins (Firefox spoiled me forever), and WP is no exception. The versatility of theming also captured my imagination. Wordpress (and its user base) has been integral in shaping the blogging and CMS industries. It’s also been a vehicle for many freelancers to add to their services, or create profitable small businesses based solely on the WP platform (something I hope to do). Yep, I’m all about Wordpress.

Aside from your own, what is your favorite blog theme/template?

I’m opting for a tie between Brian’s Vertigo theme, Derek’s 5thirtyone V2, and Kyle’s Hemingway. James Koster, of Six Shooter Media, also has some nice CSS templates.

Do you have a blog-reading guilty pleasure?

Like Char, my mornings usually start with coffee (Starbucks Serena Organic Blend is the best!), and my beloved GReader. Now, usually I can’t stand partial feeds, but one remains in my reader despite the very small teaser of content. Design View, by Andy Rutledge. When I first discovered it, I was irritated and enthralled all at once. I thought him very arrogant, but in time I realized he totally knows his stuff, so he can get away with it. My favorite article, and a shining example of his prose, is entitled Hungry? Want another bullshit sandwhich? How can you not click a title like that? :)

Who’s next?

I think everyone I would’ve named has already been tagged… except Paul? (Are you inundated with work these days Paul? You’re awfully quiet!) I’d like to invite my readers to chime in too! Let us learn 5 things about design and you.

Tags: blogging | themes