Key Tips to Avoid Failure in a Design Blog

In class we talked about how to make an efficient graph to get your readers to understand the point you are trying to get across. The speaker, Nathan Fleischmann, talked about how not to use the color red for an upward trend because people associate red with loss in business. The four steps of graphic design, Fleischmann said, was to research, edit, plot, and review. Therefore, research would imply using authoritative sources and to avoid bias. Edit would imply identifying your message and make sure you are getting what you want across. Plot is using a chart or graphic that your readers can understand to concise your topic. Review signifies checking your data from your sources, using your judgement on your graphic, and to look at your graphic from your reader’s perspective. I found an article entitled “Why Your Design Blog is Failing.” The three “secrets” they had were 1.) You must solve problems for your readers. The article talked about how having a “How To” article is helpful to readers. 2.) You must know who your target audience is. The article discussed how to make sure what you are blogging about pertains to your target audience, and who you want your target audience to be, whether it be clients or fellow designers. 3.) You must stay involved on your own blog. The article says to make sure you are staying involved with your readers such as tutorials and Q & A. If you stay involved, your audience will stay more involved. And finally, 4.) You must learn how to define success on your blog. In order to have success on a blog you have to make sure you have goals for the blog. Whether it be subscribers, views, replys, having other designers notice you, etc. If you have a set goal, you can see how successful you want to become and see your progress. These ideas are important and can help a person strive on the path to achievement in creating graphics and a blog.