Blogging has its highlights, one of them being networking with some incredibly talented designers. Through blogging and social networking I had the chance to meet Chris Spooner of Blog Spoon Graphics and Line 25. Chris has the ability to create consistently appealing resources for designers and has created a very popular and friendly community at his blogs, I’m sure this is due to his nice, easy going attitude.

1 Hello and a warm welcome to Digital Art Empire, Chris thanks for this interview why don’t you tell us about yourself, your blog and background in design?

I’m Chris Spooner, a designer and blogger who runs Blog.SpoonGraphics and Line25. I write random design related articles for inspiration, as well as plenty of tutorials covering Illustrator, Photoshop and website design.

2 Your exposure and activity online is huge this is where a lot of designers aspire to be, how would you say you have reached this stage, was it your intention?

I started out blogging purely as an experiment and to check out the WordPress application in more depth. Since a couple of my posts gained some exposure I’ve simply continued churning out posts I hope people will find interesting. I guess the more you pump out design related content and links the more you become associated with that topic.

3 How do you stay on top of web design trends? Is client work enough to stay fresh or do you still follow tutorials, if so which ones?

Being active in the blogosphere helps keep you on top of the latest changes. If there’s a certain topic I find interesting, I’ll take the time to follow tutorials to learn more about the subject. The most recent example is probably a bunch of HTML5 tutorials I followed to get to grips with the new features. Client work on the other hand helps you stay fresh in other areas, usually the topics you wouldn’t choose to follow otherwise, which makes it great to broaden your knowledge outside of your comfort zone.

4 What are your favourite areas in graphic design? Who and what keeps you inspired?

I enjoy a wide range of design related subjects and I’m always keen on trying out new things. There are many designers out there who I’m inspired by, I basically keep myself inspired by browsing what others are doing. This always motivates me to put in more practice and experiment with new techniques.

5 Please tell us about how you landed the work with Fall Out Boy, were you headhunted or this something you planned for?

I never expected to land such a job. This was another great example of how blogging can raise your profile. A few days before I’d taken the time to write a tutorial based on skateboard deck design – Which wasn’t really a popular type of client work beforehand, it was just something I developed an interest in. One day one of the guys from the merchandising company who were dealing with the Fall Out Boy merch spotted my tutorial, liked what he saw and got in touch. I helped out design a skateboard deck, couple of T-shirts and a hoodie.

6 What are the core things that you think made you successful blogging wise and freelance wise?

For blogging I think that taking the time to develop in-depth tutorials and articles that will help people out has definitely helped out. There are lots of quick and basic tutorials out there, but only a few gems that can really help you master a topic. I also think concentrating on Illustrator tutorials helped out, as these were very rare at the time. With freelancing I guess a similar mindset also helps out; I’ll always aim to fulfill the project requirements and come up with a good solution to the client’s problems.

7 Blog Spoon Graphics is a one-man show how do you juggle work commitments with what can easily be a full time occupation & would you hire more writers and expand; what are your plans for the future?

Simply managing my time is all it takes. In the past I always used to make sure I took the time to write blog content, as this was what brought in the client work in the first place. Nowadays I’ve cut back on client work to concentrate more on writing blog content. I’ve always stuck to writing every post myself on Blog.SpoonGraphics, but I’m thinking about opening up Lien25 to more guest authors.

8 What’s you typical routine for coming up with ideas, writing and then publishing them?

Whenever an idea springs to mind, I’ll either jot it down or take a photo to keep a record. When I have some time to schedule up content I’ll pick out some topics I’d like to focus on then spend a day or two creating the post. Posts are often scheduled up a week or two in advance, which often helps relieve any pressure of deadlines.

9 Finally thanks for this interview with Digital Art Empire do you have any advice for our readers?

Thanks for the opportunity! I always advise anyone with an interest in design to keep practicing, experimenting and trying out new techniques. Follow your inspirations and just do what you enjoy!

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Ben Rama

Ben Rama is a Graphic Designer, CG artist & Cinematographer from London. He is the founder & creative director at Digital Art Empire Find Ben on Twitter