To Designers re: Design Blogs, Get with it

While at Fall Market in LA last week, I was struck by how much curiosity there still is about the basics of design blogs.  Designers want to know what they are, which are the best ones, how they can help their businesses, etc.  Decorati has hosted packed panel discussions at Design Centers all over the country (examples: Schumacher event, Stark event, Robert Allen event, Jerry Pair event) on the topic of blogs, so, I must say, Designers, it is time to check them out.  Your clients may be reading them.

People often ask if blogs are more important than print for exposure.  The short answer is no.  Most of the top shelter magazines have many times the circulation of blogs.  For example, Elle Decor reports a circulation of 520,000.  Other than a few notable exceptions, most design blogs have far fewer than 10,000 unique visitors per month (and by the way, many design bloggers do not understand web metrics and often misreport their traffic when asked).  But of course, blogs are searchable and live “forever” online (something magazines have not figured out yet) so comparing them to print circulation is not entirely fair.  And, bloggers who have managed to build an audience with original content often have a very loyal following with a unique point of view or taste, such as Peak of Chic or Cote de Texas.  So, while print is still the heavyweight in the design industry, blogs play an important, and ever growing, role.

I recently asked our community Forums for their favorite design blogs.  CLICK HERE to see the list or add more.  We also keep a Blogroll of selected blogs on the right rail of Decorati Access Blog.  Enjoy!