Loaded Bow

Design*Sponge is arguably the most successful design blog online!  We were so thrilled to have the opportunity to interview its creator, Grace Bonney, about its evolution.  Enjoy reading about how this woman took her hobby and love for design and turned it into a thriving business!

Loaded Bow: If we go back to the launch of design*sponge, it is 2004. But the real beginning of a business starts with an idea. Can you tell us about this initial seed that brought you to action? How has d*s evolved?

Grace Bonney: For me, the interesting thing about working on Design*Sponge has been that it didn’t actually start as an ‘idea’, per se. Or rather, the initial idea wasn’t based around starting a business. I was working in an unfulfilling job and couldn’t figure out a way to combine my love of design with writing- without a professional degree in journalism. So out of both a fear of cold-submitting my writing to magazines and being worried that I’d bore my boyfriend to death with design-talk, I decided to start the site. It was really just a hobby and personal outlet to rant and rave about all things design related.

However, as the years have gone on I’ve realized that with the ad program and consulting and the outside projects I’m working on- I really have created a business from what was initially just a personal blog. But it grew pretty organically in the sense that I kept thinking “what sounds like fun? What haven’t I done that I’d like to try”. And from that projects like the Biz Ladies nights, Scholarship and various contests have sprung up. I always try to remember that a simple love of design was what started all of this and that I should stay true to that.

LB: We have heard a lot about branding and naming. How important have these factors been to d*s’s success, or are they just buzz words?

GB: Oh man, if I had thought about branding I definitely would have picked a name I liked better than Design*Sponge. I chose the blog name pretty quickly because I didn’t think I’d even be publishing my site. And now that it’s become something of its own brand I always cringe, wishing I’d picked something that sounded cooler or hipper. But then again, I’m not super cool myself so maybe it fits in the end.

I do however think that branding is crucial to any company- but it’s equally important not to become a slave to branding or imaging. Readers and consumers are similar in that they like to understand the overall tone and message of a publication or company, but they don’t like to feel like a slogan, logo or “brand” is being shoved down their throat constantly. So I try to “brand” Design*Sponge but expanding the site to include projects that will reach new groups of people without abandoning the original “mission” of the site for the past few years. People can get pretty hung up in imaging, logos and all of the visual aspects of a company (which aren’t to say they aren’t important at all), but they really don’t make up for the lack of a good product. If you have a great good to sell (whether that’s a blog, a service, a company or a single product), that will always win out over flashy branding.

LB: Did you intend for d*s to be a source of revenue from the beginning? If not, how did this come to be?

GB: Absolutely not. I thought it might one day be a helpful in terms of finding the guts to submit my writing to a magazine, but I didn’t think it would end up being the job in itself. There were only a handful of design blogs when I started in 2004 (and even those were pretty new) so I don’t think any of us went into it thinking “I can’t wait to cash in on the design blog boom”. I just wanted a place to talk about chairs with other people who cared about them as much as I did.

Obviously as the site grew though, it became something that generated advertising interest so we started selling ads on the right hand column of the site. As traffic and demand have grown, the ad program now supports a small, freelance staff at D*S and allows me to travel for the Biz Lady meetups and work-related events.

LB: When you launched design*sponge in 2004, what were your greatest fears?

GB: To be honest, I didn’t have any. I didn’t have any expectations other than having a place to warm up and feel comfortable with my own writing. And even though I don’t write lengthy posts, all I was concerned with was being able to discover a tone and style that was mine- something that might one day appeal to employers in the print media.

As the site grew I guess I was scared of not being liked, being criticized, being judged for a lack of professional writing experience- but eventually all of your fears become realized and you find out it’s not that bad. If you put yourself out there online you’re welcoming a sea of opinions and criticism so overall, the things I was scared of only toughened me up and made me a better writer/business owner.

LB: How did the initial launch go? How do you celebrate your ongoing success or anniversaries with any traditions or parties?

GB: I never had an official launch so it’s tough to decide when we have real anniversaries. I tend to celebrate events or experiences that I think are interesting. Whether that’s participating in an event I love or receiving a kind press mention somewhere, or being able to travel across the country and speak with several hundred women about running their own businesses. I tend to measure success in an emotional way and for me, feeling comfortable in my own skin, with my own voice and with my own business decisions has been celebration enough.

That said, I might have a small BBQ with our writers this summer to celebrate 4 years of the site- if we’re all ever in the same place at once.

LB: I see that you post to d*s quite frequently (6 to 10 times) throughout the day, can you share with us how much time you spend on your business? Has this changed since your launch?

GB: When I started the site I was writing during my lunch break so it went from a 1-2 hour project to something that consumes my entire working-day. I’m much better at not working on the weekends than I used to be, but I work pretty much all day from 7am to 8 or 9pm. But that’s pretty typical for someone running their own business. If there’s no one else physically with you to do something, you just have to do it yourself. I wouldn’t give it up for anything though- it’s pretty awesome to be your own boss at 26.

LB: You have created what might be considered by some to be a dream job! Are there parts of your job that are less exciting that might be expected? For example, as a painter I always get the “Wow, that must be so relaxing!”, but in truth it is at times lonely. Are there aspects of working at d*s that are difficult? Do the negative aspects of a business indicate that the business needs to change or that it may not be a perfect fit for the individual?

GB: No matter what your job is, there are always less than desirable parts of the position. I hate doing anything financial- taxes, bookkeeping, payroll, you name it. But you have to suck it up and take care of what needs to be done. It’s not to say that I don’t grouse about it, but for the most part I’m pretty happy with my job. I guess the toughest part would be getting used to the level of expectation or entitlement people feel when they read your site. I receive a several hundred emails a day and maybe a couple dozen a day are very, very detailed requests from people- usually involving a 5MB zip file full of home photos and the request to totally redesign their home, for free, keeping in mind their budget and need to have answers oh, by tomorrow morning. I sadly can’t handle requests like that any more (I did for years though- even though those are tasks you typically hire someone for) and people are pretty comfortable chewing you out for not answering their request with a detailed answer. But I know my job could be much worse so I’m pretty ok with the minor negatives.

LB: How does being a woman in business make a difference to your life?

GB: There are obviously some gender-related issues I encounter as a young woman running a business but I find that I’m able to tackle them more as I become more comfortable with my business and the decisions I’ve made. I’ve gotten so used to hearing some pretty stupid, sexist questions from people but after a while you learn to let it roll off and focus on being the best business-owner you can. I think rather than using the bumps in the road as an excuse to get up in arms and sad about the state of business, I’ve tried to focus on using it as a strength. The Biz Ladies meetups are all about connecting women running businesses so they can form a strong support group and realize how incredible capable and talented they are.

LB: Do you believe that there are some key things women doing business on the web or as bloggers should know? Are there challenges specific to this trade or do the same key notions of a great idea, a needed product or service, perseverance and hard work apply in all business?

GB: I can never overestimate how important it is to stay focused, persevere through tough situations and stay committed to your mission- no matter what that is. If you’re working online you obliviously need to be careful about how much of yourself you put out in the open- because people will feel free to editorialize on all of that. But I don’t know if that effects women differently than men.

Ultimately a good product, a unique product, or a functional product will be successful. It’s up to you how distracted you allow yourself to get from the ultimate goal, no matter what that is. I always do a 3 month check in with myself to see how happy I am and how closely I think my business is in-line with my mission/goals. If things feel off, I adjust the course and then put my head back down and keep working. If you stay focused, stay true to your company mission and keep a good support group of friends, family and colleagues, your business has a great chance of survival and success. 

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