There Are Multiple Ways
I have never prided myself on my organizational skills. As a designer who writes their own schedule, this can make things… interesting. Like sometimes I want to sleep in when I promised myself I’d get up at 5, but I write my own schedule, so what’s the harm? (Overcompensating the next day, or working late, that’s the harm).
Or I typically keep track of tasks online, but there are also times when I write them on a whiteboard, or a notepad, or I just rely on my memory and what’s in my email inbox. It depends on what I feel like doing that day. I do try to follow a schedule, but sometimes I just need to shake things up a bit.
So, if I can be this scatterbrained, how in the heck would I even attempt to start writing a blog article? Chris Robinson, CEO of Full Scope Creative, asked me that question today, and I said, “Well, I do this… but I also do that, and that, and that, and sometimes even that.” It was a bit of a sheepish reply because I don’t have one set rule for writing a blog article; I use multiple resources. And honestly, I don’t think I necessarily do things right by being so scatterbrained, but in this instance, I think it serves me well. With all my harebrained ideas and methods of writing a blog, I am never short on ideas.
So let’s jump into the many ways I get started writing blogs!
1. What did I learn in college again?
It’s been a few years, but I did learn a lot there, and most of it is stored away in some obscure file in my mind palace (Sherlock fans, anyone?) that doesn’t really get pulled out often. Most of these files are full of things I don’t use regularly or use so often that I don’t even consider them anymore. Things like color theory, or fonts—the most basic things that I learned and don’t even think about.
Seriously, reading this, it’s not like you consider the alphabet and how it puts together words, but for someone who might not understand, it’s an important thing to tell them about. They need to learn the most basic of basics to build upon it.
So essentially, I start with the foundations. But I don’t necessarily stop there. Sometimes random chapters of a textbook or a video stand out to me on topics I don’t use often, but that are very applicable to this industry. One thing that comes to mind is the idea that other cultures have different methods of interacting with each other. I may not use that ideology, but it stands out to me and would make a good blog article.
Note to self: Write about how people around the world can affect the way you approach a project.
So I suppose I really just go back to the basics of what I learned long ago and build off it. Heck, I have made blog articles part 1, 2, 3+ because I started with the basics and built from there! What is obvious to you is not so obvious to others.
2. ChatGPT—for ideas
Okay, maybe for a little bit of writing too, but I really try to steer clear from that because an AI resource just can’t emulate my writing style and can often embellish things to such a degree that it’s so pretentious I throw up a little each time I read it. Besides, I don’t know what they’ve been doing with the algorithm, but man, has it deteriorated in recent months—it’s massively disappointing.
Actually, I sort of know why it’s not doing so well: they keep giving it so much stuff to read before it reads your prompt, and since the stuff written at the top takes priority, your prompt just isn’t going to be as significant. That actually gives me a great idea for a blog article.
Note to self: Write a blog about how stuff at the top takes precedence.
So yeah, ChatGPT is trash at writing, but it is a great resource for niche blog ideas. I can ask it for a blog topic and then tell it to get more and more specific about one little thing. Here’s an example:
Me: Hey Chat! Give me a blog article idea for graphic design.
(That’s another thing, I can do graphic design, web design, marketing, code, etc.)
Chat: (spits out a list, and here’s one of them, including but not limited to this one) The Psychology of Color in Graphic Design.
Me: Okay, cool, what’s a blog article idea for the psychology of colors in graphic design?
Chat: Color and Gender: Breaking Stereotypes in Design (on top of other ideas).
And then I can just get narrower and narrower… though actually, that sounds like another interesting blog article that I should write.
Note to self: Blog article about color and gender.
3. YouTube is a fantastic resource
It really is. We have thousands of videos out there, and on top of videos on the basics, there are also videos on very niche topics. Sometimes what I like to do is just look up design trends, or search “how to do so and so” and then I’ll watch some of the video and go, “Woah, that’s something I never heard of. That’s a technique that’s incredible—wait, that’s how you do that?”
I develop a backlog of all sorts of random design trends, how-to’s, and niche methods. People are a great source of information, obviously, and the fact that they upload videos online for free is one of the best resources we can ask for.
But I mean, there’s also Google.
4. When in doubt, it’s worth a Google.
It really does sort of go in this order though: I consult everything else first and then go to Google for ideas. The reason I don’t go here first is because it’s too obvious. I’ll wind up with the same blog article as Billy Bob Joe Jim, and we all know we don’t want his article!
But if you scroll down and go to page 3 or 4… and sure, fine, look at page 1 too I guess (I’d be lying if I said I didn’t). But really, if you want anything noteworthy, you have to go to… wait, Google doesn’t do pages anymore, then scroll baby scroll! Or take one of the obvious ideas and put a twist on it.
Like I did one on logos, only I mentioned a very specific logo that doesn’t exist everywhere and took the article from there.
5. Other design websites
Actually, I think Google is even further down the list because I also go to other design websites. I pull up their blog pages and check out what they do and what topics they cover. It’s one of the very last things I do, really. Even the next one I do long before this (and the Google one), but these resources are more tangible.
6. Wait for inspiration
See what I mean? It’s too abstract but is by far the most effective. Naturally, I don’t wait for the information to come to me, but I grab at the random things that fall into my lap and then it’s like, “Oh, I need to write an article. Well, it’s a good thing I discovered that!”
This can come from conversations with people where they bring up something new I never thought of. It could be something random I see on the streets (like a logo I grew up with that suddenly changed their design). Or I will experience something at work and realize, “That didn’t work” or “That worked way too well.”
Things that happen to you firsthand are obviously the best sources, and they don’t happen all the time, but it’s important to keep track of things that happen when they do. And hey, I’m not saying I’m great at doing that either, but often if I just sit back and think, I have a lightbulb moment…
7. Brainstorm
Yeah, it essentially leads to that. Sometimes I don’t consider what happened in my life and I just think, “Crap, I need to do a blog article, is there something I haven’t done before?” Then I’ll scroll through recent blogs and notice something missing and bam! Blog article idea.
Conclusion
Being organized is important, but honestly, I don’t think there is one right way to come up with a blog topic. Sometimes it’s as simple as stepping outside and looking around you, or it’s as complicated as finding a topic on ChatGPT, then finding articles on the New York Times and videos on YouTube that help you understand as much as you can and get as much proof of your argument to share with people.
There is not one way to write a blog article, but it is important to keep an open mind, and you’ll find ideas everywhere. Though honestly, I think that is applicable to most things. If that is something you struggle with, then fear not! Full Scope Creative is our name, and art and brainstorming is our game! Half the time, I have no idea what I’m going to do when I craft a design piece, but that’s the most exciting part!
So if you need help brainstorming or having someone help you with the creative side of your business—particularly with branding (or basic copywriting, we do that too)—then contact us at Full Scope Creative!