Writing and Research for Graphic Designers

(Ray)

(Fogra 29_WF)Job:08-28858 Title:RP-Writing & Research for Graphic Designers

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(Ray)

(Fogra 29_WF)Job:08-28858 Title:RP-Writing & Research for Graphic Designers

#175 Dtp:225 Page:91

056-091_28858.indd 91 8/30/12 4:44 PM

Writing & research for graphic designers

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90

In writing his Burning Settlers

Cabin blog, Sean Adams

locates informational and

ecclectic visuals to illustrate

his routinely short posts.

(Ray)

(Fogra 29_WF)Job:08-28858 Title:RP-Writing & Research for Graphic Designers

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section 2

surveying the diciplines

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91

Why do you blog?

I blog for three reasons: one, to work through and test out theories or

concepts that I’m wrestling with in my “official” stories (“official” meaning

the ones I get paid to write); two, I use my blog as a way to promote events

and other real-life happenings that I’m either speaking at or helping to

organize; three, I write to share little snippets of the world that I encounter

and I want to pass along because they’re beautiful, or funny, or poignant, or

weird. There’s definitely plenty of weird on my blog.

Do you prefer blogging to other forms of writing?

Besides tweeting, if you can count that as a form of writing, it’s absolutely

my favorite. There are many (many) merits to writing for print publications,

of course. But there’s nothing better than hitting Publish, dropping the

link onto Facebook and Twitter, and watching the story find its way into

the world. I love the instant reaction I get from my readers, and how they

express delight or disappointment for my story. And I love watching the

trail it leaves as it gets passed along from one person to another. It’s pretty

amazing that writers can track all that now.

Why do you call your blog

A Walker in LA

?

Believe it or not, my blog has been recently renamed. I started it with

the name Gelatobaby when I launched it, which was supposed to serve as a

reminder of an incredible trip to Italy that jumpstarted my writing career.

But over the years I went through many personal changes: getting rid of my

car, walking more, shifting toward being interested in cities and transpor-

tation—and all of those found their way onto the blog. In a way, the blog

opened up a whole new world of writing for me. So I wanted to come up

with a new name that fit the writer I am today. Plus, since my last name is

Walker, I now have some powerful brand synergy!

What prompts an idea for

A Walker in LA

?

I started my blog to explore ideas that I didn’t get paid to write. Most

often, a post comes from something I see on the streets while walking in

Los Angeles. What usually happens is I see something out in the urban

… there’s nothing better than hitting Publish, dropping the

link onto Facebook and Twitter, and watching the story find

its way into the world.

Alissa Walker Talks about Her Favorite Form of Writing

Alissa Walker is a writer and USC Annenberg Getty Arts Journalism Fellow.

environment, snap a photo with my iPhone, come home, and stare at the

photo and wonder, “Now, why is that?”

Does your approach to writing change in the blog format?

I have a special blog voice that is far more accessible and conversational

(and dare I say funny?) than my other writings. I feel like I can really be

myself on my own blog. I can play around with language, I can make

inappropriate jokes—I can take risks here because it’s my place.

Do you believe the blog form will lead to something else?

So many people are already saying that the blog is dead; that Tumblr and

Twitter and whatever else have killed it. But I don’t see blogging going

anywhere. I still stumble across the most wonderful stories by writers I’ve

never heard of before. What I’d like to see is a system for paying for great

stories, maybe like Amazon’s Kindle Single program or like iTunes, where

you could sell your best work for a dollar. I’d like to be able to make money

on my own blogging, but I feel like selling advertising isn’t right for me.

PART SEVEN : BLOG

(Ray)

(Fogra 29_WF)Job:08-28858 Title:RP-Writing & Research for Graphic Designers

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