10 Fun, Untraditional Design Blogs to Follow

People who blog about design topics are often serious about the niche of the work that they do. For example, there are not only web design blogs and graphic design blogs but blogs that are so specific as to focus on really detailed areas of these design types like just typography. Then there are blogs that cater to the general world of design, combining fashion design and interior design and web design news in one place. The former can be too specific and academic for people who don’t work in design. And the latter can be too overwhelming to be interesting to follow. But there are some blogs that fall in between this spectrum. They are general design blogs that have their own little niche. These are the design blogs that I like.

Here are ten fun, untraditional, easy-to-enjoy blogs that are related to some aspect of design:

1.    2Modern Design Talk. 2Modern, also known as 2M, is a great blog that covers a lot of different areas of design. It has sections for modern home décor, sustainable designs, fashion design, etc. The site is nice because you can either look at all of these categories together or you can separate them just by what you’re interested in. I tend to like the posts about interior design, especially the ones with great images!

2.    Domestic Sluttery. This UK blog is a lifestyle blog for busy women. Although it’s not specifically about design (it also has recipes and whatnot) it has a lot of great fashion design and interior design posts. The writers are witty and the things that they find are lovely.

3.    Dezeen. This is an architecture and design magazine that I love to follow online. They often have cutting edge news about the design world that other places haven’t posted about yet. For example, as I write this (on 2/1/11) they have a post about a bicycle helmet design that looks like a scarf until you blow it up and it becomes a helmet! People who are interested in more formal design information but aren’t necessarily looking to read lengthy scholarly articles about the topic will find that this blog presents a happy medium for them to get their design news.

4.    GrassrootsModern. People who are interested in modern design can find this blog appealing. The posts are short and simple and they are varied in topic so you never get bored.

5.    My Love For You Is a Stampede of Horses. This is actually an art blog but it has posts about everything that inspires the blogger and that includes things that are specifically relevant to more formal types of design. For example, a recent post as of the writing of this article was a post about a miniature street installation that was done by Slinkachu – it’s basically a small island created on a tennis ball and sent floating in an urban pool of water. This is nontraditional in terms of the general design world but definitely relevant to what is going on in design. If you’re interested in the area where art and design intersect then this blog might be one for you to bookmark.

6.    Style-Files. This is described as a blog about design and lifestyle that the blogger uses to scour the world for inspiration that she can share with other people. It’s a place where you can look for new products or see what other people are doing in terms of their own home design or art design. The posts tend to be image-rich with high-quality interesting images. This is important for most people when it comes to a design blog. After all, you can read about a new design until your blue in the face but it’s tough to know what it looks like or how it works if you don’t see it. This is particularly true when it comes to interior design. The blog is not heavy on text, although the blogger does share her thoughts on what she is posting. It’s a great blog. And she has terrific finds – like letterpress wallpaper and vintage china and how to use yellow accessories in a child’s room.

7.    Trendir. I adore this “home decorating trends magazine” that is subtitled “where the new products are”. It is one of the more formal design blogs included on my list (right up there with Dezeen) but it’s still a site that is really accessible even to people who aren’t knowledgeable about the business of design. It is divided into numerous detailed categories of home design so that you can search for the information that appeals to you most (such as appliances or home automation). Most of the items that are showcased on this site tend to be really modern.

8.    A Heart a Day. This is a blog that I only recently discovered. Although it’s not a design blog in the traditional sense, it is one that I really wanted to share here because I’m liking it so much. And it is sort of a design blog as the work is done by illustrators and graphic designers. Basically every day a new design goes up that has something to do with hearts. Each piece is different from the others, showing off how one subject can be approached by so many different ways when you get creative with design.

9.    FutureGirl Craft Blog. Futuregirl is a thirty-something woman from the Midwest who now lives in San Francisco and who loves to craft. I discovered this blog when looking for crochet information but it’s not just about crochet. It includes other topics as well. Basically it’s a blog for people interested in the design of yarn-based and thread-based crafts.

10. Mid-Century Living. Mid-century design, as the name suggests, refers to design that comes from (or is inspired by) the time period surrounding the 1950’s. I love retro design, especially retro home design, and that’s probably why I find so many posts on this blog that I just absolutely love!