Inside FudgeGraphics: Web Design Freebies and Tutorials

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Let’s face it: we all love free stuff. As web designers, graphic designers, PHP programmers, or AJAX gurus we all love finding free code snippits or templates to work with. I have recently found a great new web design and development-focused blog Fudgegraphics which is full of all the freebies any web designer could want!

I got an interview with the site’s creator, deisgner, and blogger Franz Jeitz to see how he runs the site. I find so many popular web design blogs in the web so often, I like to see what distiguishes all of them apart. So freebie-loving web designers pay attention: Fudgegraphics could be your new favorite site!

What is the purpose of Fudgegraphics, and what type of content do you post up?

The purpose of Fudgegraphics is two-fold. Mainly it is a regular design blog focusing on high quality freebies (PS Brushes, Textures, Vectors), inspiration and as of lately tutorials.

On the other hand, it is also my personal portfolio and playground. Fudgegraphics allows me to contribute to the design community while attracting possible new clients. The blog has also helped me to grow as a designer and experiment with new techniques. The monthly calendar wallpaper series is the best example. It keeps me creative and forces me to try out new styles.

What got you interested in blogging, and why did you decide to create a blog about web/graphic design?

I wasn’t so much interested in blogging as in design itself. I always enjoyed experimenting with different techniques and using newly released Photoshop brushes for personal designs. One day, in the midst of exams, I simply decided to start my own design blog. I’ve always treasured the hard work and great freebies from other bloggers and thought it was time for me to give something back.

I really did not know what I was getting myself into at the time as I had no idea about blogging. Every article taught me something new and I got to know a lot of brilliant designers/bloggers along the way. As you can imagine I’ve never regretted to have chosen this route.

What are some of your favorite blogs/websites you’ve used for inspiration on Fudgegraphics?

The biggest influence has been Bittbox. Jay does a fantastic job and I just love his freebies. I did not read many other design blogs at the time. Today I’m subscribed to about 150 blogs and I’m influenced and inspired by all of them on a daily basis.

You’ve recently given Fudgegraphics a new re-design. What caused this decision, and how did you come up with the new design?

The old design simply didn’t work for me anymore. Seeing all the slick designs of other blogs made me realise that I had to step up the game and improve the look of Fudgegraphics. Rather than making small changes to the old design (which I used to do) I deciding it was time for a complete overhaul.

The design itself came rather organically. I knew I wanted to use a retro/grunge style since it is my favourite type of design. I tried different textures and colour schemes until I was happy with it. I must have designed 5 different sites before I came up with the current design.

Fudgegraphics Home Page

What are your favorite types of posts to write (tutorials, galleries…) and why?

There’s no favourite type of post, though writing inspirational articles such as lists are the easiest to be done. They’re however also the hardest to research, because you have to make sure no one else has written about the exact same topic using the same examples.

If I had to choose one I’d say that tutorials are my most favourite posts since they’re the most challenging and rewarding. However I also thoroughly enjoy getting messy and creating Photoshop Brushes. Honestly I enjoyed writing all the articles I’ve published so far. Blogging should be fun and not a chore which is why I only choose to write the kind of posts I enjoy.

Where do you see Fudgegraphics going within the next few months? What about a year or two down the road?

I will be happy with gaining new readers and growing gradually. Fudgegraphics will always stay my personal blog with the occasional guest post. In terms of content I aim to release more high quality freebies such as Photoshop brushes and textures. Furthermore I’ll try to publish more tutorials.

What was one major struggle you’ve been through with the blog, and how did you overcome it?

There hasn’t really been a major struggle. There’s always the difficulty of making time for blogging and finding inspiration for new articles. However if you’re passionate about design (and read a lot of blogs) it just comes naturally and you simply make time. The most important part is not to compromise the quality of posts. I have found it is better not to blog for a week rather than publishing an article your not enthusiastic about.

If you had any advice for someone looking to create their own graphic design blog, what would it be?

First of all be sure that you’re passionate about design. Doing it half-heartedly will only result in frustration and readers can tell whether you enjoy what you’re writing about or not. Getting recognition in the design blogging world is not easy and takes time. Don’t give up and keep going. The worst that can happen is that you meet some interesting people along the way and learn something new about design as well as about yourself. Interact with other bloggers in your niche via Twitter and leaving comments.

Most importantly: enjoy it!

Do you have any general parting words of advice for our readers?

Whatever you do, have fun doing it.

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About the author

Inside The Webb

Inside the Webb is a blog based on new and popular web 2.0 sites, and all things social media. Here at the site, we try to collect all of the information we can on some of the most intriguing websites out there. We often publish many interviews throughout the months, all exclusive interviews with founders and developers of new social web apps.

About Author

Ian Carnaghan

I am a software developer and online educator who likes to keep up with all the latest in technology. I also manage cloud infrastructure, continuous monitoring, DevOps processes, security, and continuous integration and deployment.

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