December 15, 2005

Interview 4. Johan Sundkvist Knows Minimalist

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 6:35 pm

Johan Sundkvist blog


A Minimalist Interview with Johan Sundkvist
His Blog: Johan Sundkvist
URL: johansundkvist.com
Genre: Personal/Tech Blog
Audience: people who like to read about technology and culture
Thing to note when you visit: how the design and well-written content work together to make reading this blog an inviting and relaxing experience, no stress on this blog

Johan’s blog may be newer than some, but he’s been reading blogs for over two years. He understands and uses the values of minimalist design to keep his blog stressfree and focused on the content.

Johan, your blog and you share a name, what led you to that decision?

I wanted a personal blog, and therefore the choice to use my own name was pretty straight forward. It is hard though to choose a good site name. Some like me use their names (for example Kottke.org), but others come up with great domain names, such as Asterisk, StopDesign and Simplebits.

What made you start the blog?

Since I first discovered the phenomenon of blogging I’ve wanted to create a blog of my own. I’ve always liked writing and blogging as a writing style appealed to me; it’s somewhat more casual, and is focused to get to the point, to write stuff that is interesting.

How would you define a successful blog?

A successful blog is a blog that writes something that catches my interest and if the writing is unique, different, and entertaining it will certainly end up in my RSS subscriptions and daily surfing routine

What advice would you give a beginner?

I’m still a beginner, but I’m happy to share some thoughts with you anyway. I think it’s important to write stuff that matters, that is interesting for the readers. I don’t know if I am very good at this, but it is something that I strive to do. If you write about things you are passionate about, then people will sooner or later notice. Set a tone, distinguish yourself, and make an impression. It is about hard work, but it can be very rewarding in the end.

He may have just started a few months ago, but Johan has the world view of someone with more experience. This blog is both beginner and winner at the same time. Maybe that’s how he could achieve such elegant simplicity.

–ME “Liz” Strauss


Filed under Interviews, Successful Blog |



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8 Comments to “Interview 4. Johan Sundkvist Knows Minimalist”

  1. December 16th, 2005 at 2:58 am
    Johan Sundkvist said

    Thanks for the interview Liz! It was a pleasure.

  2. December 16th, 2005 at 3:05 am
    Interview With Me - Johan Sundkvist said

    [...] Liz at Successful Blog has just posted an interview with me. Go check it out! [...]

  3. December 16th, 2005 at 11:06 am
    Gary Miller said

    I certainly subscribe to the “minimalist” mindset and John’s site is a visual pleasure for me. My own sites (Blogoplex and Backyard-Cafe) are designed using minimalist styled templates.

    To me this style, while being easy to read, also makes it easier to include adverts without crowding an already cluttered template style. If color is needed to fill out one’s design tastes, it can be applied via the title, link, and header text and perhaps limited graphics. Minimalist themes are unquestionably flexible as far as an author’s personal taste is concerned.

    My congratulations to John on a very nice blog and to Liz for showcasing it for us.

  4. December 16th, 2005 at 12:13 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Gary,
    I thank you and I’m sure Johan does as well.
    Your blog is another great example of minimalism well done. It’s proof that what you say about color is true. You walk the talk.
    Liz

  5. December 16th, 2005 at 6:39 pm
    Gary Miller said

    My apologies for misspelling Johan’s name. Seems my fingers are faster than my brain at times.

  6. December 16th, 2005 at 7:30 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hey Gary,
    Johan’s a good guy. I accept in his place.
    Liz

  7. December 17th, 2005 at 9:41 am
    Johan Sundkvist said

    Thanks Gary for the kind words. And of course I accept your apology. ;) You’re not the first to misspell it.

  8. December 17th, 2005 at 9:42 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Johan,
    Good to see you back again.
    Liz

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