About me:

confessions of a design geek about

My name is Katie Treggiden. I am obsessed with design and I love nothing more than writing about my favourite subject. I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was five years old, so I feel very lucky to be finally doing just that.

One Friday night I turned down drinks with some colleagues to see a private view of some handprinted wallpaper. One of them said “You should start a blog.” I thought he was kidding, but the following Monday, he sat me down and showed me how – and confessions of a design geek was born. (Big thank you to Paul Armstrong.)

That was in April 2010, and within just five weeks it had been nominated for mydeco’s Design Democracy Awards, in which it won Best Interior Design Blog in Great Britain in September 2010! Not one to rest on my laurels, in September 2011, I published Interviews, a collection of eighteen conversations with designers, now stocked in the Design Museum and the V&A.

I am now following my dream of being a full time design writer, working as a freelance design journalist and a social media writer for design brands. I currently write for LivingEtc, Design Milk, We Heart and Heart Home Magazine. For more info, click here.

Editorial schedule:

confessions of a design geek about

I post on Mondays and Wednesdays and posts fall into the following categories:

  • out and about (reviews of exhibitions, trade shows, things I’ve seen and loved)
  • interviews (with designers or other people involved in the design industry who I respect and admire)
  • creative spaces (the working environments of creative people – a peek behind the scenes)
  • here’s one I made earlier (a step-by-step guide to the design and making process)
I update my events calendar every Thursday.

If you would like to be featured in any of the above, please get in touch via katie [@] confessionsofadesigngeek.com, letting me know which column you’d like to be featured in.

What other people say:

confessions of a design geek about

“Katie stands apart from other design writers… She turns designers into real people. She allows designers to speak in the same words as the people who use what they’ve made. There’s something very democratic about that.” (William Shaw, Web Editor, London Design Festival.)

“This is a wonderful example of how blogging should be, she is clearly passionate about her subject and her writing conveys this enthusiasm to the reader. A great mix of architecture, interiors and creative resources. All in all, a great read” (Kelly Hoppen, MBE)

“…beautifully designed, consistent, thoughtful and a very distinct point of view.” (Brad Ford, Brad Ford ID)

My promises to you:

confessions of a design geek about

I will treat others with respect – as my Mum always said; ‘if you haven’t got anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.’ I believe it’s more important to promote what you like than criticise what you don’t.

I will only ever write about things I genuinely like and will never let anything other than my honest opinion influence my editorial. To make sure you know that, any potential conflicts of interest will be declared.

I am often drawn to the work of students, graduates and new designers, and to work coming out of Cornwall, where I grew up. I know how important it is to these groups of people to get exposure, so I try to give it to them where I can, but only when I genuinely like their work.

As a blogger, I am sometimes given products to review or simply freebies. I know these would never affect my editorial, but so that you know that too, I don’t keep them – instead I save them all up for an annual sale in aid of my favourite charity, Maggie’s. (I have kept, but declared, some freebies in the past.)

At the moment my blog is not monetised in any way, but if I do choose to include sponsored posts or advertising, they will be clearly marked as such, so you will always be able to tell the difference between editorial, advertorial, and advertising.

I offer writing and social media consultancy to design brands. If I am being paid to do this by a brand, I won’t cover that brand on my blog, to ensure there is no conflict of interest. The only exception I make to this rule is Maggie’s, an amazing charity I am privileged to work with. I hope you’ll understand why.

I welcome disagreement with my ideas, delivered with respect. Comments are moderated, but only to ensure they’re not spam.

I will always provide links, cite sources, and credit inspiration. I am grateful to you for returning the favour – unless stated otherwise, the words and pictures on this blog are my own, so feel free to use them, but please ask first and provide a credit and a link.

I will handle myself professionally and abide by basic journalistic standards at all times.

This blog is written and edited by me, with occasional guest posts from writers I respect.

(I got help from Blogging With Integrity to write this policy. To get your own, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org)

My profile picture was taken by the lovely Kirsten Everett: http://kirsteneverett.co.uk/

Copyright:

confessions of a design geek about

Unless otherwise stated all words and images on this blog are copyright Katie Treggiden. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the copyright holder. The right of Katie Treggiden to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. Every effort has been made to contact owners of copyright material produced in this blog. Errors or omissions will be corrected immediately.