Why Elliot Jay Stocks loves using Buttondown

Elliot's been blogging for as long as "blogging" has been a thing, and if you've spent any time online you're probably in debt to his work and efforts pushing typography on the web forward — first as creative director of Adobe Fonts, and more recently as the mastermind behind Google Fonts Knowledge.

He recently relaunched his newsletter using Buttondown and Kirby — and I couldn't help myself but reach out and chat about his journey blogging on the web, and what he's learned over the past decade and a half.

What's your background and how did you get into writing online?

I was originally a web designer, and started blogging about web design techniques around 2006 or so. This was back when we used image replacement and sprites when we wanted to use a non-system font, and grungy textured background were all the rage. In 2007 I started writing about the same things for magazines like .Net and Computer Arts, and then wrote a web design book in 2009. In 2010 I launched the typography magazine 8 Faces and looked after a lot of the writing duties in that, and then handled quite a bit for Lagom — the lifestyle magazine I co-founded with my wife in 2014. All this time, while doing all these print-based projects and working day-today as a designer, I’ve continue to publish online, albeit with less frequency as the years have gone on. But that all changed when I started the newsletter, which generally goes out about every three weeks or so. 

As I’ve got older, I’ve given things a bit more consideration, and been more mindful about adding to the noise.

What do you write about?

In a nutshell: typography. My newsletter, Typographic & Sporadic, is — as it says on the tin — typographic in its nature and sporadic in its delivery. I like to highlight new type releases, new foundry finds (even if they’re just new to me), upcoming type-centric events, and generally anything that’s come across my radar in that world. I also use the newsletter as a way of telling people about the latest things I’ve been up to, like new episodes of my podcast, Hello, type friends! or new typography workshops I’m teaching. 

Having been through so much change within the industry, how (if at all?) has your approach to writing and publishing changed over time?

I used to be very concerned with being among the first to add commentary on a particular subject, and there were many occasions where I rushed out half-baked ideas just to be seen as being someone “involved in the conversation”. As I’ve got older, I’ve given things a bit more consideration, and been more mindful about adding to the noise.

Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently when you started blogging back in '06?

I wish I’d found my niche a little earlier, or perhaps kept up the regular blogging when it started to lull. But actually, I really wish I’d discovered newsletters earlier, and started my own much sooner. I was very skeptical about the format for a while, and in hindsight that got in the way of me making the most of what I honestly believe is the best way to engage with your followers.

Subscriber management is simple and straightforward. Plus I really love that it’s indie software, and how when I have a problem, it’s usually you who replies!

How did you find out about Buttondown?

I think it was through David Demaree, who I worked with at Adobe Fonts and then again at Google Fonts. 

What are some ways Buttondown has helped you run your publication?

Well, I guess the first thing is that it’s just so easy to use. It gives me access to the underlying CSS — which I’d rather have any day over a drag-and-drop “design” editor. Subscriber management is simple and straightforward. Plus I really love that it’s indie software, and how when I have a problem, it’s usually you who replies! When I think about it, I think that’s actually usually the first thing I say when I’m recommending Buttondown to a friend.