how we create

1. Describe your project.
I am an interior designer and author of the yellowtrace blog, a little online space where I share my love for great design and clever people. I am passionate about celebrating good design in all it’s manifestations – my mission is to share as much as possible, by showcasing established and emerging talent in the areas of interiors, architecture, design, art, fashion, photography, lifestyle and anything else that is worth knowing about.

2. What is unique or new about this project?
As a designer, I am drawn to inspiring, meaningful, enduring environments and experiences, frequently stepping off the beaten path to discover the unexpected for my clients. I approach my designs with passion, emotion and honesty, and I always strive to separate who I am as a designer, from the essence of my client.
My design philosophy is based on a holistic approach, which translates brands, ideas and my clients’ personalities, into places. Each project begins with a strong concept, which becomes an anchor for all ideas during the design process.
For this reason, I have always been interested in how other designers approach their work and how they go about crafting their projects. I also felt that there were not enough local blogs and forums that focused on both Australian and international talent and provided designers with a platform to share their work and inspire others. Design can be a solitary activity, although its success relies heavily on healthy critique, discussion, and input of others. I’ve often felt that designers, architects and creative people don’t always share what they are doing, and we can also be very critical of each other’s work. I wanted to create a space where great work can be celebrated and where others designers could gain invaluable insight into the processes of their peers through regular interviews. At the same time, I am keen to educate readers about the importance of well thought out and inspiring design, and also make good design accessible to not just design professionals, but also the general public – all with a healthy dose of humour.

3. What would people not know and love to find out about this project?
yellowtrace blog started as a little hobby, however, it quickly gained local and international readership, which really made me think about the sorts of things I wanted to feature on the site. At first, it was all about me cataloguing my discoveries and experiences, and now it is much more about making it relevant, engaging, fresh, inspiring and fun for my readers.
I post a blog every day Monday to Friday, and make an effort to plan my content for the week ahead. Although blogging is all about being on-trend, super current and immediate, I believe in keeping a good balance with my content week to week. I choose not to get swept up by the hype of the latest and greatest, and just focus on what I consider to be the best and most inspiring work in various genres I cover, regardless of how current it may be. At the same time, original content is extremely important to me and I make a conscious effort to ensure that I never simply re-blog from other blogs.
Each week, I post a feature interview. I never realised how much work they would take to produce, but I consider them to be the most rewarding part of my blog. Interviews are also a way for me to really connect with my readers, by allowing them a window into the creative lives of some incredibly talented and inspiring local talent.

4. How long did this project take to complete?
I thought about starting a blog for almost a year, so that was the longest part of the project. Once I finally made up my mind to do it, it took about a month to create the blog. I then blogged for a month before I “launched” the site – I put “launched” in the inverted commas, as it literally involved me sending an e-mail to my mates which said, “ok, so I’m blogging” and that was that.
Having said all this, blogging is never a completed project, as you are only as good as your last post, so I feel as though my work is never really done. Sometimes I wonder what I got myself into!

5. What or who was integral to the projects?
I am extremely lucky that my brother, Mark Tomic, is a web developer, and a great one at that. He was absolutely instrumental in helping me do everything from, registering the domain name, putting the site together and he still does a million things for me on an ongoing basis, including hosting my site.

6. Any challenges or triumphs?
Being a regular blogger, who focuses on creating original content wherever possible, is a daily challenge. I work on the blog or at least think about it every day – I am constantly on the look out for the next amazing thing to share with my readers. Someone once said that, “Design won’t change the world”, and I tend to agree with that statement. However, I think that design can make our world better and I’m doing my bit to make yellowtrace readers’ days more inspiring, using design as a tool.
I don’t feel that yellowtrace blog has had any real triumphs, or at least I don’t think about it in that context. Having said that, I have been really fortunate to meet and connect with some incredible people since starting the blog, which has been a hugely rewarding experience. Receiving feedback from other designers who tell me they visit my blog each day for inspiration is also hugely satisfying.
I guess the biggest achievement to date is knowing that I have many readers who are from very different backgrounds, genders and age groups, many of whom are not designer professionals at all – I find it extremely rewarding knowing that my blog is making design accessible to everyone, not just designers.

7. What did you learn from the project?
I guess I’ve always been quite aware of all the talented people in this world, but once I started blogging, I realised just how much more there is other there. The more I dig, the more I find, and all the more I firmly believe that creative talent and human potential is truly limitless!
I also learned that by sharing my research, ideas and my thoughts with others, I have gained information, deepened my own knowledge and created a richer life experience. Sharing goes hand in hand with receiving.

8. What would you have done differently?
I don’t know if I would have done anything differently – I am absolutely ecstatic with the support I have received from both the readers and from other bloggers. Now I am simply focusing on consistently delivering good quality content, and maintaining the trust my readers have put in me, by visiting the site every day.

9. Where is the project located?
I am based in Sydney.

10. What don’t people know about you?
When they first meet me, most people think that I was born in Australia. I like to describe myself as being “fully imported – designed and assembled overseas.” I came to Australia with my family when I was 17.
My actual name is Danica (pronounced Da-neet-sah), which means “morning star”. Danica is also an ancient name for Denmark, where coincidentally my family and I lived for a couple of years before immigrating to Australia. Spooky huh? (Queue music from Twilight Zone).
On a lighter note, here are a few useless facts about me – I can’t operate gates (yes, you heard me right!) and I despise bread clips. My favourite colour is not yellow, I prefer skim milk, and I would do almost anything to be able to whistle like a boy.