Jason Kottke
Encyclopedia
Jason Kottke is an American
blog
ger and former web design
er currently living in New York City
. He designed the Silkscreen typeface
and has won a Lifetime Achievement Award
as a blogger. , his blog is ranked #80 on the Technorati
Top 100.
from Coe College
in 1995, Kottke started work as a web designer in 1996, on projects for clients such as Charles Schwab
.
In 1999, he designed the Silkscreen typeface — since used by Adobe
, MTV
, and Volvo
, amongst others. His design work has been featured in The New Yorker
, The New York Times
, Forbes
, and Brill's Content. Kottke has served on the Advisory Board for SXSW Interactive
from 2000–2003 and has spoken at the SXSW Interactive conference as well as the Seybold and NetMedia conferences. Kottke also created the Gawker logo.
Kottke, a pioneering blogger, began his blog in March 1998.
In 2000, Kottke and his then-girlfriend (now wife) Meg Hourihan
were profiled in a New Yorker
article, "You've Got Blog", which introduced blogging to a wider audience. His contributions to blogging were acknowledged when he won a Bloggie Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003, after five years of blogging. After a year of soliciting payments from readers who enjoyed his blog, he stopped because he had not managed to attract enough readers or developed "a sufficient cult of personality" to support the subscription model.
His blogging got him in trouble with Sony
when he broke the news of the loss that broke Ken Jennings
' Jeopardy!
win streak.
On February 22, 2005, Kottke announced that he had left his web design job in order to work on kottke.org full-time. He pledged that all content on the site would still be free while encouraging readers to become "micropatrons" by making an optional contribution of any amount. By the close of business on the day of the announcement, over 200 people were listed as micropatrons on kottke.org. Kottke also received in-kind support through a fellowship from Eyebeam
, which provided space for Kottke to work in its research and development
labs. Exactly one year later, Kottke announced that over the course of the year about 1,450 micropatrons had contributed $39,900, the vast majority during the three weeks after his initial announcement, and that he would not attempt the feat for a second year.
, the blog is supported by paid advertisements, as part of the design-oriented advertising network The DECK.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger and former web design
Web design
Web design is the process of planning and creating a website. Text, images, digital media and interactive elements are used by web designers to produce the page seen on the web browser...
er currently living in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He designed the Silkscreen typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
and has won a Lifetime Achievement Award
Blog award
A Blog award is an award for the best blog in a given category. Some blog awards are based on a public vote and others are based on a fixed set of criteria applied by a panel of judges....
as a blogger. , his blog is ranked #80 on the Technorati
Technorati
Technorati is an Internet search engine for searching blogs. By June 2008, Technorati was indexing 112.8 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media...
Top 100.
Web design
After graduating with a degree in physicsPhysics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
from Coe College
Coe College
Coe College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Founded in 1851, the institution is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . Its current president is James R. Phifer. It is one of the smaller universities to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa...
in 1995, Kottke started work as a web designer in 1996, on projects for clients such as Charles Schwab
Charles Schwab Corp.
The Charles Schwab Corporation , is an American brokerage and banking company, based in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1971 by Charles R. "Chuck" Schwab, as a traditional, brick and mortar brokerage firm and investment newsletter publisher. In 1973, the company name changed from First...
.
In 1999, he designed the Silkscreen typeface — since used by Adobe
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, and Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
, amongst others. His design work has been featured in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
, and Brill's Content. Kottke has served on the Advisory Board for SXSW Interactive
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
from 2000–2003 and has spoken at the SXSW Interactive conference as well as the Seybold and NetMedia conferences. Kottke also created the Gawker logo.
Blogging career
Kottke's first site was 0sil8, a collection of "digital experiments."Kottke, a pioneering blogger, began his blog in March 1998.
In 2000, Kottke and his then-girlfriend (now wife) Meg Hourihan
Meg Hourihan
Meg Hourihan is the cofounder of Pyra Labs, the company that launched the Blogger personal blogging software that was acquired by Google. She published weblogs at and...
were profiled in a New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
article, "You've Got Blog", which introduced blogging to a wider audience. His contributions to blogging were acknowledged when he won a Bloggie Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003, after five years of blogging. After a year of soliciting payments from readers who enjoyed his blog, he stopped because he had not managed to attract enough readers or developed "a sufficient cult of personality" to support the subscription model.
His blogging got him in trouble with Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
when he broke the news of the loss that broke Ken Jennings
Ken Jennings
Kenneth Wayne "Ken" Jennings III is an American game show contestant and author. Jennings is noted for holding the record for the longest winning streak on the U.S. syndicated game show Jeopardy! and as being the all-time leading money winner on American game shows...
' Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
win streak.
On February 22, 2005, Kottke announced that he had left his web design job in order to work on kottke.org full-time. He pledged that all content on the site would still be free while encouraging readers to become "micropatrons" by making an optional contribution of any amount. By the close of business on the day of the announcement, over 200 people were listed as micropatrons on kottke.org. Kottke also received in-kind support through a fellowship from Eyebeam
Eyebeam Atelier
Eyebeam, is a not-for-profit arts and technology center in New York City. Their stated purpose is to promote the creative use of new technologies by funding artwork, education and exhibitions. The founders were John S. Johnson III, David S. Johnson and Roderic R...
, which provided space for Kottke to work in its research and development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
labs. Exactly one year later, Kottke announced that over the course of the year about 1,450 micropatrons had contributed $39,900, the vast majority during the three weeks after his initial announcement, and that he would not attempt the feat for a second year.
, the blog is supported by paid advertisements, as part of the design-oriented advertising network The DECK.