SpoonGraphics

Spoon Graphics Turns 11 Years Old — Down But Not Out!

It’s that time of year when Spoon Graphics gets a little older, with 2018 marking 11 years of tutorial creating, freebie sharing and article writing on what started as a blog that was attached to my portfolio website in 2007. Every April I take some time to reflect over the past 12 months and talk about how things have changed. Last year marked a decade of Spoon Graphics, so let’s take a look at some fresh stats and figures another year on after that big milestone.

Spoon Graphics 2018

I always start these anniversary posts with links to my previous yearly celebrations. It’s interesting to go back and see how my blog has evolved:

Average Stats of Late

Traffic change: -14.8%
Top Content: 20 Free PSD Templates to Mockup Your Poster Designs (2014) & 25 Adobe Illustrator Brush Sets You Can Download For Free (2016)
Email Subscribers: 141,780 (up 16% from 2017)
YouTube Channel Subscribers: 206,306 (up 63% from 2017)
Highest Traffic Peak (This Year): Monday May 22nd 2017 – 23,725 visitors (9 Free “Washed & Worn” Aged T-Shirt Effect Textures)
Highest Traffic Peak: Tuesday November 11th 2014 – 44,592 visitors (How To Create a Realistic Painted Effect in Photoshop)

Traffic stats are dropping quite drastically compared to previous years. My site’s prime was around 2012, when I enjoyed serious traffic spikes from StumbleUpon, Facebook and Twitter, but referral stats have seen the biggest decline by 27%, with traffic across the board being down by around 15%. The Highest Traffic Peak stat has remained the same since 2014, so this time I’ve added Highest Traffic Peak (This Year), which was slightly above average at 23,725 visitors. The good news is my audience is still growing, with my mailing list now surpassing 140,000 subscribers and the Spoon Graphics YouTube Channel reaching its second big milestone of 200,000 subscribers.

Interestingly, the video view stats of my Spoon Graphics YouTube Channel are now higher than my website’s user figures. Throughout March 2018, my website saw 377,835 users, compared to 437,693 views on my video tutorials. Some of those statistics will overlap though, because each video tutorial is also embedded as a blog post and sent out to my mailing list.

Technical stats

Powered by: WordPress
Hosted on: 4GB VPS
Server location: Dallas
Monthly bandwidth: 10TB

My server was upgraded this year to provide a higher bandwidth allocation. Previously I was running a setup with a 6TB limit, but I was seeing overage charges every month from using between 8-10TB. My host recently ran an offer which featured the same server configuration but with 10TB bandwidth included, so I picked it up and got the site transferred over. This will hopefully save me a fair bit of money each month by eliminating a lot of those overage charges from my bills.

Thank you!

Once again I’d like to give a big thanks to all my readers, both veteran subscribers who have been around since the early days and newcomers who have just discovered my content. While it is a little worrying seeing my site’s traffic decline at an even faster rate than previous years, I suppose it’s to be expected as the landscape of the Internet changes. It’s fulfilling to see that my audience stats are doing quite the opposite and growing at a steady rate, particularly on YouTube. I hope you find my content throughout the next 12 months useful and enjoyable!

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42 Comments

  1. Your site is one of the very few that I visit weekly.

    Your newsletter, one of the few I haven’t unsubscribed, I always look forward to.

    Your video tutorials, written and produced concisely and professionally, are invaluable.

    Your special features on trends and designs have opened my eyes and keep me from being static.

    Sometimes your circle decreases in size, but increases in value.

    I cherish your work, insights and generosity, Chris.

    Thank you

  2. It’s been 11 years already, who would have thought that it’s been such a long time. To be honest, I’m not surprised, your site is very stylish, beautiful and creative. It is these sites should be on the Internet most of the time. I read a lot of blogs about food, sports, games and hobbies. Some of them are beautiful, some creative, and those that look like something I usually do not read them, they are not impressive at all. I myself once wanted to try to write a blog, but I realized that it was not mine. I wish you success, happiness, and most importantly, overcome the bar in 1M readers :)

  3. Congratulations! Wishing you more success. Your articles and your work is inspiring and helping lots of people.

  4. Congratulation for 11 years successful teaching art to people like me.
    I wish your visitors and business grow as well as past 11 years.
    Cheers

  5. Huge congrats on 11 years, Chris! I’ve been loving what you’re putting out on YouTube, and know that’ll only continue to explode as you create more quality content. All your hard work doesn’t go unappreciated – especially for those just getting started. Here’s to another awesome year of growth and success!

  6. Hi and congratulations! I’m a big fan of your tutorial presentation style: really clear and never any unnecessary waffle. Makes them enjoyable and very easy to follow. All the best for many more years success

  8. Thanks for all of your inspiration. Your friendly and informative tutorials are spot on and thanks to you I’ve spent far too much money on fonts and backgrounds with Design Cuts! Happy 11th birthday Chris!

  12. Your content is always welcome and relevant. The landscape may be changing but the quality of your email continues to improve and it has stayed relevant and creative. Thanks for all you share with designers!

  14. Congrats Chris. 11 years is awesome. I’m fairly new to your site and I love it and hope you will be around for a long time yet.

    Cheers from Australia :)

  15. Congratulations! I have been following the blog posts for a couple of years, but I’m already a fan!

    Regards!

  16. I’ve been subscribed to your blog, learning from your tutorials, and downloading your freebies for the past four years. Makes me wonder about all that I missed the previous seven. You’re an invaluable resource, can’t thank you enough. Keep on keepin’ on.

  18. I have followed you for a few years and if I don’t have the time to read your email, I save them for a quiet afternoon when no one will bother me. I find them informative, inspiring, interesting, creative and fun…and yes, I have made a purchase or 2 along the way. Keep up the great work.

  19. Chris – I’ve been a subscriber for 5+ years and thank you for your wonderful tutorials and free resources. I share you with my friends and rely on your newsletters to stay up-to-date on recent design trends.

    And, you the know the best part of your youtube videos? Your accent. Ha! We Americans love it.

    Warmly,
    Sam

    P.S. I tweaked one of your vintage logo resources to start an all-natural dog treat brand — Salty Paws! Thanks so much — saltypawstreats.com

  20. Congrats and thank you for all the amazing content, tutorials and tips you have shared with us! I wish you all the best! For many more years to come!

  21. Thank you for doing all this. I, along with all the others who benefit from what you do – and how well you do it, am grateful.

  23. Many many thanks for the amazing tutorials, content, and words of wisdom for the designing community. I am but one among thousands who have reaped the benefits from all your time and energy spent on giving & sharing.
    So, with that said . . . Happy Eleven Years Old and may we all celebrate many more Spooner Graphics birthdays!

  24. Thank you for 11 years of awesomeness. I have and still learn a lot from your site. How did I not know about your YouTube channel?!! *runs off to subscribe*

  26. Your work and tutorials are a go to for me! I dream about having a little extra a month to go premium. I know it will be so worth it. I know that as long as I stay connected here, I can find the latest trends, techniques and classic design advice. Thank you so much! From a “freebie-er” for now…

  27. I’m a self-taught designer with little previous experience, and I owe a great deal of the knowledge I’ve acquired through visiting your blog. Big fan of your work!

  28. Congratulation Chris! :) I have passed the two year of Blogging still new! But, This motivates me to continue. Wish you best of luck for more success.

  29. In the first year of this site, I visited constantly, we were doing similar things and I enjoyed your approach to breaking down things but ultimately I was here to learn how to use a specific package, at the time illustrator.

    It doesn’t surprise me to see statistics going the way they are, Youtube is a bigger draw because 1 I can actually see how you do something, and because whilst I’m there I’m going to go watch a cat do something.

    What I do wonder, is what impact the network has had. netmagazine killed off their web presence, and replaced it with CreativeBloq, which is a absolutely muddled mess of all the things bad about design. There are very few creative magazines on the shelf, whereas I discovered your work originally through web designer, or creative arts (is that even still a publication!?).
    Now print is ‘dead’ despite everyone hungering for something to trawl through and learn from.
    What does get lost in here now though, is that you don’t see much of what you’re doing, the context to the work you actually get paid for and how that is reflected in why you are displaying how something is done.
    Still great content for the people that need it.

  30. I still remember the early years of your blog, which was one of resources I learned about Photoshop.

    Thank you for all your free tutorial you provide.
    Cheers :-)

  31. You’re a true allrounder Chris – I envy your broad technical and creative skills and your ability to pass this on coherently.
    I imagine your traffic might be dropping due to the simple fact that the internet is constantly expanding and your an inspiration for others to try do the same. Are you expanding your Premium Members subscriptions? How many have you got now?

  32. Congratulations on 11th anniversary and thanks for sharing specific, to the point and extremely useful design tips with us who have a passion in designing industry. all of the posts are immensly helpful.

  33. Congrats on the 11 year anniversary!

    Keep producing your top-quality content and I’m sure we’ll all be here celebrating your 25th year anniversary!

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