My name is Corey Vilhauer.
I am director of strategy at Blend Interactive. I write here. I also write at Eating Elephant about content strategy. I am co-author of a book about the web process, The Web Project Guide, and co-host of a podcast by the same name. I used to occasionally write about records at Kallax 365. The W stands for Wayne.
Latest Posts
August 31, 2023
I Organized My Records
I reorganized my record collection, which means I spent somewhere between four hours (active) and two weeks (planning) bouncing back and forth between whether genres are valid categories or if they’re just rough approximations of context and feelings.
July 31, 2023
The Frequency
Not every creative endeavor hits. But, thanks to the perils of grind culture and our own (sometimes) self-loathing, we often find ourselves feeling like we’re falling fast behind.
June 30, 2023
The Canon Silhouette
We rode under the Tetons this week and watched the silhouette change with every few yards. Naturally, this reminded me of Tori Amos and the archetypes our fandoms take on.
May 31, 2023
The Systems Within Us
A quick look at the physics engine behind the new The Legend of Zelda game — and how difficult it is to perfect our own emotional systems.
April 28, 2023
It’s the Anticipation that Kills You
I’m giving a talk next week and I’m endlessly nervous. So here are some thoughts on anxiety and relief during the presentation process.
Selected Works
August 5, 2015The Pastry Box Project
While No Guitar Gently Weeps
The world continues to move even as you wander around, looking for inspiration, and the risk is always there: what happens when everyone passes you by, and what happens when you realize you never really cared in the first place?
February 28, 2012A List Apart
Audiences, Outcomes, and Determining User Needs
Every website needs an audience. And every audience needs a goal. How do we get to really know our audience and find out what these mystery users really want from our sites and applications?
May 2013Offscreen Magazine
Life In Folders
Commissioned thoughts on organizing photos, organizing files and folders, and organizing life.
January 14, 2014Black Marks on Wood Pulp
The Ocean
Thoughts on large bodies of water, the dream and desire to see the world, and the utter exhaustion of travelling for work when all you want to do is hang out at home and be a dad.
December 7, 2011Contents Magazine
A Content Methodology Primer
Content wants to be messy. It wants to roll around in the mud. It wants to be gross. Our job is to pull it together—to take the guesswork out of creating and curating it—and to treat content work as something closer to a science.
July 19, 2011Eating Elephant
Domain Knowledge: What You Need - Or Don't Need - To Know
As content strategists, we are expected to help our clients communicate the concepts, benefits and advantages of their company or industry. But we are not who our clients are. We do not possess the same amount of knowledge about their business. How do we bridge this gap?