Blog Design Technique & Tips

[FrenchCactus]

Hey guys! Im totally new to blogging and am feeling a little bit unsure of myself. A friend told me to link my blog with facebook to make it easier to follow.... I've tried but am feeling a little confused! can anyone guide me about the best way to go about it?

ps: here is my blog: mypurplegrape.blogspot.com. I would love to hear constructive criticism.

You should have a look at this thread :

Advice about Starting & Promoting a Fashion Blog
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[yasmine123]

thanks for the tip off french cactus!

 

[KaitlynAliano]

To everyone that asked about html-coding, to code a blog from scratch you'll need much more than html, you'll need php, mysql etc. The easiest thing is to use a blogengine like Wordpress that you can host yourself, find a good layout to edit, and then edit the css (and the html/php if you wish)

I strongly agree with the WordPress recommendation. It is incredibly easy to use and there are a variety of themes to choose from (moreso than Blogspot). You can always get someone to customize your WordPress theme later on, too.

 

[Boots & Perfume]

^ Completely agree re: Wordpress. There are countless templates, and once confident, you can choose a template that allows you to customise and html code it yourself.

 

[FrenchCactus]

^ That's true, and I'd like to add that if you have zero knowledge of HTML or CSS (like me) you can still have a nice, clean, professional-looking design to your blog with Wordpress. Some people on Blogger have a really great blog design too of course, but I get the impression that contrary to Wordpress it requires knowledge of HTML to get something good-looking.

 

[PerfectPerfect]

Oooh havent seen this topic yet.

Blogger recently put in all these cool new design features after having like the same 5 stupid templates forever!!

With their design help, no CSS or HTML was needed on my behalf. I made a few logos on Photoshop and put them into my blog and it came out way better than expected.

www.thrifteye.blogspot.com

I had a very minimal design before, but now I think it reflects me more!

 

[markese91]

So I've just found this thread and I've been blogging for a while. I actually started doing HTML in middle school with my friends before Myspace got really big and we used to make our own websites with freewebs. Anyway, most of the stuff listed here I either know about or don't have a need for but I did want to ask 2 things.

1. Is there any way to have a widget on my blog that is like featured posts? I have been looking all over and I can't find one that fits my fancy and I think I'll have to build one but I'm not sure how. I need the widget to list the title of the post and post the first image from the blog's thumbnail. The image is going to have to be sort of sizeable seeing as my sidebar isn't small. Oh and I'm on blogspot.

2. Is there anything on my blog that you guys see that needs to be tweaked?

My blog is in my signature.

 

[Boots & Perfume]

Do any wordpress users know how to customise a theme so that a) my main body column is wider and; b) all the blogroll links, text, etc. are black (rather than the blu mine currently appear as on the right-hand menu bar). I can't seem to find a theme or coding that allows me to do this, but really wanting to make mine even more minimal and clean!

Thanks in advance

 

[FASHIONLOVA]

i need a new theme and blogger's aren't the best.
do u know where i can find some cool ones??
thank u

 

[markese91]

i need a new theme and blogger's aren't the best.
do u know where i can find some cool ones??
thank u

The best thing to do is make your own.

Other than that a simple search on Google will do it for you Also, going back through this thread and clicking the links that others provided.

 

[kissesandcurls]

i need a new theme and blogger's aren't the best.
do u know where i can find some cool ones??
thank u

Customisation is the key. Im not a fan of the templates but if you fiddle around with them you can make them into your own thing. The links provided in this thread will lead you to nice looking pre made layouts but not to a successful original blog. Have fun with it, thats one of the main parts of blogging and most of all make it reflective of you.

 

[maaxzc]

Hi guys, i've just find this thread and well... I own a blog, and for many times i've changed the theme sometimes i don't like the distribution, the header or some other stuffs, if you can please check on my blog and tell me what do you thing, the link is down here on my signature.

Thanks in advance.

 

[prehuman]

The main thing that bothers me about blogs is poor balance. I know there is only so much customization one can do within certain blogging website… but you don't need much to make something look good!

CONSISTENCY & SIMPLICITY

You want your type to match your pictures. Lots of designers forget this. Consistent type throughout the whole document is important. Choose one or two type faces and stick with them. For example: I may use 14 pt, grey, bolded Verdana for titles and 11pt, black Garamond for the entry content.

Your entries, though they all may be on a particular theme, are going to be diverse. It's good to keep things as simple as possible. This allows the content to be the main focus. Your reader is going to be looking at the same layout over and over as they scroll/click through your content, you don't want them to be overwhelmed or distracted. Your blog should be readable.

You want your blog to be memorable, to have longevity. The best way to achieve this is simple, intelligent design. Something you've put thought into.

It's good to use a grid system. It makes everything visually appealing. I know that may seem stiff, but there is a surprising amount of ingenuity and originality that stems from grids. In actuality, I find it makes things much, much easier. No fuss!

And finally, this applies to all of design, look at the negative space around an object, the way it sets within/next to another object/type. Is it balanced? If it feels off, try moving things around until it feels comfortable. This will take a long time at first, but you're just developing your eye!

Here is a good website on grid systems: thegridsystem.org
And some inspiration: minimalsites.com

I hope that helped some new designers!

 

[cologne_rocks]

I need help: Is it possible to post a vid from vimeo.com on a blogspot? Just pasting the embed link doesn't work. Thanks so much in advance!

 

[markese91]

you do just post the embed link but you must make sure you are in the edit html mode of the blog post and not the compose mode.

 

[sill]

Is there anybody here who has some spare time and would like to help a clueless person design a blogspot.com webpage?

 

[Boots & Perfume]

I'm looking to do a re-design/upgrade of my blog on Wordpress. Does anyone happen to have any great suggestions (or able to do it themselves) who could do a gorgeous job of this? Will obviously pay.

I'm looking to make everything cleaner/less-cluttered/bigger main column+pictures, but would love any other suggestions others might have for mine.

Thanks in advance!

 

[anarcobitch]

I'm a web designer, I worked with a programmer but he kinda sucks lol
He just couldn't make my ideas come true, so i'm looking for a better one.

I can make your blogs' design, but I don't think I'll be able to code all of them - I mean, if they're too complicated or out of the standards.

Just contact me and we'll see

 

[Lela London]

I can help anyone who is interested through PM! Not super high-techy but I do clean well

 

[CommanderTMugler]

Ooooh I love this! Subscribing for sure!