In the world of blog and web design, less is usually more. It’s hard to stand out in a sea of bloggers, but your blog design doesn’t have to be fancy or flashy to make an impression. Cleanliness is always more pleasing than a scattered blog with too much going on. A few years ago, my blog design included floral patterns, gold sparkles, and a bad logo. All of those together. I was never happy with it, so I would tweak it all the time (I like to believe this was before branding your blog got cool). It was crazy. Anyway, eventually I finally decided to go with a cleaner, more simple design and I ended up keeping it for years!
There are a few things I think are really effective in creating a simple but very attractive blog design. If you’re a coder, you’ll have no problem making these changes. Otherwise, keep this list in mind when you’re looking for a template or chatting with your designer.
1. Invest in a mobile friendly blog theme.
Mobile responsive themes are important for a couple of reasons. 1) Google will consider your site’s responsiveness in its search rankings and 2) It just looks better. I love when I visit a blog on my phone and it’s super easy on the eyes. Sometimes when a site isn’t responsive, it is a lot harder to read and navigate. If you’re looking for a great mobile responsive theme, I always recommend purchasing one from StudioPress. Or, you can contact me for pricing on development services!
2. Choose a unique color palette.
There was a time when I noticed that most of the blogs I came across had the same color palette. And I kinda used those colors on my blog too! There are a lot of great ways to choose a color palette that is unique to your brand. Check out our color palette resources for inspiration!
3. Find complimentary fonts for your headings & body text.
In general, 2-3 fonts is best for a blog design. I recommend having one font for your body text, one for your headings, and possibly a third for your logo. Since there are a bajillion fonts out there, narrowing a just a couple down can be tricky! See this list of our favorite font resources to decide on some favorites.
4. Install customizable plugins.
If you are a WordPress user, you know that plugins are a really big perk! We love choosing plugins that can be customized so they’ll fit well with our brand. Here is a list of social media plugins that can be tweaked easily.
5. Add hand drawn or handwritten elements.
Lastly, having something hand drawn on your site is a beautiful way to add a little creativity and ensure that your design is original. Angela and I both have hand drawn or hand-lettered logos on our personal sites (If Found, Make. and Earl Grey Creative) and we definitely haven’t gotten tired of them yet. Angela hired an amazing hand letterer to create her blog header, and my logo was completed with the help of my friend Steph and my trusty Wacom Tablet.
I’m all about finding simple ways to add a unique touch to websites so if you have any ideas to add to the list, please share!
What is your favorite element of your blog design? Is there anything you want to change?
Ellen says
Some very useful tips!
I have wanted to add an element of handwriting to my own blog website!
Ellen,
http://fishnetsxd.blogspot.ie
Boh says
Great tips! I love the handwritten concept too!
http://www.blackandwhiteinsider.com
Yankified says
Lovely tips. Thanks for sharing
http://www.yankified.com