It happens to the best of us—not being able to settle on a blog design or design tweaks. I suffer from this BAD! Not only did if found, make. go through quite the evolution when I redesigned last year (I almost wanted to change my whole aesthetic), I’ve collaborated on design with others and seen how things change throughout the process. The problem is when you get used to constant change, and instead of settling, you fall into a cycle of tweaking and scrapping ideas and redoing. When you’re redoing a blog and everyone can either see those changes or is waiting on them, you’ve got to get things launched (even if it’s before your ready—totally agree with this advice) eventually.
Go with your gut
I’ve gone with a few Etsy themes in the past and always tried to transform into something that wasn’t really me, though pretty. I liked the idea of having it modern and clean looking—straight lines, black + white with minimal accents, a magazine feel, but it wasn’t really me. So it made sense that I unconsciously transformed that into quintessential “me” things—calligraphy header, no black, this new color palette—throughout the project. It also made it easy to keep social media and branding consistent. If you stray too much from your personal taste, you have to go all in. Now if I get restless all I need to do is tweak, not completely redesign. With Earl Grey Creative Jenn went with what she knew she wouldn’t get sick of later. Be cautious when designing based on a trend or that seasonal color you’re getting into—you may get bored and it won’t be you.
Get some distance
Once in awhile you need distance. It stops you from going too crazy and ending up with something totally indistinguishable from your original idea. The evolution of a project is important, but it’s just as important not to overthink. Maybe unplug at the end of the day. Or take a few days or a week away. It seems inefficient if time is a concern but designing and re-designing to death over the course of weeks or month isn’t efficient either, and will make you crazy! While away, don’t go looking at other designs you might want to influence it—try to get it off your mind completely. A fresh perspective is everything!
Allow a few trusted opinions
Not everyone will agree, but I think the worst thing you can do is ask every single person you know for their opinion. To me, it’s quality over quantity. A couple unbiased opinions can be helpful—like people who aren’t really into design—because they’ll go with their gut. But in the end, don’t you want people to take your goals and message into account? If they don’t, you might end up with something that doesn’t represent you (or your product). I think a few opinions are best for that. And those are absolutely necessary to get out of your own head and either confirm the things you’ve been thinking or let you know that you’ve been focusing on the wrong thing. (This also goes for too many choices. If you show everyone all 20 options of something… I had so many options for my header… You’re bound to get differing opinions, which can conflict you even more.)
Lastly, try not to stress too much—you know it’s my mantra for July. Design tweaks are bound to happen post-launch. And you kind of need that reaction from people to know where to go from there. No one is going to notice if you haven’t decided on the perfect shade of blue quite yet. They’re going to notice the amazing things you have to offer!
Gina says
I definitely agree choosing a few people to look over your design is a great strategy. That’s what I did for my new design at the beginning of the year, and I’m so glad I did!
Gemma says
I am literally in the midst of another re-design after just changing to my newest one, but luckily this one isn’t too far from the original. Hoping it will be the one stick. I’ll at least keep it for a month before I make my final decision!
activelygemma.com
Natalia says
YES. I suffered ao much trying to decide on a theme and design. But then I realized I was trying to be someone I’m not and the appearence was bothering me very much. When I gave in to my true tastes, it was wonderful! I loved everything and it made me much more excited about blogging.