Hi, there! Today’s post is a little different. I’ve had a lot of you ask about blog designs, where to get themes, and just how to do it. Instead of me rambling on, I’ve brought you someone who actually designs blog themes to give you some great information!
Enter, Lori! She’s the lovely woman behind the blog Pure Imagination AND the store Imagination Designs. Her store features lovely designs as well as add-ons (like blog signature and ratings). She’ll even do the installation for you (for any of y’all not tech-savvy friends). She designs for both Blogger and WordPress! Check out some of her designs below:
Want to know what her FIVE blog design tips are? Keep reading!
Hi everyone! I’m excited that Molly asked me to share some tips are her blog today. I started designing blogs back in 2009, I think. I am in no way an expert. I taught myself because I wanted a pretty blog and I’ve since designed hundreds of book blogs. The styles have changed so much over the years and they will continue to change, but the things I discuss in these tips have pretty much stood the test of time. I hope you find some of this useful!
NO HUGE HEADERS
When I first started designing blogs these huge, cute, cartoon-y header images were all the rage. They were pretty adorable but they took up so much space! When someone visits your blog you want your design, especially your header/logo to be eye-catching and appealing, but you want readers to ultimately subscribe because they like your content. It’s hard for them to see your content if your header takes up the entire screen. So, keep it small and eye-catching.
MAKE IT AESTHETICALLY PLEASING
This is probably the most obvious and the most vague thing on this list. What one reader finds visually pleasing another might find boring. You’re really just going to have to go with what makes you happy on a lot of the aesthetics, but there are a few things that all blogs should have:
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Have a white background.Ahh! I know! Some people can pull off the dark or different shades but white is always a safe choice. Just try to avoid having light text on a black background. It can be really hard to read.
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Make sure everything lines up!Formatting takes a lot of tedious work sometimes but it’s so worth it. Make sure your sidebar gadgets don’t stick out or get cut off. It’s always nice to resize and align the pictures in your posts to be more uniform as well.
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Colors.This is really up to your preferences, but I find that I enjoy reading blogs with a pleasing color scheme. Primary colors don’t seem to be very popular with design these days. I suggest searching Pinterest for color palettes you like. There’s a million options, so be prepared to fall into that rabbit hole.
WHITE SPACE IS YOUR FRIEND
Don’t be afraid to leave white space in your design. In fact, I suggest that you do leave white space. It makes your blog look clean and neat. It helps the reader focus on your content.
DECLUTTER
This goes along with the white space suggestion, but I’m mostly talking about your sidebar with this one. You don’t have to have every single gadget possible on your sidebar. It slows your blog down and makes it look cluttered. Try sticking to the bare minimum or making the images pretty small.
ADD IMPORTANT LINKS TO YOUR SIDEBAR
I’m not sure this is 100% design related, but it’s so important! Most bloggers include their social media links, but also make sure you include a way to easily subscribe to your blog as well. I also like having a small bio on the sidebar. It’s nice to see the person behind the blog and get to know them a little. Another thing that seems to get left out a lot is a search bar! Add that! I don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to read a specific review on a blog only to discover they had no search bar.
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So there you have it! Those are my top blog design tips. The most important thing to remember is to have fun with it! Your blog is an online expression of yourself. That means you do what makes you happy! Thanks so much for reading and thank you Molly for having me!
Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ImagineblogDesign
Design site: http://www.imaginationblogdesigns.com/
Book Blog: http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/
Make sure to check out Lori’s blog and store!
Did you find this helpful? What other design tips do you have?
4 Comments
“I’ve had a lot of you ask about blog designs”… yep, I’m one of them! I love Lori’s Pure Imagination blog, but I didn’t even know she had her own store! Thanks for this guest post!
hahahah Well I’m glad I was able to provide something to answer the question 😀
Thanks so much for having me, Molly!
Yay! Thank YOU!