I honestly believe that for those of us web designers, there is no more rewarding project than commissioning a personal blog. A department store or one of the best-known law firms may come to order a redesign or design tips or a new website with lots of functionalities. There is no comparison. I stay with the blogger.
We all know that to design a good blog, you need to create a nice logo, you need to choose a proper WordPress template but here in this article, I am going to talk some designing tips you probably did not know before as a new blogger.
6 Vital Design Tips for Blogging
So let’s get to work. Let’s work on the design basics, especially important for bloggers, without the need for any minimal knowledge.
1. Use colors meaningfully
You will know that there is a very interesting subject on the psychology of color, on what each one inspires us, red (passion, heat) or green (hope, nature). All colors have positive meanings but also negative ones. Use them to your advantage!
The colors you use are part of the message you convey in your content.
If in your blog you are talking about issues related to mediation, solving personal problems, or conflicts, it may not be a good idea to use aggressive colors such as red (violence) or yellow (cowardice). Colors and shades close to blue inspire us with tranquility, immensity, the sea, the ocean. Do you get it?
Do not complicate yourself with this. Keep it in mind, and try above all to avoid negative connotations, rather than look for positive ones (that would be a note!)
2. Use contrasting color palettes
Combining colors is a difficult task. Trust me. There is nothing more frustrating than having three separate colors, and that individually you love them, and when putting them together: pluff, there is nothing to do, the gear does not work.
Color palettes are a great tool to ensure the harmony of the colors your design uses.
Therefore, the best thing, if you are not sure where to start, is to use pre-established color palettes with combinations that work, are harmonious, and their effectiveness is proven. In addition, you can locate them according to what theme: business, nature, sports. They are a good resource, and it does not make you too complicated. They are a safe value.
3. No more than 3 or 4 colors
Take my advice on this. Not for more colors. Your website will say more.
Go for simplicity, combine colors wisely, and please don’t go over 3 or 4 colors. If you can leave it in less, better: remember, the important thing is the content, the design is the sofa where our visitor is going to sit and read our blog. Make it comfortable, but let you read.
A combination of two main colors, plus a complimentary one, is best. One of the main colors can go well for the menu (when we select the page we are on when we go over the buttons) and the other main one for the rest of the elements (color of titles, links, meta, etc.).
The third, a complementary color, can go well for some detail: what type of article is it, the balloon that includes the date of the post, number of comments, etc. In a supporting role.
4. I have come to your blog to read you, not to see your graffiti
Well, that. The visitor is here because he is interested in how you write, not how cool is the typeface you are using. So now you have a clear principle: your content has to be readable. For all. (So don’t be a hipster and upload that 6-pixel font size that you have, which I am leaving my eyes on)
Don’t go too smart with fonts if you don’t want to suffer negative effects.
We can talk at length about the font size, but I leave you basic advice: font size in your CSS style file: “font-size: 100%”; and let the visitor’s browser manage the size of the font as required by the user (remember that there are people with impaired vision, and they need a font size large enough to see the content)
How far away are you from your laptop screen right now? 30 centimeters? I think so, thank you! And those of you who are mobile or tablet, how much are you? At 10 or 15? Hmm, that’s less than half. Do you think the same font size is valid for all devices? Indeed, it is not worth it!
The fonts, as well as the design, must be responsive (adaptable according to the device), and we can reduce them without problems for small devices (although really, in web design, this is already being done the other way around, now we are “mobile first,” we design first for mobile, and then we expand the font for desktop, but this is another story)
5. Use only 2 or 3 fonts at most
Here I am going to make a quick and very basic summary. The sources can be organized into two large groups:
Serif (ornate edges, Times New Roman type)
Sans-serif (rounded edges)
There would also be the handwrite (Comic Sans type and the letter that Real Madrid wears on the numbers this season). Don’t use them unless absolutely necessary. They look very unprofessional, and they’re no longer fun. They no longer provide the freshness and youthful look of a few years ago.
What should we do? Remember, readability. We are going to use a couple of readable fonts for our blog or website. So if they have enough content, and you don’t want your visitors to drop their eyes: use a sans-serif font for the text. They are more legible and do not strain the eyes as much as serifs. (Example: PT Sans or Roboto ).
And for the titles? Here I leave you more freedom. Look for a striking font that you can catch the user’s attention and are interested in this post you just wrote. You can use a serif or sans-serif font. (How about Bitter or Arvo ?)
6. Look for the contrast between your sources
Very good, you have already selected your sources. The important thing here is to look for the contrast between these sources. Remember that you have a large number of resources and elements at your disposal:
You can play with the font sizes
You can look for the contrast with the use of bold
You can use the resource of italics
The colors to differentiate fonts is also an option (gray 60% vs. gray 90%)
But be consistent. Choose a strategy and use it always! Not one in each post.
A global strategy for your fonts, with intelligent management, you will be able to attract attention with your titles and get the visitor to read it in its entirety with a friendly and readable font that they want to read. If you’re not good at this, don’t worry, you always have ready-made combinations that work correctly at your disposal.
conclusion
Whatever your case: you have a custom web design, a good Premium template for your WordPress, or you are thinking of changing something. It is very necessary for every blogger to have a critical criterion about some basic concepts of the design of your website or blog.
Having good quality content and combining it with an appealing design for your blog are the keys to keeping Google and visitors happy alike. Get to position yourself on the main avenue of your sector and then make your visitors feel at home, that they want to stay a little longer, that they want to return.
Read also: 8 Tips For Designing A Perfect Infographic
