Topic

Design Your Blog

Topic Progress:

So you got everything set up and you’re excited to start blogging . . .until you notice your blog looks really plain! That’s because you need to design your blog with a theme. Right now your blog is setup on a free WordPress theme as the default.

What is a Theme?

A blog theme is what gives your blog a specific look and feel. It allows you to customize your blog from the colors, fonts, navigation, sidebar, layout, and much more.

Free or Paid Themes?

Right out of the gate, you can use a free theme and work your way towards a premium theme once you have the funds and/or you know exactly what you want.

If you’re ready and know what you want, you can always hire a web/blog designer to create your site for you. If that’s not in your budget yet, you can create a beautiful site using a premium theme. A premium theme costs money but gives you more functionality than a free theme.

Here are some premium theme designers that we recommend:

This is where your visual branding strategy will come into play. Look at blog designs that you love and if necessary, reach out to the blog owner and find out who designed it.

You’ll want to find a theme that visually represents your brand. Keep in mind that most themes are customizable. So if you see a preview that doesn’t fit your color scheme, make sure that you can edit the colors. Many of the theme designers also have a support package where they will the entire theme install for you! If you don’t feel comfortable yet, this might be a great option.

Action Plan

Check out some other blogs to gain inspiration for your own design. Jot down what you like about the design, navigation, and overall function. You can keep a list of links and screenshots in Trello or Evernote.

 

Comments

  1. Kerry & Valentine

    I would suggest that if you get a paid premium theme, make sure that it comes with the option to get support from the theme creator. Usually it will be an add-on cost for that. One thing I learned is that themes that offer a lot of customizable functionality and use a lot of plugins can tend to slow loading time down for your blog, so just keep that in mind. Even though I really like the template I chose for my website, it was a bit too advanced for my skill level, which I didn’t realize when I first purchased it. It took me a few months to learn how to make it look like the demo and also customize it to fit my palette and needs.