4 Design Strategies That Work At Home, the Office, and On Your Blog

If you're reading this post, chances are that you have your own blog. If you've got interesting posts, but they're floating in a sea of sponsor ads or poor layout, nobody is going to give you the chance to shine. If you compare your blog to your home or office, the same concepts in design can be applied. No one would be comfortable in a messy house or office. Just as people would feel confused when navigating a chaotic looking blog, overfilled with unorganized information or pictures. This doesn't mean that you should become an extreme minimalist, but as a designer, I know the most important idea when designing anything - from your home, office, or even your blog - is to find balance. This is more easily said than done, so here are some pointers to help you create a blog that you can be proud to say is truly your own.

1. Customize Your Header

I have realized that one of the most important elements to a blog is the header. The header draws the most attention as it sits on top of the page, and is the first thing your reader sees when they land on your blog. A good header gives people a quick heads up on what the blog might be about or where the blogger's interests lies. It only takes one glance for a reader to decide whether they should continue looking through your blog or not. This concept also ties in with the front yard of your house or the reception area in an office. If you do not manage the first thing your guests see at your home or office, they will assume the interior of these spaces are also as messy, boring, or cluttered as the outside. If you are not Photoshop or art savvy, perhaps look into purchasing a custom header from a professional online artist. These headers are usually very unique and are fairly priced.

2. Express Your Personality

   Always be true to your own taste and style in your blog. Just like you see your home and office almost everyday, you wouldn't want your blog to be something that isn't you. Beware of pre-made templates. They're definitely fast in getting you up and running, but chances are one isn't going to be a perfect fit. Imagine having to repaint your entire house or to purchase different sets of office furniture because you opted for cheaper, but flimsy desks. Remember, you want well developed content in an equally developed space. It would be a lot easier to get it right the first time. Don't go for something beautiful that doesn't go with your theme of your blog. It's fine for first time bloggers to borrow templates. As soon as you can, make these templates your own and personalize them. Change the font colors, font styles, move around the widgets, and, of course, customize your own header!

3. Pictures Are Worth A Thousand Words

Just think of walking into a friend's home and not seeing any photos on the wall. Your friend may be talking about his family members, but there are no pictures to satisfy your curiosity of what they look like. In an office, it would be nice to see framed accomplishments or awards of the company - especially if you are a client of the business. Somehow seeing pictures is comforting and reassuring, and it also visually occupy our brains to believe that their surrounding is more interesting than it seems. If someone lands on your blog, they would probably be discouraged to read it if all they see is paragraphs of words with no pictures or design. Perhaps one picture minimum per post would suffice as a visual enhancer to your blog posts. Eventually you will be able to find it a habit to put pictures in your posts.

4. Make It Accessible

Another important design element comes with having a fresh and easy-on-the-eyes blog or website. It is just like having a room filled with beautiful expensive furniture. We don't want the furniture to look like it was just thrown into the room and placed anywhere into a clutter of chairs and tables. Instead, we have an idea where we would have our nice mahogany coffee table stand and its accompanying chairs to sit. We need to visually enhance the room and make space between the furniture for us to comfortably walk in. In an office, it maximizes efficiency for everybody if files are organized and cubicles are easily accessible. The same concepts can be applied to blogs and websites. Make sure your blog is highly accessible because usually your audience will do a quick scroll to take in what your blog looks like before they dive into your blog world. This means that they can easily find the comment boxes, your "about me" section, the archive to your posts, and all the other widgets you add into your blog. Take a moment to look at your blog, how easy is it for you to navigate in your own site?

Designing your blog should not be a tedious and difficult process as it is just you taking the time to find out what works for you and what will work for others, as well. Spend some time designing your blog. The more effort you put into your blog the more people will in turn appreciate your blog as much as you do.

Rebecca Chelsey, a designer, has a creative side that she enjoys utilizing on both personal and business projects. Her work as a designer has also taught her a great deal about communicating with people and helping them find inspiration. Outside her life as mother and wife, she also works for Homeseasons, which has simplified the holidays with 4th of July decorations, Halloween Holiday arrangements and ideas for every holiday in between.