5 Tips for Redesigning Your Blog

In case you haven't noticed, Living Bittersweetly has gone through quite a big change in design. The original layout was fun but a little confusing. While redoing my blog, I followed a few rules in order to keep the design simple and cohesive. I hope you like the redesign of Living Bittersweetly and these tips help you make your blog look as great as possible.

1. Banner

The new banner is easier to read and keeps the font cohesive with the rest of the blog. When creating a banner, keep in mind that it needs to be simple and readable while still depicting the feel of the blog. 

2. Introduction

My old introduction was barely an introduction. The introduction is a quick way for your readers to learn about you and your blog and decide if they want to keep reading. I emphasized my name, using a different font, as well because it is my personal blog and that way it would stand out among the other text.

3. Fonts

I am obsessed with fonts. I will spend hours scouring the internet for fonts, reading about them downloading them, etc. However I'm not letting my adoration of typography rear its ugly head in my blog because, well it doesn't look good. I've simplified the design from going to about ten fonts to two (IM Fell Great Primer and Quilted Butterfly) and I mix up the fonts within my posts to have a little fun with the design but never exceed two additional fonts per post (not including Verdana which my posts are written in). 

4. Pages

I do like pages on the side bar but this nice ribbon banner right under my main banner directs my readers to my about and contact pages as well as my post archive. The other, less bold pages section can easily be over looked as it doesn't stand out in comparison to the rest of the page.

5. Social Media

Living Bittersweetly's old social media buttons, like the rest of the side bar was overrun with fonts and the patten within each of the icons was not as awesome looking as I'd originally hoped. The new social media buttons is more in line with the rest of the blog and utilizes the new fonts.

I hope I've inspired you to give your blog a little clean up and if you take any of my advice let me know so I can see your work.

Any questions or comments about the new design? Comment!