Building Amazing Blog Templates
by Marc Sylvester
Blogging is on the rise across the web with a whole host of informative, opinionated, quirky and quite often hilarious blogs cropping up to provide a uniquely individual place for people's thoughts. In amongst this sea of new content, it's more important than ever before to use eye catching blog templates to make your blog stand out from the crowd!
Now more than ever, home made content is democratizing the web in a way its founders could only dream of, and allowing everyone to have their say, make their voice heard and engage in debate on pretty much anything and everything. So what makes a unique and memorable blog template that will stick in the reader's mind and keep them coming back for more?
First, you need to decide on the type of blog you want to create. For example, if you're going for a current affairs or news blog and are attempting to create something which you hope will speak with some authority, you might want to opt for something clean and simple. Although web-based content is providing a serious challenge to print, a lot of news blogs use very simple, traditional newspaper-style templates to convey a certain gravitas and air of respectability.
Print publications have spent centuries honing styles that try to avoid being straining on the eyes and in particular, if you feel your written content is of a professional quality, don't undersell it by making your blog template too flippant or outlandish.
On the other hand, if you're putting together a particularly personal blog, you'll want to really make it your own. Think about a snappy tagline, header and footer which will 'brand' your page, and don't be afraid to experiment with a few different templates when you start out. React to feedback and remember that your readers are your masters!
One tip that applies across the board is to avoid any crowded background images. Don't layer text on a family photograph for instance, or layer red text on a picture of a sunset! Think about what would actually be enjoyable to look it. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so don't be afraid to copy and adapt styles from some of your favourite blogs. Often, other people's ideas work for a very basic reason: They are simply attractive and effective.
There's nothing wrong, for example, with using pre-existing blog templates, rather than getting into a mess with tricky HTML. You'll notice that many blogs have a very similar style. Legibility, memorability and the quality of your content should be what really counts. Anything else is superfluous: If you do it right you'll reap the benefits and if you get it wrong, your blog could bomb!
If you bear the golden rules in mind, and provided you've got something interesting to share, you shouldn't have too many problems in creating a blog that's both approachable and uniquely yours. Blog templates are flexible and fully customisable, so play around and see what works and what doesn't. Have fun, experiment and think at all times about the people you're aiming for and your blog'll go far!
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