Design for Blogs

42
Leonie van de Laar UI Designer Innovation Lab, Sanoma @leonievandelaar Design for blogs February 21, 2014 Hands on basic design principles for bloggers

description

This presentation shows trends in design for blogs. It includes hands on tips on how to make your blog look professional and inspiring. Target audience: bloggers without design experience ----- I participated in the course 'Bloggen is NET werken', initiated bij Sanoma, The Netherlands. This course includes the principles on how to make a successful blog.

Transcript of Design for Blogs

Page 1: Design for Blogs

Leonie van de LaarUI Designer Innovation Lab, Sanoma

@leonievandelaar

Design for blogs

February 21, 2014

Hands on basic design principles for bloggers

Page 2: Design for Blogs

• Looking, looking, looking: different blogs and trends

• Logo design

• Grids on the web

• Typography for web

• Choosing colors and managing styles

• Styling images

What are we going to do?

Page 3: Design for Blogs

Step 1 Get inspired

Step 2 Organise your content: choose your template

Step 3 Make your logo

Step 4 Finetune the typography

Step 5 Define style elements (photography, overlays etc.)

Where to start!

Page 4: Design for Blogs

Logos Fashionblogs

Page 5: Design for Blogs

Logos Architecture / Art / Living blogs

Page 6: Design for Blogs

Logos Food blogs

Page 7: Design for Blogs

Logos Lifestyle blogs

Page 8: Design for Blogs

• Hierarchy

• Make choices, don’t try to put

all information in the header

• Organise your content

• Where’s the fold?

Grid

Page 9: Design for Blogs

Examples of grids

• 2 columns

• Social icons

• Portrait of blogger

• First blogpost: images

• Simple navigation

neginmirsalehi.com

Page 10: Design for Blogs

• 3 Columns

• Left column: narrow, only for

social and data

• Centered column for blog items

• Right column used for social,

archive etc.

Examples of grids

thatgirlfromamsterdam.nl

Page 11: Design for Blogs

• 3 Columns of the same width

• Navigation not important in this

design

• Images. images, images

cottds.com

Examples of grids

Page 12: Design for Blogs

• 1 Column

• Lots and extremely big images

• A lot of scrolling

Examples of grids

winstondandwillow.com

Page 13: Design for Blogs

Organise your content with categories and icons

spoonforkbacon.com

Page 14: Design for Blogs

Consistent style in photography

joythebaker.com

Page 15: Design for Blogs

Make your own images by using graphic overlays

www.aprilandmay.nl

Page 16: Design for Blogs

Strong typography, graphic and clean

www.creatorsofdesire.com

Page 17: Design for Blogs

Choose your own style and be consistent

www.annadellorusso.com

Page 18: Design for Blogs

Use typographic overlays

sunniebrook.com

Page 19: Design for Blogs

Determine atmosphere and convert this into ph photography and recognizable graphic styles

goodbeerhunting.com

Page 20: Design for Blogs

Strong identity, original

fringeandfrange.com

Page 21: Design for Blogs

Identity by use of stamps

ztrdg.nl/

Page 22: Design for Blogs

Consistent photography

puurhomemade.nl

Page 23: Design for Blogs

Good usability, interesting way of building columns

artistsandalgorists.com

Page 24: Design for Blogs

Backgrounds

Very determinative way of using background, t be cautious in your choices

misspandora.fr

Page 25: Design for Blogs

Backgrounds

If you use it: choose something subtle

Page 26: Design for Blogs

• In the beginning of screen typography the sans

serif fonts were best readable. This had to do

with low screen resolution

!

• Nowadays displays are from a lot higher quality,

and Serif fonts are good readable

Serif vs Sans serif

Page 27: Design for Blogs

Readable line spacing

Max 9 to 14 words

Page 28: Design for Blogs

Hierarchy in text

Vary with font format and font weight

Page 29: Design for Blogs

Font size

Readability text

Page 30: Design for Blogs

Line spacing

Use enough spacing

Page 31: Design for Blogs

Readability font

Use fun or display fonts for headers, not for bodytext

Page 32: Design for Blogs

Use enough contrast

Using light text on black background is harder to read

Page 33: Design for Blogs

Center text

Be selective, not with bodytekst

Page 34: Design for Blogs

Use of capitals

Be selective, only short texts

Page 35: Design for Blogs

• Google webfonts are freehttps://www.google.com/fonts

!

• Use for bodytext readable font !

• Voor headers (and short sentences) you’re free to pick a fun font

Webfonts

Where do I get them?

Page 36: Design for Blogs

Fonts for logos

Free fonts on dafont.com

Where do I get them?

Page 37: Design for Blogs

Choose your color scheme

Get inspired on Adobe Kuler

https://kuler.adobe.com

Page 38: Design for Blogs

Make a style document

Page 39: Design for Blogs

Organise your images

Make collages/moodboards Choose a style and be consistent

Page 40: Design for Blogs

Use Apps for image processing

Picframe Instant: Polaroid Photos

Page 41: Design for Blogs

Retromatic PicLab HD - Design studio

Apps that help putting text on top layer of image

Search for your perfect image processing App Enough on offer in the Appstore!

Page 42: Design for Blogs

….At last

Make your blog personal!