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Start a Blog:From Hosting to Posting

Module 4: Theme, Colors, Fonts• Choosing a theme• Color considerations• Fonts and font combinations

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Choosing a ThemeChoosing a theme can be an overwhelming task. You have thousands of choices to consider.

Keep these things in mind.

Function over form: What are your goals for your site? What do you want your visitors to do when they land on a post or page? What kind of content do you plan to include?

Take your focus off the colors and images to the identify the various elements on the home page and a single post page.

Look at the theme demo on your phone or other mobile device. Most visitors will initially land on a single post page.

Header

Navigation MenuWidget Area with Slider

Blog Post Excerpts Right Sidebar

Theme ElementsThis theme has a full-width header and full-width featured post slider before splitting into the post area with a right sidebar.

Theme ElementsThe bottom portion of the page includes three side-by-side footer widget areas, a full-width footer widget area, and then the footer.

Footer

Footer Widget Area

Blog Post Excerpts Right Sidebar

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Page TemplatesA Landing Page is a template all other page elements except for a full-width text section. Landing pages are often used as sales pages or as an email subscription sign up page.

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Page TemplatesAlthough you can add ecommerce functionality to most themes, the process will be easier if the theme has ecommerce page templates included.

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Page TemplatesIf you have a photograph gallery to display, look for a theme that includes a portfolio page template.

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Genesis Framework & Child Themes My recommended source for premium themes is StudioPress (affiliate link).

Themes from StudioPress consist of two parts, the framework and a child theme.

A framework is a type of WordPress theme — the frame and body of the car — that acts as a design, security, and SEO foundation for your website. It also “future-proofs” your site customizations, so there’s no hassle when it comes time to upgrade your software with one click.

A child theme is the pure design element that rests on top of the framework — the cherry red paint job on that car.

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Genesis Framework & Child Themes The Genesis framework is sold by StudioPress. Child themes are available from StudioPress and several other vendors.

Features include:

• Search Engine Optimization

• Mobile Responsive Designs

• Airtight Security – following all WordPress security best practices

• Widgets & Layout Options

• Developers You Can Trust

When choosing any theme:• Look at the demo• Imagine how your content will fit• Theme features available• Documentation available• Reviews and Ratings• Make sure demo content is available to

help you set up your site

Your handout for Module 4 will include notes and links to free and premium theme resources.

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Choosing ColorsIt is best to limit your color scheme to one primary color and one or two accent colors. You can approach this three ways:

• Two contrasting colors on opposite sides of the color wheel

• Three colors from the same base color, each one lighter than the other

• Three colors that are equally spaced around the color wheel.

One important tip is to make sure your font colors contrast from the background color.

Although you want the colors on the site to reflect you, I recommend that you consider what your viewers will expect when they visit a site on your topic.

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Choosing ColorsBecause I’m also a paper crafter and worked as a direct sales representative for 10 years, I often use Pinterest to look for color schemes.

I search for “stampin up color combos” to find palettes to consider. I also use a particular color name once I have chosen a color direction for a site.

Your handout will include links to all my favorite tools including a list of colors (with hex codes) featured in the Pinterest boards.

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Choosing FontsThe best advice I can give you for choosing fonts is to study the font pairings on sites you like to visit.

I use a tool called Stylifyme.com that shows me the color codes and font names from any site.

Then you can look up the fonts using the Google font tool and learn how to add them to your site.

Tutorials at Canva’s Design School are another great resource to discover font combinations.

Do not use more than 2-3 fonts for the content of your sie.

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I share easy-to-follow tutorials and effective tools to improve your blogging journey. I specialize

in identifying the best resources to prevent online overwhelm.