Lessons Learned from Changing My Blog Design

October 21, 2018

So, you may have noticed that there has been some changes around here.

Again.

*facepalm*

I’m pretty sure that in an older post, I said that I was not going to change my blog design anymore. Well, that didn’t happen. XD

But for anyone planning on changing their blog design in the future, here’s a couple things I learned that might make it easier!

(also, Madison recently did a similar post about this topic, so when you’re ready, go check it out!)


You really do need to know a little bit of coding.

Let’s face it: if you’re planning a major blog design change, and you’re getting a template off the Internet, chances are that not everything will work the way it should.

It’s irritating.

What’s even more irritating is when you’re trying to fix it, but have no idea what any of the HTML means.

There are hundreds of websites that you can read through that give a basic understanding. I’m not saying you have to become a coding master. But you do need to know the basics.

However, if for some reason you don’t have the time . . .


Google is your friend.

If you’re like me and forgot everything you learned about coding in school, Google it. That’s literally how I solved every single problem I had with the design.

Thank you, Google. *applause*
Do not be spontaneous.

I’m not kidding. Within six hours of me deciding that I was going to change my blog design, I already had one up. I had no idea what I was doing. (Heck, I still have no idea what I’m doing.)

Do at least a little bit of research. Put serious time into finding a blog template that looks good (if you want to find one online). Don’t just pick the first one that you like and stop there - if any of you were on my blog on Wednesday night, you saw the mess that was the first blog design I chose.

Most of the time (at least in my experience) it always helps to have a fresh pair of eyes evaluate your new design. If I hadn’t asked my mom to take a look at my new blog look, that atrocious layout would still be up today.

Which leads me to my next point.


Aesthetics are hard.

If any of you are naturally gifted with an eye for aesthetics, you all need to know that your talent is a blessing. Not everyone has an eye for design.

I know that I have absolutely no idea for what is "aesthetic" or not. That was the reason I picked out the first bad blog design in the first place. I like the one I have now much better, but I thought that the first one I had was "easy on the eyes."

It wasn’t.

So if you spend countless hours trying to make your blog nice and neat, you are not the only one. Aesthetics are not easy. Trust me.

(shoutout to Lisa, Katie Grace, Savannah, and Allison for having some of the most aesthetic blogs I’ve seen!)
The simpler, the better.

For those of you who are debating between blog designs, I only have one piece of advice: If you try to cram a lot of stuff on your blog pages, it will hurt your eyes.

More often than not, the blogs I like to follow are relatively simple, clean, and easy on the eyes. You don’t need obnoxiously sparkly titles and then neon green font as your body text color.

Please, please, please don’t do that. You will scare off more people than you will attract.

In my experience, white is usually a good color for your background. It’s easy on the eyes and looks cleaner.


Have fun.

Blog design should be fun. It shouldn’t make you angry or ticked off or want to throw your computer at the nearest wall. (Well, okay, coding can sometimes tick you off. But that’s why you do a little research!)

While the initial phase may be tedious, when it comes time for you to pick colors and fonts, and rearrange widgets, that should be enjoyable. (Or maybe I just love redesigning blogs. XD)

——————————————————————————————-
And one other thing - YES, I AM ACTUALLY DONE CHANGING MY DESIGN. FOR REAL THIS TIME.

(Let’s see how long it takes for me to start tweaking again. XD)

-Nicole

How do you guys like the new design? Do you have a favorite "aesthetic" blog? What are your aesthetic tips? Let’s talk!

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21 comments

  1. Aww, it looks STUNNING!! I love it! Good for you! I am terrible at coding and am very lucky to have Lisa Elis because she is a coding queen who helped me A LOT! I was always bugging her with questions. XD (Plus she's a super cool person who rocks!)

    I love your new design!

    A tip I have for you is when you want to change things up, don't always go straight to changing the template. Try changing your color scheme or layout first. Because templates are hard to change sometimes, so you want to exhaust all options first. XD

    Love the new design! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aww you are too sweet thanks :D

      Delete
    2. Aw, thank you, Ivie! I’m glad it looks good!

      YESS, Lisa is awesome! (Oh, wow, I didn’t know that! Lisa, that’s awesome!)

      Ooo, that’s a good idea. In my case, I just really wanted a complete layout change, but I’ve never thought about "blog redesigning" as just changing layout or color schemes! Thanks, Ivie!

      <3

      Delete
  2. Oh! I LOVE designing blog template (it's tiring, but... it's fun when you see the results)! Plus, your template is lovely! <3
    Khadija | October's Lallu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, yes, I agree! The results are so worth it!

      Thank you so much! <3

      Delete
  3. WOW yes you absolutely nailed everything about redesigning!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THANK YOU, Lisa!!! I’m glad it seemed to cover everything! :)

      Delete
  4. I LOVE BLOG DESIGNING POSTS. Ahh, I wish Lisa Elis had a WordPress blog because I have QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERING.

    And yay, a new blog to follow! Madison's blog is so aesthetic, wow. xD

    Lilian

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AGH SAME HERE! And yeah, I agree! It’s hard to format Wordpress blog stuff! I used to have a Wordpress blog (still do, actually, but it’s inactive) and I felt like the designs were really restricted in what you could do....

      Yes, YOU SHOULD GO FOLLOW MADISON!! She's awesome!

      Delete
  5. Oh hahaha!!! Thanks for the tips, Nicole!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh my goodness! I can't tell you the number of times I've changed the layout of my blog. When I finally decided to buy a template I hoped and prayed i'd be able to change the highlight color and font size. It's always like walking in the dark when you are trying to change the HTML. Thanks for this post! Made me smile.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, yeah, I feel you! When I got this template, I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to change anything! (Fortunately it was pretty malleable. . . . phew.)

      Thank YOU for reading! I’m glad this put a smile on your face!

      Delete
  7. love this post, Nicole! <3 yess, Lisa's blog is #aesthetic goals ;). i love your new blog look! <3 <3

    <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, right? Lisa’s blog is AWESOME!

      Aw, thanks, Allison! <3 <3 <3

      Delete
  8. YESSS. Aesthetics are so hard, it's not fair. >.<

    Loved this post and I like the new look!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, it’s like they’re TRYING to set us up for failure! XD

      Thank you so much, Gray! I’m glad you like it!

      Delete
  9. I did basic coding a few years back for school, and now that I'm blogging I regret forgetting most of it. xD I think this design looks great! It's clean and lovely. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, man, I definitely regret not paying more attention in programming class too! XD

      Aw, thank you, Melissa! I’m glad it looks good!

      Delete

Welcome to the comment section! I love hearing what you guys think and seeing you guys talk. Just remember to keep it clean, and as always, check back for my replies! <3
-Nicole