Ditch the Mullet! 9 Hot Design Trends to Bring Your Blog Into 2015

Photo courtesy of www.christineroseelle.com

Having an outdated blog design could be making you appear untrustworthy.

It’s like going out in a mullet. Or bell bottom jeans.

It tells others you’re a little out of touch.

Truth is, our eyes get tired from seeing the same old trends and get thirsty for something new to delight them.

So how can you drop your blog’s mullet and bell bottoms and align with 2015? Read on m’dear…

Out with the Old, In with the New!

While some new trends are definitely coming out in full force this year, a few others that came out in the last year or two are actually gaining more momentum in 2015 and should be paid close attention to.

I know what you’re thinking: Trends are so fickle, if I jump on one I’ll have to redesign again sooner. Well love, despite the fact that you really ought to redesign (or at least update) every 2-4 years, the following trends are more classic than ultra-trendy, meaning they won’t embarrass you before it’s time for the next redo.

Some links in this post are affiliate links (denoted by a *) which means I receive a small commission if you purchase using that link. Read my full disclosure here.

Ok, let’s dive in!

1. All That Glitters Is Gold

Gold has made a huge comeback, not only in blogs but in both home and fashion design as well. That’s key to knowing it’s here to stay for a while and safe to use in your blog. Hint: you’ll be seeing more gold sneaking into DYOB’s style guide this year.

Follow Design Your Own (lovely) Blog // Marianne’s board Design Trend: Glitter + Gold on Pinterest.

VARIATIONS:
Not sure about gold yet? Try other warm metals like copper or brass.

TRY IT YOURSELF:
Lucky for you, it’s easy to incorporate gold leafing or glitter into your blog’s design. Or browse through these lovely templates.

1. Tessa Anna* Blogger template by Designer Blogs 2. Lynette* WordPress theme by BluChic 3. Tweak Me v2* WordPress Theme by Creative Whim 4. Penelope* Blogger template by Designer Blogs

2. Tribal

Yes, this Western, rustic look has been around a little while, but it’s only getting stronger this year. Think Aztec, teepees, triangle patterns, feathers and arrows.

Follow Design Your Own (lovely) Blog // Marianne’s board Design Trend: Aztec/Tribal on Pinterest.

VARIATIONS:
Not sure about tribal? Try the hipster look with rustic log cabin textures, plaid, woodland animals and deer antlers.

TRY IT YOURSELF:
Take a look at these beautiful templates for inspiration.

1. Bohemian Beauty Blogger template by ShinyMagic 2. HayDay Blogger or WordPress theme by Smitten Blog Designs 3. Adelaide & Sydney Blogger template by Smitten Blog Designs 4. Miss Fabulous WordPress theme by ShinyMagic

3. Geometrics

Geometric patterns are sensational! They can be tribal or ethereal depending on how you use them. They make great backgrounds for your blog or header.

Geometric fonts are also pretty popular right now and go perfectly with a hipster theme.

Follow Design Your Own (lovely) Blog // Marianne’s board Design Trend: Geometrics on Pinterest.

TRY IT YOURSELF:
Take a look at this beautiful template for inspiration. Also, take a look at my Pinterest board above for free and premium Geometric backgrounds and graphics downloads. You can create your own design with these!

Jasmine WordPress theme by Angie Makes

4. Hand Drawn

The hand drawn look is not going away anytime soon. Type foundries are bursting at the seams with hand drawn fonts and graphic marketplaces are riddled with intricately illustrated swirls, frames, wreaths, flowers and doodads.

The nice thing about the hand drawn look is that it can be done in many different styles: cartoony illustrations, folk art, botanical, rustic and even tribal to name a few.

Follow Design Your Own (lovely) Blog // Marianne’s board Design Trend: Hand Drawn + Folk Art on Pinterest.

TRY IT YOURSELF:
These adorable blog designs will undoubtedly convince you to go hand drawn!

1. Wonderland WordPress theme* by Creative Whim 2. Turquoise Amy Blogger template* by Mlekoshi Playground on Luvly Marketplace 3. Harper Anne Blogger template* by Chelsea Hibbard on Luvly Marketplace 4. Meadowville WordPress theme* by Envye

5. Feminine Florals

Floral patterns ain’t just for grandma’s house anymore! This feminine and romantic look, reminiscent of Laura Ashley, is ultra vintage-chic.

Follow Design Your Own (lovely) Blog // Marianne’s board Design Trend: Feminine Florals on Pinterest.

VARIATIONS:
Not sure about the shabby-chic look for your blog but still love flowers? Botanicals + Tropical Kitsch are also right on trend this year. And of course, you could always go with hand drawn flowers and wreaths.

TRY IT YOURSELF:
Feast your eyes on these fabulously feminine templates:

1. Bloom eCommerce Genesis theme* from Restored 316 Designs 2. Meadow Blogger template* from Designer Blogs 3. Ruby Rose Botanicals WordPress theme by Avalon Rose 4. Wood Rose WordPress theme from Avalon Rose 5. Elle Blogger template* by Envye

6. Fashion Blogs with Black and Pale Colors

Black and white is the go-to look for fashion blogs, but adding a soft color makes it super feminine and pretty.

TRY IT YOURSELF:
These beautiful templates have just what you need for a fashion-forword blog!

1. Marilyn WordPress theme* by BluChic 2. Meadowbrook WordPress theme* by Angie Makes 3. Gentle Gray WordPress theme or Blogger template by CristinadkDesign 4. On a String WordPress theme* by Light Morango on Luvly Marketplace

7. Watercolor

Watercolor is still going strong this year and I have a feeling it’s going to stick around a while. It’s ultra-feminine and never gets old.

Follow Design Your Own (lovely) Blog // Marianne’s board Design Trend: Watercolors on Pinterest.

TRY IT YOURSELF:
Check out this entire post on the watercolor trend and see the beautiful templates included. You can also try this tutorial on making your own watercolor blog header!

8. Styled Desktops

Styled desktops have become incredibly popular thanks to the Squarespace website redesign last year. Now they’re everywhere and all kinds of gorgeous styled photos are available all over Creative Market* and Etsy.

Follow Design Your Own (lovely) Blog // Marianne’s board Design Trend: Styled Desktops on Pinterest.

TRY IT YOURSELF:
These templates and themes show how you too can incorporate this epic trend into your own blog.

1. Olivie WordPress theme* by BluChic 2. Honeycrisp WordPress theme* by Angie Makes 3. Simply Charming WordPress theme* by Restored 316 Designs 4. Adorn WordPress theme* by Restored 316 Designs

9. Ombre

Last but not least, ombre (or super gradients as they seem to be called) are really going strong this year.

Super gradients aren’t your ordinary gradients from pre-flat-design days. Oh no. They’re much softer and they use two two three different colors that are close together on the color wheel as opposed to one color fading into a lighter or darker version of itself.

They work really well in conjunction with geometrics, so you can use two trends for the price of one! 😉

I’m really into these dreamy gradients and may even use one in my redesign if I can make it work! Check out these gorgeous examples of super gradients.

TRY IT YOURSELF:
I haven’t seen any feminine templates that incorporate this yet, but you can learn how to easily make your own ombre backgrounds using this tutorial here.

So there you have it,

9 ways to bring your blog out of the 70’s 😉 and into today. Do you use any of these trends currently? Are you thinking about incorporating one or more this year? Thoughts on design trends? Share with me below!