“Can you suggest some fonts?”
“What size should my images be?”
“Got some feedback for me?”
Everyone has questions about their blog’s design so here’s the place to ask! Whether you’ve got a specific question or you just want some honest feedback, this monthly column is for YOU!
Welcome!
Here are the “rules” 😉
- Leave your question in the comments today. Comments are open for a full 24 hours (12am – 12am Mountain/USA time). I’ll post replies throughout the weekend.
- The advice column is open all day today only so if you miss the window, you’ll have to wait til next month, so don’t delay! You’ll want to sign up for my email list to get monthly reminders. 😉 Or mark it in your calendar.
- Share this with friends! The more that participate with questions, the more we learn from each other! Here’s an easy Tweetable below:
Get 50 Blog Design Tips + Fixes!
You may have heard my eBook, Blog Beautiful: 50 Tips + Tricks to Make Your Blog Glow is now available for instant download!
Don’t miss out on getting this guide and checklist and starting your blog on the right foot for 2015!
Now it’s Your Turn!
Leave a comment below with your URL in the URL field.
Here’s a tip: Consider checking the box “Notify me of follow-up comments by email” so you’ll know when I’ve answered your question.
Get Advice All Day/Every Day
Have you joined the DYOB: Blog Beautiful Facebook Community yet? If not, you’re missing out on getting advice from the community any day of the month! Join us here: it’s free!
Share this with your friends! The more questions we get, the more everyone gets to learn!
Hi Marianne – I would love some general feedback on my blog! Is there anything that really stands out to you that you think I should change? What is the best size for pictures? Should I be doing more in my sidebar and footer? Anything you see, I am glad to hear!?!?
my blog is http://www.comfyconfident.com
Hi Mattie! I think it looks good overall. The only thing that I might suggest is to left align images that aren’t as wide as your content column so that text will wrap around it. At least try it and see how it looks to you.
You could utilize your footer more, like add some widgets perhaps. If you got my book, there are chapters in there for image size and adding widgets to your footer.
I hope that helps!
Ok, so a few weeks ago I tried to simplify my color scheme, and went with sky blue since that color shows up fairly frequently in the photos I post. The colors doesn’t look bad, but I don’t love it yet. I tried to keep my blog looking clean, but it feels sort of empty. Do you think the blue, white and grey looks too sterile and cold?
Hi Claire! I love seeing the progress you make month by month, it’s been fun to watch! I don’t think it looks cold and that’s because a lot of your photos have warm colors in them and it helps to balance it out. But if you’re not totally happy with it yet, try out a few different colors in both cool and warm tones and see how they feel to you. Or what about making just your post titles a warm color like orange or something and keeping the other links blue? Just a thought! Play around with some colors and see what speaks to you.
Hi Marianne! This column is such a great idea 🙂
I redesigned my blog http://www.wanderful-world.com a couple of weeks ago. I’m happy with how it turned out (I like the colour scheme and I’m pleased with the header image) but I’d love to get a professional opinion on what things I could improve (sometimes it’s difficult to step away from something and see it afresh when you’re too caught up in it!).
I hope this isn’t too vague!
Thanks so much,
Lizzie
Hi Lizzie!
I like what you’ve done and the colors look great too! I think the only thing that’s bothering me is the ‘a’ in your logo. It looks like a ‘d.’ So perhaps consider a new font or adjust the ‘a’ if you can in photoshop or illustrator.
Hi Marianne, I love you for doing this, you are a rockstar!!! So, I’m wondering if you have any blog design suggestions for my sidebar, it needs an overhaul pretty soon and I’m trying to figure out the best things to add, what should go, etc. (I’ve already pared it down a lot) And if you have any general site design tips they are greatly appreciated!! 🙂
Hi Naomi, well you already know I love your design! The only thing I see missing right off the bat is an “about me” blurb that tells the reader what they will get from reading your blog. You can stick that right below your profile image.
My book has a section on sidebars or you can check out this article here: http://designyourownblog.com/blog-design/de-clutter-your-blog-sidebar/ oh and this one too: http://designyourownblog.com/blog-design/blog-sidebar-profile-photos-bios/
Hi Marianne,
This is such a cool idea! I’ve been searching for a little constructive criticism on my blog design! I am making the move from .com to .org at the end of this month which means more creative freedom to tweak my theme and design yay! I know for sure that the long post on the front page with links underneath isn’t working for me. (It’s the only thing I hate about my current theme) I want to go to a gallery style front page with a picture and brief description on each post. I think that will be more user friendly and look less like the front page is just a post.
Any other advice?
Thanks so much!
Hi Betsy, I think this one looks nice, I like the big side image, but I think you could benefit from a sidebar where you can keep all the info to the right that you now have in the dropdown up top that some people may not see or click on.
But that said, I can’t wait to see what you do with your new site! Please come back and let me know when it’s up.
Hi Marianne,
I have a question regarding my pages bar. I think it looks silly only having a home page and about me page. Any suggestions on what pages I could add or creative ways to not make it look so minimal?
Thanks,
Nykeya
Designermeetscpa.blogspot.com
Hi Nykeya, welcome back. Glad to see your site is now up and it looks great! Regarding your navbar, what about adding some popular categories to it? You can also add a contact page with a form so people have a way to get a hold of you if they need to. You can also add your social media links to the Contact page if you wish
I also wanted to mention that you might want to narrow your # of script fonts. I see 3 different script fonts off the bat and it would look more cohesive to just pick one and use that throughout.
I would love to just get an unbiased take on my design and content. Any comments are appreciated! 🙂
Allie / callmesassafras.com
Hi Allie, I think it’s beautiful, nice job! My only critique would be to add a bit more padding above your nav bar items because at the moment (in FIrefox anyway), the links are butted up against the top of the window. Other than that, I have nothing to say!
Hi, Marianna!
I just started my blog within the last few months and have taken a lot of pride in its design. I have some design experience from previous jobs that I’ve applied so far. I’ve love to have the opinion of an expert to shine some light on areas of improvement! Thank you so much!
Hi Lisa, unfortunately the link you provided doesn’t work. I will leave comments open and hopefully you see this and can repost the link in a new comment!