(See also: About this podcast. This post previously titled: How to Rock Your Design)
I get a lot of emails about my blog design. They’re always really flattering, and I must say that I’m personally very happy with the way my website looks these days; it took a fair amount of tweaking to have me finally be pleased about it. So for everyone looking for that kind of information, here’s the basics of how I created this look.
The essence of it is that it’s a basic WordPress blog whose look is a modification of the Gentle Calm theme. You’ll notice it doesn’t look like the theme at all anymore, and that’s after a fair number of hours of work to make it look just right (though it is always evolving). I’ve gotten advice from friends who are far more adept at CSS than I am (1) (2), as well as opinions on what works from more people than I can remember (thanks guys). My point is kind of to tell you that having a blog like this is entirely within your reach if you put a few of the best tools at your disposal (and train your eye a little).
The images I used to make this thing look the way it does are too numerous to count. Some of them I made, others come from the Illustration library of iStockPhoto.com, a site I cannot recommend enough. I’ve always felt that icons are an powerful means of communicating ideas, as well as catching the eye. If you’ve never worked with vector illustrations before, trust me, Adobe Illustrator is a tool you want to master. Take a course (try Lynda.com).
The iTunes logo I use is © Marie-Chantale Turgeon.
If you want to talk about design on your blog or website, feel free to let me know, I’m always up to brainstorm about ideas or whatever.
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