the design elves were here

thanks for all the positive comments about the design of my blog! since some of you asked about redesigning yours, i thought i'd offer some tips, if you're interested.

most of you know i'm a designer. but i'm a print designer, so i don't know any css or html or any of that other fancy-schmancy webcrap. that's why i use blogger. they've made it relatively easy to create a custom look on here, even within the confines of default templates, even without knowing what you're doing!

my template
my blog uses the rounders template. i chose this because it allows me to choose separate background colors for the header, sidebar, and main area. this gives you huge flexibility and control. you can go neutral, or bold, or coordinate with the holidays. you can show allegiance to your favorite sports team. or be inspired by the colors of your garden or what's hot in fashion. either way, you can customize it to your needs and update it as often as you want. right now, my sidebar and main area are both the same color, making it look like one big section.

my masthead
under TEMPLATE, go to PAGE ELEMENTS, and click on edit in the header area. you have 2 options: insert an image behind your blog title and description or replace the title and description entirely.

let's talk about the first option. instead of just a plain background color, you can insert an image. the default size for the header of this template is 720 x 156 pixels. so horizontal would be good. and keep in mind that your title will go over it. maybe go for a fun overall pattern or a photo with a lot of "white space" where the title will go. again, this function is as easy as clicking a button and uploading a picture, thereby making it easy to change, whenever you want.

my image replaces the title, giving me more control over the typography. i design all my mastheads in photoshop CS3. i am certain there are other programs out there that most non-designers use, but i don't really know of any. but i'm sure you all do. again, the size of the image needs to fit the default header size: 720 x 156.

getting fancy
i've recently figured out how to make my blog wider! i always thought the main area was too narrow, both proportionally and absolutely, so i did a search in HELP and came to this site which gave me step-by-step instructions. the HELP function in blogger really lives up to its name.

i've also found the HTML cheatsheet on webmonkey.com to be helpful.

also, if you like what you see on someone's blog, you can check out their code to see how they did it! in firefox, under VIEW, go to SOURCE CODE.

if you're worried that messing around with your template will screw things up, make a copy of your virgin template before you go messing around, just so you have it as a backup.

but not too fancy
and if you'll allow me a brief amount of time on my design soapbox. don't go too overboard! just because you can choose 10 different fonts to use throughout your blog, doesn't mean you should. my eyes will bleed and i will never read your blog again. and please remember the importance of hierarchy. if everything is important, nothing is important. don't make everything bold! and italic! and large! and bright! and blinky! and zoomy! pick 1 or 2 things to focus on, and let the rest support and compliment those important things.

but most importantly
have fun! as you can see, there's really not a lot to my custom-looking blog. just an image and a flexible template. so have at it! i can't wait to see what you guys come up with!