Getting A Beautiful Blog Design

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Hey there lovelies! It’s time for part two of my series, How To Start A Blog, so if you missed part one, you can check it out here.

Today I’m talking about finding a beautiful blog design to use on the platform of your choice. Blogging is so much more fun when you have a design that fits your style and speaks to your content, so I would absolutely invest some time on this step! One big part of getting a design is the price that comes with it, which is why I’ll be dividing this post up based on how much you’re willing to spend. Even if you’re set on paying a certain amount (or nothing at all), be sure to explore the other options, because you may decide spending more/less will be better for you and your blog in the long run!

Design Budget: $0

For many bloggers that are just starting out, spending money on a design doesn’t sound very intriguing. You don’t know how long you’ll be blogging, or whether you even like blogging yet, so making an investment right away may not be the best decision. Not to worry—there are several free options for you!

1. Templates provided by your platform

Most platforms offer a selection of pre-made templates that are great to start from. They’re usually very simple, but will generally have customizable options like the main colors or logo image. They won’t be too complicated to work with, so this is a minimum time/minimum budget choice!

2. Free templates made elsewhere

If you Google “Free templates for *your platform*”, you’ll most likely find several websites that have compiled a list of free templates made by individual designers. These designs will be similar to those offered by your platform, but you’ll have a larger selection to choose from! Warning: you may end up spending HOURS searching through these websites before you find the perfect template. More options means a harder decision!

3. Design your own

If you have some design skills (even just relative knowledge of HTML/CSS depending on what platform you’re using), this is a great option. You don’t have to start from scratch by any means, and it’s probably easier to take a free template and edit that to your liking. For example, if you’re on Blogger, take the Simple template and play around with the CSS stylesheet until you get something you like! There are TONS of tutorials out there, and you can check out my resources page for some specific lessons.

Design Budget: $30 – $60

This is kind of a tough middle-ground, because you’re sitting between free templates that may not be up to the standards you’re looking for, and hiring a designer that will give you exactly what you want. Fortunately, lots of designers make pre-made templates that start off around $30, making them a great budget-friendly option! If you’re not familiar with pre-made templates, they’re basically blog templates that a designer created with the intention of selling them multiple times, so yes, if you purchase one, someone else may also purchase that exact template. They’ll give you instructions for the installation, and some even offer help after you download it! These are some of my favorite places to find pre-made templates:

  • Etsy – Just search “blog templates for *your platform*” and you’ll find some beautiful designs! I’d definitely recommend shopping here if you’re using Blogger. Be sure to check out the shop owner’s policies before you purchase, and look through their store for add-on options like blog installation or extra widgets!
  • themeforest – This website has a ton of goodies, including WordPress and Tumblr templates. Their average price seems to be around $48, but the templates are very professional and come with a lot of features!
  • Studiopress – Another WordPress theme site, and this is actually where I purchased the theme I worked off of! If you’ve ever heard of the Genesis Framework, this is the site you’d buy it from in order to use their themes. For reference, I chose the Fun theme!

Note: Make sure you check what platform the template you buy is for, because you don’t want to accidentally purchase a template that doesn’t work on yours!

Design Budget: $100 – ???

The question marks are there because I honestly don’t know how high prices go for custom blog designs (which is what this option will get you!). The range is huge, and what you’ll get for $100 will most likely be way different from what you’ll get for, say, $1000, as you would probably expect! Getting a custom blog design is a big commitment, but it can be so rewarding. For one, you get to work with a real person (eep!) to create the blog of your dreams. They’ll help you get your thoughts together and narrow down what you want for your blog, and everything will be customized just for you. Designers often offer different packages (blog design, branding, logo design) and may give you add-on options as well (social media covers, business cards, signatures). The choices are really endless if you find the right designer! If this is the route you’re going for, be sure to consider a few things:

  • The price you pay may be greatly affected by the platform you’re using, which is why I chose such a wide price range. For example, a designer may charge $100 for a Blogger design and $500 for a WordPress design simply because the design options are very limiting to designers on Blogger in comparison to WordPress, meaning they can do less with the design and will most likely spend less time designing your blog. This doesn’t mean you can’t get a beautiful design on blogger (seriously, there are some fantastic Blogger designs out there!), it just means the design process won’t be as intensive for the designer.
  • Bargaining with a designer is almost never a good idea. Having a low budget and wanting a custom design can be a tough position, but asking a designer to make you an exception to their prices can come off as rude. They value their work at whatever price they chose, so asking for the same amount of work at a lower price just means they’re losing time and money! If you’re unable to pay full price for their service, consider waiting a little longer and saving up, or searching for a beautiful pre-made template at a price that fits your budget.
  • The prices out there may seem daunting, but if you find the right designer, spending a few hundred dollars or more could really make the difference you’re looking for. You may find some designers that offer custom designs for $50, but I can’t guarantee that those designs will be much more than the pre-made templates I talked about earlier with some extra customizations. You’re paying for a person’s time and other resources, so consider what you would charge someone if they were asking for a few days of your time. Ashley wrote a fantastic post on this issue!

Be sure to stop by next week for part 3 of the How To Start A Blog Series where I’ll help you answer the big question, “What Should I Blog About?”!

Attempts At Becoming An iPhonetographer

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A few weeks ago I talked about finding my Instagram style, and I was pretty stuck on which one was the most “me”. Am I bright and colorful? Am I warm and earthy? Am I crisp and clean? I’m honestly still unsure of which one I want to stick with, but this week I’m experimenting with clean, white backgrounds and pops of color. Word of advice: a white foam board is SO HELPFUL if you’re going for this style. Desks are way too inconvenient. So anyway, here are some of the pictures I ended up with!

Have you ever played around with your Instagram style? What style do you think you have right now, if you’re trying to have one?

Choosing A Blogging Platform

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Choosing A Blogging Platform

Starting a blog encompasses a lot of decisions, from deciding what you want to blog about to figuring out exactly what fonts you’ll be using. As a blogger who mainly writes about blogging and everything tied into the subject, the questions I’m asked by my followers generally have to do with blogging. One of the most common questions?

“What blogging platform should I choose?”

With so many options out there, it can be nerve-wrecking to single out one platform that fits your needs. I’ll be looking at five popular blogging platforms: Blogger, self-hosted WordPress, WordPress.com, Squarespace, and Weebly. From there, I’ll give a summary of what each platform allows you to do, as well as some considerations you should take if you choose that platform. By the end of this post, you’ll have a good idea of where you fit along the platform spectrum!

Blogger

I used this platform when I initially created my blog, and I really didn’t have any issues with it. Blogger is a free blogging platform and host, meaning you can build your blog on it without having to purchase separate hosting, and continue to blog for free on a “website.blogspot.com” blog. It’s very customizable in comparison to some of the other blogging platforms I’ll be covering, although it has its limits. Should you decide to take your blog to the next level, you can always purchase a domain name through a company like GoDaddy and easily use it on your Blogger blog. I’d recommend this platform for people who:

  • Don’t want to spend money.
  • Care about personalizing their design, but don’t need anything super fancy.
  • Know some basics of CSS and HTML.
  • May be interested in producing sponsored content.
  • Aren’t planning on running a business through their blog.
  • Want a platform that’s easy to use and edit.

Self-Hosted WordPress

This blog is currently on the WordPress platform. That means the blog was created using the WordPress platform, but the blog is hosted through another service (in my case, Bluehost). This is definitely the most advanced route you can take when choosing a blogging platform, but it can save a lot of time and effort in the long run. There are infinite design and functionality options in WordPress, which is a designer’s dream come true! Even if you’re a non-designer, WordPress has loads of goodies for all types of bloggers. However, all of that functionality comes with a big learning curve, so I’d suggest choosing WordPress if you:

  • Are okay spending money on your blog (upwards of $100 a year).
  • Have or are planning to get a custom domain.
  • Care about design, and are willing to pay for it or create it.
  • Have some knowledge of CSS and HTML.
  • Plan on blogging for a long time.

WordPress.com

To clarify why I’m listing WordPress twice, it’s imperative that you understand that WordPress.com is NOT the same as self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org). This is a confusion lots of bloggers have, and for good reason; I mean, they have the same name! But don’t be confused by that similarity, because it’s pretty much the only characteristic they share. Similar to Blogger, you’ll have a subdomain name (website.wordpress.com). It also has quite a few limitations, like the inability to post sponsored content. A lot of users don’t realize WordPress has that rule, but if your blog is hosted on WordPress, you are not allowed to post sponsored content. Because this is becoming a trend in the blogging world, this is a huge limit to consider when choosing this platform. However, a few bloggers may benefit from this platform if they:

  • Don’t want to spend money.
  • Don’t care much about design or personalization.
  • Want something simple that doesn’t require coding knowledge.
  • Don’t plan on posting sponsored content.
  • Don’t care about having a custom domain.

As someone who wants my followers to have the best experience blogging, I honestly would not recommend this platform. The limitations are just too problematic, and someone looking for a free blog platform would be better off on Blogger. I’m not trying to hate on anyone with a WordPress.com blog, but this is my honest opinion and that’s all I’ll ever give my followers!

Squarespace

I’ve never actually used Squarespace before, so I’m probably not the best person to analyze their services, but I’ve read a lot about it from other bloggers, so I’ll do my best to give you the gist. Squarespace offers monthly payment plans, ranging from $8 to $24 dollars a month. That plan includes things like your hosting, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage, and an integrated e-commerce feature. They have a large selection of templates to choose from, so customization is possible. Their interface is also easy to use, with a drag and drop feature that allows you to easily move content around. From what I’ve learned, I would recommend Squarespace if you:

  • Are willing to spend money on your blog (upwards of $100).
  • Care about design, but don’t need extensive functionality.
  • May be interested in running a business through your blog.
  • Want something very easy to use.

Weebly

My experience with Weebly is limited to a few school projects (check out my Art History project here) and an extremely short-term blog, but maybe there’s a reason for that. Weebly is about as simple as it gets when it comes to blogging. They have a few templates to choose from, and all you have to do from there is create your content and drag it in. There isn’t an extensive amount of functionality to it, and you’ll also have a website.weebly.com domain. Choosing Weebly means you’re okay having them place their brand everywhere, specifically in your footer where there’s a giant “Weebly” logo and advertisement link. My opinions about Weebly are consistent with my opinions for WordPress.com, but this platform may work if you:

  • Don’t want to spend money.
  • Don’t care much about design/customization.
  • Don’t plan on upgrading your blog in the future.
  • Are blogging more for yourself than an audience.

One important thing to consider when choosing this platform is that it can be extremely hard to transfer your blog to any other platform. Unlike Blogger, WordPress.com, and Squarespace, there isn’t a simple “export” button that allows you to move your content to a platform like WordPress. This means you’ll have to completely remake your blog on the new platform, inputting content post by post. So I would only suggest choosing this option if you have absolutely no plans on upgrading in the future.

As this is the first step I would consider taking when creating a blog, I thought covering this topic would be the perfect way to launch my new series, “How To Start A Blog”! Here are some other topics you can expect to see over the next few weeks:

  • Blog Design Options
  • “What Should I Blog About?”
  • Mastering Social Media
  • Increasing Your Following
  • Creating Blog Graphics
  • Earning Money From Your Blog

What topics would you like to see covered in my new series? Or for bloggers, is there anything you wish you had known about when you first started blogging?

p.s. don’t forget to enter this week’s Starbucks giveaway!