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I am a graphic designer specializing in WordPress theme design and customization. Click on the thumbnails for some examples of my recent work:
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I’ve been reading Chris Garrett’s blog since I began blogging, and have always found it to be an outstanding resource. Reading his e-book, “How to Write Killer Flagship Content”, had a great deal of impact on how I think about my content. If you haven’t read it, stop on over there and subscribe to his feed to get a free copy.
ChrisG’s recent site redesign was in some ways a nice update to the look, but much of the updating left the site looking a bit like “Old Media” rather than “New Media”, and doesn’t do Chris justice. It’s a good case study for the difference just a few tweaks in design and typography can make, so I thought I would make some adjustments to the site (using the great Firebug tool for editing CSS live) to demonstrate.
First some comments, and then I’ll show you the results:
Typography:
- Using Arial everywhere gives the site an old-fashioned look. Verdana is a much better choice for body text, and for capitalized headers, Trebuchet is much more attractive.
- Some heading fonts have been styled with negative letter spacing, which makes for poor readability.
- The blog description is set in bold font, and as a general rule it is better to increase the size and use a normal font weight, rather than use bold. What about specifiying Arial Narrow for the description with Trebuchet as a back up? A decent percentage of people have Arial Narrow, and it goes great with the title image. Or, even better, make the whole left side of the header an image.
Design:
- The first thing that jumps out at me is the background image in the sidebar headings. It’s rather jarring to the eye, and a solid color would be much better.
- I had never understood that header image until I asked Chris about it. I always thought it was several guys standing around watching Chris work, and I never understood why he would choose that image for his header. Now that I know that it’s just Chris and his “clones” in the picture, symbolizing all the different roles a blogger has, I sort of get it, but I suspect that most people never realize that it’s not just a couple of guys standing around a computer.
- Overall the header could be much slicker looking. The gradient used on the left side isn’t all that appealing, and the font choice for the image is a bit clunky. I also don’t understand why the dot in the “dot com” is red. There’s no other red on the site - it’s seems an odd choice. I’ve changed the CSS and header to reflect the comments above-
Check the new version out here. What do you think? Obviously not huge changes, but subtle tweaks that make a noticeable difference in the visual appeal of the site.
I enjoy doing this kind of blog design review, and I think it’s profitable to look at how some simple changes can make a big difference. If you’re interested in your site being a subject for a design review, let me know. Obviously, I can’t do every site submitted, but will need to choose sites that make for good case studies. Chris didn’t ask for this review by the way, and I hope he won’t mind my constructive criticism. This post is written with the best of intentions.
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When beginning a design project, I try very hard to sort of get inside a client’s head and figure out what kind of “look” they are imagining for their logo, site, etc. so that I get hit the nail on the head with the first round of options. It can be a challenge though. Conceptual ideas are often difficult to put into words. Obviously, a good brief is an essential part of the design process. There are plenty of articles out there about how to get a good design brief from a client. Two of the best are at Creative Design and at Freelance Switch.
In the last several months though, I’ve been experimenting with adding a questionnaire that has been extremely helpful with clients who have a decent idea of what they want and who are not really looking for consultation on their branding. I’m not sure where I came across this, or I would give credit where it is due.
Rate the items below on a 1-10 scale,
with 1 being the left item and 10 being the right:
1. Elegant ———————- Grungy
2. Modern ———————– Traditional
3. Dark ————————- Light
4. Tight ———————— Loose
5. Personal/Casual ——————— Formal
I wouldn’t always take the above scores as gospel of course. If the answers given conflict with the other information in the design brief, I would want to consult with the client a bit about what they’re really trying to communicate with their brand.
Does anyone else use something like this? Would that kind of questionnaire stifle your creativity or would it be helpful? Is there anything else you would add? If you’re not a designer, I’m curious if you think that such a ranking of qualities would be helpful in getting your ideas across to someone you’ve hired to design something for you?
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I had planned a larger post today, but I am so slammed with work and life that I decided to post in answer to Brian Gardner’s questions he recently tagged me with, as I knew I could write it quickly!
What is something that would surprise people about you and design?
It’s probably not a surprise, as I’ve mentioned it before, but like Brian, I am completely self-taught. It took me a very long time before I was really designing things I was pleased with, and I definitely found that having the right tools in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop made a huge difference.
If you could design one blogger’s site for free, who would it be?
The first person I thought of was Andy Beard. If he ever decided to dress up his site, I’d be game to participate.
What blog platform do you prefer, and why?
Like everyone else Brian tagged, WordPress is the obvious choice. It’s user friendly enough for a basic user, and advanced users can customize and tweak their sites to death if they want.
Aside from your own, what is your favorite blog theme/template?
I’ve used Brian’s Blue Zinfandel a lot, as the code is very clean and easy to customize. I have never used Michael Pollock’s themes, but I am so impressed with his stuff- I’d love to play with his Zeke theme. There a ton of others that I stand in awe of such as 5thirtyone and Subtraction that are using grid based design.
Do you have a blog-reading guilty pleasure?
I Can Has Cheezeburger cracks me up and I don’t feel guilty about it one bit. 
Read other designers’ answers to these questions:
Want to get an online degree in web design and do more than learn basic html? Sign up for one of many education grants and take that big first step towards a real education. From blogging to ecommerce it’s essential to learn the tools of the trade.
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Meet the newest author at Wisdump! Haven’t heard of Wisdump? It’s former blog of Paul Scrivens, of 9Rules fame. It was sold to Splashpress Media, who owns such sites as Performancing and Blog Herald, and I’ve been asked to contribute over there on a weekly basis.
My first article is one on some really basic blog layout mistakes that are all too common, and easily avoidable:
- Fluid Layout - two words: bad idea.
- Too Wide - who decides how wide your blog should be? Your readers.
- Important Stuff in the Footer - extended footers are great, just don’t count on many people seeing them.
- Not Enough White Space - let your blog breathe!
Jump on over to Wisdump to read the full article!
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Like most designers, I’m never really finished with my own site, and I’ve been wanting to redesign this site for a while now. The old design served me well for 6 months or so, but it was time for a change. While I really appreciate busy sites that are chock full of visual goodness, I find sites that are simple and uncluttered to be the most appealing. Sites like these:
I tried several things on my test site, and just never hit on the right idea. Suddenly this afternoon, I had a burst of inspiration and voila, presto change-o! Being a person who gets tired of looking at the same colors all the time, I think I’ve hit on a setup that will allow me to change things regularly, while keeping the same basic look and feel. My intention is to regularly change the header and color scheme to give the site a fresh look. How regularly? I don’t know… whenever I get tired of it and find a new image that I like!
I decided to drop the bright blue and orange in my logo and go with a dark grey that will allow me to match the center piece with the color scheme as it changes. I know, I know… you’re not supposed to go changing your logo colors all the time because they are part of your brand, but I’m a firm believer that rules are made to be broken. Besides, I think my icon is a recognizable enough mark that it leaves some room to play with the colors.
What do you think about changing the colors in a logo? What would you change about this site if it were yours? How can I improve the design?
Do you need a new site design? Contact me for a quote!
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Recently I was tagged by Char at Essential Keystrokes to continue this discussion on how we define success as a designer that was started over at Tara’s blog.
1. How did you get started in the business?
I worked in direct mail and database marketing in my “former life”, and had the opportunity to observe some big name brands and their marketing strategies up close, so it was a natural transition from the planning and execution part of the business to the design side. I’ve been designing websites since sometime in the mid-90’s when someone told me about Geocities (which at the time I thought was the neatest thing since sliced bread), and have moved into logo and print design as the opportunities have come up.
2. What kept you going in those early years?
What kept me going was just the fun of it! I wasn’t relying on design for any source of real income, so I could just learn as I went and enjoy myself with no pressure.
3a. Did you ever feel like you weren’t good enough or you would never make it in this industry?
Sure, especially as someone who has no “formal” training.
3b. How did you work through that?
For a long time I was frustrated, because I saw amazing work from great designers and what I was producing just didn’t cut it- didn’t even come close. Now, with the right tools and resources, along with just time to learn and practice, I can at least feel good about some of the things I’m producing.
4. Do you look at others today and think “Wow, I wish I were that good”?
Sure, all the time, but rather than being a negative feeling of inadequacy, it’s positive- it inspires me to see great work.
5. How do you measure success?
For me, success is just being “in demand”, and having steady projects to work on, as well as designing things that I feel good about and that the client loves. I didn’t mind that much when I was doing work for little or no pay, just to build my portfolio, but it’s nice at this point to begin to have steady work coming in and not have to under-bid things just to get the job.
6. By your standard, do you think you are successful?
Getting there… it’s definitely moving in the right direction.
Check out some other designers who have participated in this discussion:
Brian Gardner
David Airey
Paul Enderson
Charity Ondriezek
Lisa Sabin-Wilson
What kind of school supplies do you need for a web design education? The first piece of essential equipment is an online degree in the field. Of course, education is expensive, you might need grants for education so you don’t break the bank!
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