{"id":89963,"date":"2017-08-18T08:35:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-17T22:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/?p=89963"},"modified":"2017-08-18T08:31:02","modified_gmt":"2017-08-17T22:31:02","slug":"5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/","title":{"rendered":"Check Out These 5 Noteworthy Blog Design Trends"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"5<\/p>\n

Blog design sure has come a long way since I started doing them 6-7 years ago. Back then the designs were very \u2026 bloggy.<\/p>\n

The most recently written post was given all the prime real estate on the home page, with the next most recent posts appearing beneath it. Sidebars were crammed full of stuff that would take you away from the site (blogrolls, sponsor ads, Google Ads) along with things that really<\/span>\u00a0didn\u2019t need to be there (remember tag clouds?).<\/p>\n

We then experienced the \u2018magazine site\u2019 evolution. Bloggers realised that serving up just one visible post on their home page was folly. What if a new reader wasn\u2019t interested in that post? They\u2019d be gone in an instant. Magazine style sites allowed a new reader to scan all the most recent posts, and\/or the recent posts from major categories, decide where they wanted to start, and dive in there.<\/p>\n

Today we\u2019re in the midst of a new evolution for blog sites. Blogging has become a crowded and noisy space and to stand out from the crowd, bloggers now have to act and treat themselves like brands.<\/p>\n

Which is why most of the world\u2019s top blogging sites now look like brand websites where the blogger is the star of the show. This has helped give rise to the following trends.<\/p>\n

1. It\u2019s all branding above the fold<\/h2>\n

For years, big brands have been using the area above the fold on the home page to make it really clear what they stand for, who the website is for, and what the website is about. In the past few years, bloggers have used the same to differentiate themselves.<\/p>\n

Gabby Bernstein\u2019s<\/a><\/span>\u00a0design is a great example of this:<\/p>\n

\"Check<\/p>\n

Video is used cleverly to both show the face of the site\u2019s author while conveying her unique energy and vibe. The tagline overlaying the video dictates quite clearly who the site is aimed at.<\/p>\n

Planning with Kids\u2019 Nicole Avery<\/a><\/span>\u00a0takes a similar approach on her site.<\/p>\n

\"Check<\/p>\n

She\u2019s seated at her kitchen table, has a lovely smile on her face, and is offering the reader checklists to simplify the repetitive tasks of family life. If you\u2019re in Nicole\u2019s target market (overwhelmed parents), you immediately feel at home.<\/p>\n

What if there\u2019s no face to your blog\u2019s brand? Then you\u2019d do as Copyblogger<\/a><\/span>\u00a0has done and use a relevant image plus on point copy to ensure if someone in your target market lands on your site, they know this is the place for them:<\/p>\n

\"Check<\/p>\n

2. Credibility counts<\/h2>\n

Another way to stand out from the crowd today is to display the logos of media outlets where your work has appeared or where you\u2019ve been featured. These all fit neatly under the header of \u2018As Seen In\u2019, as Nicole has done on Planning with Kids:<\/p>\n

\"Check<\/p>\n

Or \u2018Featured in\u2019 which is what Ramit Sethi<\/a><\/span>\u00a0uses on his site:<\/p>\n

\"Check<\/p>\n

Displaying these logos gives you and your site instant credibility. It shows that well-respected media brands rate you highly.<\/p>\n

3. Professional imagery<\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve been banging on about the importance of imagery for years. Today, more than ever, it\u2019s crucial to the success of your site. You can see above that Gabby, Nicole and Ramit have all brought in professional photographers to capture them and their brands.<\/p>\n

Nikki Parkinson<\/a><\/span>\u00a0is another who\u2019s always prioritised high-quality imagery when it comes to her personal brand:<\/p>\n

\"Check<\/p>\n

And the Merrymaker Sisters<\/a><\/span>\u00a0show how great images can have people salivating over your blog posts too:<\/p>\n

\"Check<\/p>\n

4. Wayfinding<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve been blogging for five years or more, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ve created content that covers quite a wide range of categories. Using \u2018wayfinding\u2019 design elements to quickly and easily direct people to the right content for their needs is a smart way to help people find their way around your site.<\/p>\n

On Michael Hyatt\u2019s<\/a><\/span>\u00a0homepage he asks people, \u2018What can I help you with?\u2019:<\/p>\n

\"Check<\/p>\n

Nicole Avery takes a similar approach:<\/p>\n

\"Check<\/p>\n

5. Loads of whitespace<\/h2>\n

In design, whitespace isn\u2019t just \u2018any space that is white\u2019. It refers to space in general.<\/p>\n

When elements are crammed close together, there\u2019s not much whitespace and this makes the reader subtly anxious because they don\u2019t know where to look first.<\/p>\n

When the elements on a page are given room to breathe, the eye is more easily directed to the things that are important, and the brain feels happier because it knows what to do.<\/p>\n

Chris Ducker<\/a> uses whitespace really well on his home page.<\/p>\n

Here is an example where the background is a coloured image:<\/p>\n

\"Check<\/p>\n

Having all the text justified left leads the eye naturally down the line of text \u2026 and then over to the right where the image is able to come through because there is not text there. The image, despite being subtle, neatly supports the word \u2018community\u2019 in the heading.<\/p>\n

Notice also that the Youpreneur logo, heading and button are given fairly equal weighting as far as the eye is concerned, but the brain is able to easily process all three, in the right order, because of how nicely spaced they are.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another nice example of whitespace on Chris\u2019 homepage:<\/p>\n

\"Check<\/p>\n

Again, it\u2019s clear to see how the spacing of all the elements allows the eye to track around easily, and for the brain to process which thing it wants to click without too much angst.<\/p>\n

When it comes to implementing good whitespace on your own site you want to look at the space between everything; images, lines of text, headlines and the text below, your logo and the top of the screen. Ensure every element has an appropriate amount of room to \u2018breathe\u2019.<\/p>\n

In summary<\/h2>\n

As mentioned at the top of this piece, the blogging world is a noisy and crowded space today. Great design allows you to differentiate yourself to readers and show them you take your work seriously. Cover off the five points above on your site and you\u2019ll be well on your way to standing out from the crowd.<\/p>\n

Are you using any of these design features on your blog?\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Blog design sure has come a long way since I started doing them 6-7 years ago. Back then the designs were very \u2026 bloggy. The most recently written post was given all the prime real estate on the home page, with the next most recent posts appearing beneath it. Sidebars …more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":90006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nCheck Out These 5 Noteworthy Blog Design Trends<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Blog design sure has come a long way since I started doing them 6-7 years ago. Back then the designs were very \u2026 bloggy..\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Check Out These 5 Noteworthy Blog Design Trends\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Blog design sure has come a long way since I started doing them 6-7 years ago. Back then the designs were very \u2026 bloggy. The most recently written post was given all the prime real estate on the home page, with the next most recent posts appearing beneath it. Sidebars ...more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ProBlogger\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/problogger\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-08-17T22:35:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-08-17T22:31:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends.png?fit=1430%2C800&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1430\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kelly Exeter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ProBlogger\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ProBlogger\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kelly Exeter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kelly Exeter\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#\/schema\/person\/88afbb06826951be86d1b23245a4b0c4\"},\"headline\":\"Check Out These 5 Noteworthy Blog Design Trends\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-08-17T22:35:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-08-17T22:31:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/\"},\"wordCount\":1033,\"commentCount\":10,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Blog Design\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/\",\"name\":\"Check Out These 5 Noteworthy Blog Design Trends\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-08-17T22:35:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-08-17T22:31:02+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Check Out These 5 Noteworthy Blog Design Trends\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/\",\"name\":\"ProBlogger\",\"description\":\"Blog Tips to Help You Make Money Blogging\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ProBlogger.com\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Problogger-Logo-Full-Colour-2017.png?fit=500%2C70&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Problogger-Logo-Full-Colour-2017.png?fit=500%2C70&ssl=1\",\"width\":500,\"height\":70,\"caption\":\"ProBlogger.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/problogger\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ProBlogger\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/darrenrowse\/\",\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/darrenrowse\",\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/darrenrowse\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCP878HcS93v5M0MtFKEBs0g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#\/schema\/person\/88afbb06826951be86d1b23245a4b0c4\",\"name\":\"Kelly Exeter\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/44429105f2411817feba8e7715a44479?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/44429105f2411817feba8e7715a44479?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kelly Exeter\"},\"description\":\"Kelly Exeter is a writer, editor, and designer who\u2019s endlessly fascinated by the power of the stories we tell ourselves. She explores these on her blog and in her books Practical Perfection and Your Best Year Ever. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/kellyexeter.com.au\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/problogger.com\/author\/kelly-exeter\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Check Out These 5 Noteworthy Blog Design Trends","description":"Blog design sure has come a long way since I started doing them 6-7 years ago. Back then the designs were very \u2026 bloggy..","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Check Out These 5 Noteworthy Blog Design Trends","og_description":"Blog design sure has come a long way since I started doing them 6-7 years ago. Back then the designs were very \u2026 bloggy. The most recently written post was given all the prime real estate on the home page, with the next most recent posts appearing beneath it. Sidebars ...more","og_url":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/","og_site_name":"ProBlogger","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/problogger","article_published_time":"2017-08-17T22:35:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-08-17T22:31:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1430,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends.png?fit=1430%2C800&ssl=1","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Kelly Exeter","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ProBlogger","twitter_site":"@ProBlogger","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kelly Exeter","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/"},"author":{"name":"Kelly Exeter","@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#\/schema\/person\/88afbb06826951be86d1b23245a4b0c4"},"headline":"Check Out These 5 Noteworthy Blog Design Trends","datePublished":"2017-08-17T22:35:00+00:00","dateModified":"2017-08-17T22:31:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/"},"wordCount":1033,"commentCount":10,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Blog Design"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/","url":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/","name":"Check Out These 5 Noteworthy Blog Design Trends","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-08-17T22:35:00+00:00","dateModified":"2017-08-17T22:31:02+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Check Out These 5 Noteworthy Blog Design Trends"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/","name":"ProBlogger","description":"Blog Tips to Help You Make Money Blogging","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#organization","name":"ProBlogger.com","url":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Problogger-Logo-Full-Colour-2017.png?fit=500%2C70&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Problogger-Logo-Full-Colour-2017.png?fit=500%2C70&ssl=1","width":500,"height":70,"caption":"ProBlogger.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/problogger","https:\/\/twitter.com\/ProBlogger","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/darrenrowse\/","http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/darrenrowse","https:\/\/pinterest.com\/darrenrowse\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCP878HcS93v5M0MtFKEBs0g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#\/schema\/person\/88afbb06826951be86d1b23245a4b0c4","name":"Kelly Exeter","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/44429105f2411817feba8e7715a44479?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/44429105f2411817feba8e7715a44479?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Kelly Exeter"},"description":"Kelly Exeter is a writer, editor, and designer who\u2019s endlessly fascinated by the power of the stories we tell ourselves. She explores these on her blog and in her books Practical Perfection and Your Best Year Ever. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.","sameAs":["http:\/\/kellyexeter.com.au\/"],"url":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/author\/kelly-exeter\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/problogger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/5-noteworthy-blog-design-trends.png?fit=1430%2C800&ssl=1","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89963"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/170"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89963"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":127081,"href":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89963\/revisions\/127081"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}