Blog Design Sucks - please help!

[Sandstone]

As much as I love my blog I absolutely hate how it looks. I've spent the last two weeks trying to tweak things and make improvements but I am getting no where. I look at it and think, "ick". I haven't a clue what changes to make in order for it to look better.

Please, please, please give me your insights! How can I make it appear sharper? On that note - if anyone is or knows of a good blog designer send them my way!

[juancito]

I plan to use a designer for my blog, Jonathan Bond from Navras Design. You could also check out designers in your local area, or use sites like elance or odesk to hire a freelancer.

[Sandstone]

Thanks for the suggestions. I had thought about Odesk before. I am going to post the job and see what happens.

[Peterw]

Check out Artisteer. It's a WYSIWIG design program which makes it really easy to create wordpress/joomla/drupal templates.

They have a free trial as well but it puts a stamp somewhere saying 'Built with Artisteer'. Worth a look though:

Artisteer - web design software and joomla template maker

[Sandstone]

Peterw - Thanks so much for the link. I downloaded Artisteer and so far I really like it. Seems easy to use.

[Peterw]

No worries!

[GrigoriySidelnikov]

Actually I don't think your blog sucks. It looks good. There are two problems with it, however:

a) light/pink colors
b) quality of content

work on these, especially on b)

Most people don't know how to write content, so learn creative writing skills, try to engage the reader, do not overwhelm them with text, etc. I have yet myself to fully take advantage of this, but once you make it a habit, it's hard to stop doing things the right way.

[Dimitri]

Sandstone, you have got to switch to having your own dot-com domain name, hosting, and Wordpress blog. Toying around with Blogger may seem like a good use of your time, but it will just set you back further. The reason you feel there are so many things to improve and the reason you feel it is so hard to make any improvements is because you're using the wrong service. You're barking up the wrong tree.

Imagine trying to creatively style your messages with Notepad and then being introduced to Microsoft Word. Problems that were once so important and so difficult to resolve are no longer even there. There's still an amazing amount of things you can tinker with, but you will no longer feel limited. Blogger limits you. I know, I've used it. Wordpress frees you. You're in control. Your domain name, your hosting, your blog.

I've seen your other thread where you talk about switching from Blogger to Wordpress. It seems like you've also bought a dot-org domain name. Let me help you with the transfer and the design of your blog. I can even offer you free web hosting if you wish. I want you to master the basics so you can fully focus on creating quality content without worrying about your "haircut" and the "way you look".

[Sandstone]

Thank you for all of your suggestions. I did a complete re-design and am 100x happier with it than I was previously. I did register a domain name as well. I am not going to switch to Wordpress just yet. It was a pathetic disaster last time seeing as I used wordpress.com not realizing that it needed to be .org. I may switch in the future once I have some additonal time on my hands. Thanks again for all of your suggestions.

[Lil Chris]

Originally Posted by Sandstone

Thank you for all of your suggestions. I did a complete re-design and am 100x happier with it than I was previously. I did register a domain name as well. I am not going to switch to Wordpress just yet. It was a pathetic disaster last time seeing as I used wordpress.com not realizing that it needed to be .org. I may switch in the future once I have some additional time on my hands. Thanks again for all of your suggestions.

You might want to check your site. When I visited, I saw this...

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Lil Chris

You might want to check your site. When I visited, I saw this...

Hmm, not sure why McAfee is trying to block it, works fine for me (Norton).

BTW, the site looks nice, goes very well in lieu of the theme.

[Sandstone]

Lil Chris - that stinks!

Anyone else using McAfee and having trouble accessing the site?

[Lil Chris]

I'm not sure either, it could be a mistake though. I've seen mcafee get it wrong sometimes or be overzealous.

[Jacob Cassidy]

Sandstone,

I just checked out your site and see many areas where it can be vastly improved. If you're still looking for a redesign, let me know and I can help you out for a very reasonable fee. I'm a web design professional who specializes in WordPress blogs. Currently, I'm doing custom built from scratch design and development for $300 and up to build my portfolio. I'll send you a list of my previous work if you're interested.

Cheers,

Jacob

[danthony]

You may want to try changing your theme. I did that some time ago and even had professionals comment on how much they like it. I originally got my theme from SoloStream, but a good theme for your site might be Thesis or check out Woo Themes. They are literally thousands of themes out there, i discussed my theme change in some detail here if you'd like to give it a read:
Blog Design Change - Like It?

[Gazzali]

Originally Posted by Sandstone

As much as I love my blog I absolutely hate how it looks. I've spent the last two weeks trying to tweak things and make improvements but I am getting no where. I look at it and think, "ick". I haven't a clue what changes to make in order for it to look better.

Please, please, please give me your insights! How can I make it appear sharper? On that note - if anyone is or knows of a good blog designer send them my way!

I had the same experience. However, I tried to focus on a simple template. I just focus on contents. I am still learning how to write out good contents for visitors to stick to my blog. I am a learner still.However, i still like to place some comments on your blog.

Your template looks old fashioned. Psychic does not necessarily need a darker templates. Try out lighter ones. Your fonts need to be a little larger. Do not sell so many things from amazon. It looks like you're going to drain visitors money from their credit cards

Do something different. And most importantly, your page should be cleared with the html validator.

[EternalOne]

I use McAfee and had no issues accessing your site. I also quite like it, though I found they yellow writing hard to read, but that may just be me. Also personally I prefer wordpress to blogger as I find it is easier to customise and has a lot more options. But they are just my thoughts.

[Sbonn]

Agree about the yellow against the white .. looks cool tho

[alexb5784]

Honestly, what your blog looks like doesn't matter. If people come to it and read your posts, ask them what they think. If you keep worrying about what your site looks like, you won't have time to market it.

It look decent to me. I can read the articles. The only suggestion I have is to change the Title Link color to blue because yellow is hard on the eyes.

If people don't complain about your site, leave comments, and keep reading, then leave your site alone.