I’m soooo excited! This is the beginning of the DIY blog design makeover series (which I’ve really been looking forward to!) where I’ll be taking one person’s blog and doing a 10-part complete redesign, makeover and transfer to WordPress — and giving tutorials and tips, as a graphic designer, on how to do your own blog makeover as well. I hope that any of you who are bloggers as well will find it helpful- at the end of this post there is a free printable worksheet, as pictured above, which I have made to help you start down this road. And I have to say I am very excited about the project myself – this type of thing is my cup of tea!
So that you know what to expect, in today’s post here is what we’ll cover:
– introducing the blog I will be redesigning
– meat and potatoes vs. garnish and plating
– what branding is
– my free Branding 101 printable and tips on how to use it to establish your own branding.
‣ ‣ ‣ Meet Lori
The lovely blog I’ll be reworking is by a reader and dear friend of mine, Lori, and it is called “In My Kitchen, In My Life“. I’ve known Lori for years- she taught me Bible classes as a child, cooking classes in high school, and has been a great source for advice now that I am a married woman – and I’m tickled to get to work on her design. Her blog is perfect for this type of makeover, because she has a distinct voice in her posts, and writes highly valuable content for her audience (I definitely recommend checking it out!) – but her blog’s design, while not bad, could be doing a lot more to highlight her content and give her better features, which is why she volunteered for me to use her blog. Here is a screen shot of her blog as it is currently:
‣ ‣ ‣ Meat and potatoes vs. plating and garnish
Lori’s blog is an excellent example of having what’s really important in a blog: great content. The content of your posts is the core and essence of your blog. It’s the meat and potatoes, the entree. The design, on the other hand, is the plating and the garnish. You can have the most beautiful plating and garnish – but if the real substance of the food is missing, the plating and garnish won’t make up for that. However, once you do have the meat and potatoes, the plating and garnish can make a big difference in the presentation and how your content is received. A delicious meal can be a delicious meal even on a paper plate – but it can also be taken up to the next level by being served on beautiful plating with tasteful garnishing. As they say, “content is king” and we will be addressing content somewhat in this series, but largely it will be about taking the great content you have, like Lori does on her blog, and presenting it in the best possible light – adding that next level of plating and garnish.
‣ ‣ ‣ What is branding?
(And do I need it, even if my blog is not a business?)
So we’re going to be starting at the “drawing board”: establishing your blog’s branding, which personally I find can be a really fun project. Now, you may think of branding as just being connected to businesses and shops and so forth, and your blog may or may not be a business blog. Or, like I used to think, you might think that branding just means a logo. But the concept of branding can certainly apply to blogs whether they are businesses or not, and is much broader than a logo. Blog branding is the unique style and experience that your readers will have and see in all aspects of what you are offering. Here is one way to see branding in general … imagine you are at the mall and are planning to buy a white t-shirt there. You could buy a white t-shirt at any number of places in the mall – but it’s going to be a different person who chooses to buy the shirt from Coldwater Creek as opposed to American Eagle, or from Hot Topic – and this is because even though the white t-shirts might not vary that greatly, the branding extends beyond just the simple items themselves, but covers the entire experience from going there, to buying the item, to how you feel about the item – and those different types of branding appeal to different people. The same is true for your blog. Your blog branding covers the entire experience of someone coming on your site, not just the content itself, and applies whether you have a business blog or not, because even if you’re not selling anything, you’re still trying to win the eye of your target readership. The branding you want to have on your blog will impact all of your design choices in a makeover, and branding will vary widely from blog to blog depending on why you are blogging, your target audience, and your own style and personality. So to start out this series I’ve made a branding questionnaire printable to help walk you through how to narrow down to what you want that branding on your blog to be.
‣ ‣ ‣ Branding 101 Printable & How-To Tips
As we move forward in this series (which will continue here on Fridays) a lot of the things we will be doing in future posts will be based on the answers you give to questions on this printable. I sent these questions to Lori ahead of time so that I could base her blog’s design on her answers. These questions don’t really require very long answers, and for the most part are pretty straightforward, but there are a few that I wanted to give some additional explanation for here.
The first section is just the basics, and things that you probably already have established: your blog name, tagline, etc. One question on there, though, that I want to point out is “Why do you blog?” You don’t really need to get very deep on this answer unless you want to – this is largely to establish the purpose for your blog. Is it to promote your business? Is it to offer advice or support on a certain topic? Is it to get feedback on your writing skills? The one answer I would avoid putting here is anything along the lines of “for fun” or “for a creative outlet”, because that doesn’t shed any light on why you are writing on a publicly viewable website as opposed to a personal journal at home. This question has to do with why you a seeking an audience for your writing – you want to be upfront with your audience with what they can expect. If it’s a business related blog, you want to make that clear in your design so your readers aren’t taken aback or surprised when you start talking about selling to them. Or if you are wanting build a online support community with your blog, you want make sure your design offers easy ways to join and participate. And so forth, depending on why you are blogging.
The rest of the questions of the 2-page printable are what I call “The Brass Tacks”. They are questions to help you think through and define what kind of style and look you want to go for on your blog, and help lead up to the last question: to come up with a branding and design statement. What is a branding and design statement, you ask? It is not a tagline or something that describes your blog to other people, it is simply a succinct phrase that describes the feel you want in your branding and design, for your own use as a guideline while you design your blog. It doesn’t have to make a lot of sense to other people, as long as it is crystal clear in your own mind – but it should be short. As an example, my own branding statement that encompasses all of my sites (my blog, my shop, my website, etc.) is “cozy urban cafe”. That may or may not make perfect sense to you as you look at my sites – for instance, urban style can mean a more hip-hop and grafitti type style, but I mean it more in a downtown kind of way – but in my own mind it is clear, and as a result, all of my sites have a similar feel that reflects my original design goals.
If you’re easily able to answer the questions asking for just a couple specific style terms and such, you’ll probably have a fairly easy time coming up with your branding statement. But if, as you’re trying to answer the style and adjective questions, you can’t think of how to describe it, try imagining your blog was an actual physical location, like a shop or a house, and see if that helps you describe the look you want. Even then, though, it may feel a little nebulous or scattered. In helping people with blog design in the past, I think this is one of the things that people have a lot of trouble with – defining exactly what they want on their blog. When Lori gave me her answers, they were a little more general than the questions asked for, which I was actually glad to see, because I think this is common issue and gave me the opportunity to demonstrate (since I’m the one doing the designing in this case) on how to take these general types of ideas and narrow down to a branding and design statement.
Here were Lori’s answers to the two questions that asked for a few style terms and adjectives:
“This is where I just get overwhelmed. Is there such a thing as the modern side of Lands’ End clothing meets Italian Renaissance art meets old books meets straw garden hat and good hand tools meets artful cheese plate? That’s my style. Good luck.”
“Ai, yai, yai… Pick for me, please! Ok, one of those great looking rooms where the furniture is very comfy, very functional, with few useless objects except a very few of sentimental value which are also lovely to look at — like my pottery bowl of river rocks picked up from a Swiss alpine stream and my basket of postcards from our travels and field trips.”
Her answers really made me smile – I think this feeling of “this-meets-this-meets-this … what is that?” is very common. So, if you’re in this boat, know you’re not alone! I can understand why it seems overwhelming – it would be very difficult to design anything trying to juggle all these different aspects. But here is what I did to filter Lori’s description down to a single style description, and I hope you’ll find the process can be fun, not daunting.
The first step is that you want to think about what the different aspects have in common – what ties them together. Personally, I went and found pictures of the things she mentioned in her description … a piece of Italian Renaissance art, some old books, hand tools, artisinal cheese plate, etc., and lined them all up to be able to make some visual comparisons. Another way to look at this came up as I was explaining to Tim the process of narrowing down to the similarities; a light bulb turned on in his head and he said, “Yeah, it’s like finding the common denominator of the different styles!”, and he started kind of mind-mapping attributes of the different items to find common ground. I thought that was a interesting way to think of it – especially if you’re more of an abstract/math brained person like Tim. Or the visual comparison might work better for you if you are more artsy-brained, like me. But in whatever method works best for you, try to think of what the common cord is that ties the different elements together.
Secondly, you might think I’m going to say find what is different between the elements- but that’s not quite the case. It would be a pretty endless list! Instead, ask yourself, “How do these things comment on each other?” In other words, why didn’t Lori answer with JUST the Italian Renaissance for her look? What is it about garden tools that fills something that was missing in the Italian Renaissance? What is it about Lands’ End that fills a style need missing in having old books alone? Contrast to try to find how and why these different pieces comment on each other. You may find that some aspects are actually very overlapping, where as some introduce a whole missing, but vital, piece of the puzzle.
After going through this process, here is the design statement I came up with from Lori’s description:
“Classic and cultured, done simply and down to earth.”
I feel that encompasses what she was trying to portray in her descriptions. Now the last (but very important)
step in crafting your design statement is this: once you have your design statement, forget about all those nebulous descriptions. Now, I don’t mean forget about the other questions you answered on the printable, we’ll still be using a lot of those answers in the future. But those fuzzy nebulous thoughts of Renaissance-meets-cheese-plate-meets-gardening-tools — let those go. You want to design and plan you blog look based on your branding statement. If you try to design with all of those other things in mind, you’re going to end up with some parts of your blog looking like the Renaissance, and some parts looking like garden tools, but it’s not going to all tie together. Your branding statement should encompass everything you need from those nebulous thoughts, anyway. If you feel you can’t let go of those because it feels like something will be missing, then that is probably a sign that your branding statement is not complete. Once you have a branding statement finished, it will make your job of designing SO much easier in the rest of the process.
I hope this has been helpful! You can get the free printable by clicking the photo, below.
Let me know how it goes answering these questions – and if you are having trouble narrowing down to a design statement, talk about it in the comments below, and let’s see if we can help each other out! :)
Please leave your thoughts and comments below – I love to hear from you!
You can check out the rest of the posts in the series here:
Part 1: Discover your branding with “The Drawing Board” Printable (That is today’s post!)
Part 2: WordPress vs. Blogger
Part 3: Design Tips + Design Worksheet
Part 4: Themes, Coding and Stylesheets
Part 5: Making your own graphics
Part 6: 7 Blog Layout Tips to Engage your Reader
Part 7: Blog Page: The Must-haves and the Panache
Part 8: 25 WordPress Tips
Part 9: The Big Reveal
Part 10: 7 Ways to Promote and Market Your Blog
Wow, that’s really useful! It’s so cool with the guidelines, I have just started a blog, and didn’t knew what to do and how. So I tried to do it by heart, and I think it’s gone fine. But there’s really many things that I haven’t thought about. But the hardest thing I think, is to get feed back. A lot have been by my blog, but not as many have left a comment. Thumbs up for your post! Have a great and beautiful Day and weekend!
Hi Monstercircus! I’m so glad you’ve found it helpful! Yes, getting feedback is definitely not always easy. For one thing, just statistically, people don’t always comment on everything they read – even when they enjoy it, they may or may not choose to comment! However there are some things you can do to encourage feedback and interaction, which we’ll be talking about later in the series in more detail, but the basic premise is this: make it as easy as possible for people to comment/respond on your blog + let them know directly that you WANT comments and feedback! :)
April, the timeliness of your series couldn’t be a bigger blessing to me! I’m muddling through the branding process right now and your tips are sparking light bulbs in my brain. Time to download your worksheet and figure out how overflowing bushel baskets, street signs, Mary Engelbreit houses, and window boxes relate to the abundance of grace I want to depict through my Plenty Place blog. =)
Aw, thanks! Love that you mentioned the light bulb, because I actually put my “eureka” light bulb illustration in the background of the printable. :) Yeah, it sounds like you’re in the same boat of nebulous ideas – but the good news is there is definitely a common thread and strain I get even from a glance at that list, so it shouldn’t be too hard to narrow down. Good luck!
I love your comments about branding, especially how people need to think about it even if they don’t have a business. I see so many blogs that don’t really have an identity and it’s kind of jarring to be over there because I don’t know what to expect!
Yeah, sometimes it is easier to see whether a site’s branding is clear as the reader than as the writer, because as the writer, you understand yourself … but the question is, what is a reader who lands on your site able to easily tell about your blog? Great point, Paige.
oh wow! great pirnt out and tips. I can’t wait to get to work on it! Thanks so much for putting this together.
Thanks, Kat, so glad you’re enjoying it! :)
Amazing post! I’m printing this out and working on this right now!
Wonderful, you’ll have to let me know how it goes! :)
Really great tips. You’ve demystified something for me! I’m in the same boat trying to define a style/feel for my blogs. I will definitely try your process out with my own designs. Thank you so much. You’ve helped more than you know!
Oh, wow, I’m so glad this was so helpful for you — thanks you so much for letting me know!!
:)
Well, I’m just about as excited about this project/series as I can be. I love the design statement you came up with from my mishmash of images — that about sums me up, at least it is what I aspire to be, and I’d like my blog to reflect that. And branding — who knew? I thought it was something done to cattle… :)
Thanks, April, for all your use of your talent to help those of us who are design and techno-challenged.
Yay! I was very curious to see what you would think of the design statement, I’m so glad you approve. :) Yeah, branding has changed over the years, eh? I guess in the end it’s still how you “leave your mark” on your product, though. :)
Funny, I was just working on trying to redesign parts of my blog, literally, when I came across this blog post! This is and will be an incredibly practical, helpful, creativity-inducing series of posts – thank you so much. I’ve had a heck of a time trying to figure out customizing my blog in the way I’ve wanted it to look on Blogger – do you have any experience or knowledge of Blogger and how it compares to WordPress? What makes WordPress better? I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth making the switch.
Yay! So glad it’s helpful to you! Yes, I have experience on both Blogger and WordPress – actually that is exactly what we’re going to be talking about next week … which to choose, pros and cons… so be sure to come back for that! :)
I really love the drawing board idea – it really helps to just write down all your ideas in a few simple words and create a vision. I’m getting the itch to fix some issues with my blog/redesign some things, and that seems like a great starting point! Looking forward to the series.
Wonderful, I’m so glad it can be helpful to you!! Be sure to let us know how it goes as you work on it! :)
I am very excited for this series! I feel like everyone else saying this, but this couldn’t have come at a better time. I opened my store a year ago and in all of that busy-ness I never got around to starting my blog, but I felt that with my first year behind me I can finally try to branch out and focus on other aspects of my business. These printables are so helpful in getting all my thoughts straight and on paper! I can’t wait until next friday!
I did the same kind of thing with my blog, too – my shop got well established, but my blog was kind of laid aside. Once I started really honing in on what I wanted to do with my blog, though, I really got into it! :) So glad you’ve found the printable helpful :)
April – Thank you for this series! Branding my blog has been on my mind lately and I know it’s something I need to do to continue growing. I just printed out your worksheets and plan on working through them this weekend. I look forward to next week!! I’ll definitely be following this series along closely!
So glad that it is something that can be helpful for you! You’ll have to let me know how it goes filling out the printable. :) Thanks – and I’ll look forward to seeing you next Friday! :)
April-
I had been toying with the concept of a blog but would never have had the courage to put pen to paper without the marvelous tips you presented here. It was a true answer to prayer as I have been struggling with what the next step for me and my business is. Visualizing the blog as a physical place made all the difference. I am such a visual person, I needed that image to focus my nebulous (love that word!) thoughts. God bless-
Mandy
Oh, I’m so glad that you found the tips and ideas helpful! Thanks for letting me know :)
Love your blog! So beautiful, clean, and relevant! I signed up immediately for your updates. I would love it if you would check out my blog and give me your honest feedback! I know you are probably incredibly busy, but I thought it was worth a shot because your blog blew me away, so you obviously know what your talking about!
Hi Marleen! Thanks so much for your kind words about my blog! I took a look at your blog … very pretty! I think you have a very good eye for your aesthetic and how to portray it in a pleasing way. :) That being said, I think your Iay-out could be a little more user friendly, as far as encouraging interaction and navigation. We’ll be covering that type of thing a little later in the series. I hope you’ll find the tips and such helpful! :) But your blog is definitely very lovely. :)
Thank you so much for posting this! It’s incredibly helpful. I know I need to really start thinking about branding my blog and this has given me a lot to consider.
Great, I’m so glad you’ve found it helpful :)
Hi April, thank you so much for doing this series, I found out about via Twitter so I’m a new reader to your blog too but very happy to have discovered it :) I’ve filled in my branding 101 worksheet and I think I struggled the most with the tagline and describing my blog in a quick way – I’ve recently taken a break from blogging so I could reassess & think about the new direction I wanted it to take so this whole series has come at the perfect time for me. Thanks again, looking forward to the next installment!
Hi Natalie! Yes a tagline and a blog description can be difficult to create, especially if you’re not sure exactly what your blog is about. Deciding what your blog is truly about, and who your target audience is, is a very personal journey and decision. Once you have a truly good handle on those, though, things like a tagline and blog description – not to mention your actual post content – will come a lot easier. :)
April,
This is so much more than I expected already! I am still working through my worksheet, and let me tell you this has been so incredibly fun and awesome to do. You really organized it in a great way to stay focused and benefit from each question and answer. I can not wait for more! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this and put together the printable, I really appreciate it :-)
~Lizzy
Oh, wonderful, I’m so glad you enjoyed the printable! It makes me so happy to hear that it’s been helpful :D
Well, after doing the Blog Branding 101 worksheets I’m a believer! The questions have caused me to really examine the direction I want my blog to be headed. I had the most difficult time describing my target audience, mostly because I don’t like to leave people out, haha. The branding design statement I came up with (for now) is: “One mom’s fresh and funny take on authentic Christian living.” I have seriously agonized over this. ;) Not sure about the mom aspect of my blog, but I tend to write a lot about my experiences in motherhood ( a la Erma Bombeck, my patron saint). Also, I am thinking about changing the title of my blog, and I’ve never had a tagline so you’ve really got my wheels churning….
Nice, I’m so glad it was helpful for you. :) Your statement is well crafted, and I think that’s a great way to sum up what your blog is about. It seems very fitting for the “less than 50 words” description. I’d encourage you, though, in your branding design statement, to include some actual style elements. Your statement is very well thought-out to help you with your content, but branding also has to do with the design, look and style elements. If you’re having trouble coming up with style terms, perhaps try the method of describing if your blog was a physical location to get the brainstorming process started. In the end you want a phrase that as you are designing your blog you can look at each element (like your banner) and say “does this look like (insert-branding-statement-here)”, so it does need to convey some style direction. I think you’re on a great track, though, and that statements sounds like exactly what you need for your 50-words-or-less of what your blog is about. Good luck! :)
Okay – so this is the branding statement I came up with after MUCH inner debate: Comfy, cozy, and a little off kilter.
Nice going! Definitely gives you a unique style to start working with as you start designing. Thanks for sharing! Between your content summary you gave earlier, and this branding statement it sounds like you’re doing a great job of describing what you’re going for! :)
This post was so helpful! Thank you.
I’ve just downloaded the printable; can’t wait for the next post!
Thanks, Juliette! So glad it was helpful :D
I found my way over here from reading your great answers during Blog Brunch, and I’m so glad I did! I think I’m going to love this series. Can’t wait to work on these answers. :)
Oh, yay, a fellow blog bruncher! :D Thanks so much for stopping over! :)
I’m confident that I have a distinct look and am very happy with my blog design (a template), but I think this worksheet is still going to be very useful to me. I’ve started making some videos and have someone creating a logo for me, and this will help me clarify what I want so I can communicate it to other people. I’ll be better able to tell the designer, the photographer, and the musician creating the background music for the video what type of feel I’m going for. Thanks!
Glad you found it helpful, even if just for defining your look to others. :)
This came at a perfect time, I was in need of a path and you have more than blazed a trail! I look forward to staying informed with your blog. A
Wonderful, thanks so much, Amber! :)
hi April!
i’m so excited about this “workshop” xD
you describe it so well that it make me want to try to blogging.. it seems so funny to design it!
have a good day
Hey Fede! Good to hear from you! Blogging can definitely be a lot of fun :D But takes a good bit of time, too, haha :)
Mine is a complete mess. I am hopeful these will put me on a better path. Thanks for sharing.
Hope you find it helpful, Tiffani! Thanks! :)
Hi April
I wanted to say I enjoyed reading all the comments – your replies to everyones questions/comments adds alot!
I loved working through this yesterday (finally)! For my “branding design statement” I came up with “Simply refreshing modern organic”…
Oh, thanks JoAnna, I appreciate that! Love your branding statement, it definitely gives a clear picture of what you’re going for … nice job! :)
Thank you for this! I always have a rough idea of how I want things to look and feel, but these questions are a really good way to thoroughly clarify the direction I want it to go – and they’ll be useful for any branding project – for example, I’m trying to get my blog up to speed in preparation for a Etsy shop launch, so I want the Blog branding to go with the shop branding.
Really looking forward to the rest of this series! :)
Oh, fun! I sell on Etsy, too, and it’s definitely true that all your branding should go together (assuming they will be connected/part of the same project). Most of the “brass tacks” section is applicable to any branding project, not just blogs, anyway. :)
April! Am I being blind? I can’t find the printout anywhere!!! Can you point me toward the link?
Oh! Sorry if it wasn’t clear! It says in the last paragraph, just click the last photo (the picture of the two page printable on the desk) and it will take you to the printable. :)
You are an absolute God send! I’ve been blogging for 7 months now and I’m happy with my blog, but know I can take it so much further and I know there is so much more I can do to make it better. Right now I’m thinking about branding and how to bring everything I’m doing under one umbrella. I’m also looking to move to self hosting, I love WordPress, but by the end of the year, early next year I’m going to spread my wings :-) and have them help me make the transistion. I’m definitely going to be following your series as I feel you have so much to teach me in this blogosphere!
Hey Maylana! So glad you found this helpful! Curious, do you mean self-hosted and not WordPress? I’m currently self hosted, but use WordPress as my platform. This post you just read is the first in the series, from a couple weeks back, and the second part is all about self-hosting vs. non and such, so you might find it helpful – although it sounds like you already have a plan in mind, so that is exciting! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Here is the link for that article: https://www.theflourishingabode.com/2012/07/diy-blog-design-where-to-blog-and-how-to-begin.html
I will definitely have to take all of this in and re-evaluate my blog. I’m a newbie blogger and this was really helpful in making me view my blog with different eyes. This gives me a goal to try and work toward, making my blog have a statement that I want readers to see. I will definitely just have to be patient with myself and know that I can do this step by step and isn’t doesn’t all have to work immediately.
I loved the way you used pics of the various descriptions Lori gave you to come up with a cohesive statement. This was a wonderfully helpful post! I will definitely be tuning in on Fridays for the following posts! ;-)
Oh, good, I’m so glad you liked that technique! Thanks ChatterBlossom :)
Wow, I know I’m late to the party (came over from Twitter today) but like so many others, this is perfect timing for me. I’m looking at not only a blog redesign but combining my website and my blog into one site (both are self-hosted). I tend to be about a little bit of everything (art, writing, prayers, poetry, whatever). I’m always thinking I need focus, and while that’s probably true, a good branding idea can maybe somehow tie it all together. Obviously I need to put some time and thought into this. But your posts and worksheet are just what I needed to read. Also, I’m pretty good on the technical side of WordPress (designing with StudioPress) but really struggle when it comes to design. So all that info is perfect right now as well.
Thanks for sharing your know-how so freely! No doubt it will come back to you, hundred-fold!
So glad to know this topic is helpful! Yes, if you’ve got a variety, its important to have some kind of branding that ties it all together. And if there’s part that just CAN’T be tied in …that may mean that is part that can be left behind. I know what I went through the process of branding for myself, I had multiple shops/businesses at that time, and I had to let some go. But once I really focused on the parts I DID want to keep, and used branding to ties them all together, things really starting booming then. :)
I am not sure the world needs more bloggers, but am seriously thinking of starting one. My son is also thinking of doing one too, so I think this series will be helpful. Thank you, take care.
April, thanks for this useful series. Your tips on branding helped me focus my blog as well as my overall business (even how I shop for materials, which I describe here: http://creativeupcycling.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-rules-for-shopping-at-thrift-stores.html).
One thing I don’t think you addressed in the series is the question of including advertising in your blog (as in Google ads or the like). I’m not sure how to decide if they’re a good idea or not.
Thanks, Claudia! No, I did not address whether you should include ads, because that really depends on your blog. Some blogs do great with them, some do great without them. Largely it depends on your blogging goals and your target audience. My goal in this post was to help people figure out WHAT those goals/readership is … and then, just as with deciding what content to put on your blog, it is up to the blogger to decide what to do with it. :) Good luck! :)
Hey I made a notebook roundup and I featured your printable in it!
I hope you’re alright with it, if not please tell me!
http://birdsandkittens.blogspot.nl/2012/09/diy-roundup-notebook.html
Please check it out!
I just want to say I am just new to blogging and really savored your web-site. Very likely I’m likely to bookmark your site . You surely have excellent articles. Thanks for revealing your website.
i found this at the best time! thank you so much for sharing your expertise!
pam
Thank you so much for putting this together. I am so excited to see where this series goes, if this is only session one! I’ve just started blogging (again, but let’s pretend it’s the first time) and I wasn’t loving the theme of my new blog but didn’t quite have the juice to do anything about it… now I’m excited to get my creative on!
Merci!
I hope you’ll find it helpful! The whole series has been completed now – you can check out all the posts, here: https://www.theflourishingabode.com/category/challenge/diy-blog-redesign
Hi Lori
I love your site but how do you dowload your printables??
Thanks
michelle
Hi Michelle!
It explains it in the paragraph just above the last photo – you just click the photo to download the printable. Hope you enjoy it! :)
Thank you so much for doing this series! What a marvelous idea! I have been wanting to get more serious about my blog for a while now, but it just doesn’t have the feel that I want. This is exactly the guidance I needed to get me going! I am looking into getting my own domain – are there any web hosts you recommend over others?
Thanks, I’m glad you liked it! This post is just the first in the series – I actually deal with web host info in the second post, which you can see here: https://www.theflourishingabode.com/2012/07/diy-blog-design-where-to-blog-and-how-to-begin.html
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Am I going crazy? I can’t seem to find the link to download your blog branding printable :(
Just click the last image of the post:)
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Hi April! I’m working on the Brass Tacks (it’s awesome btw) I’ve been blogging for 2 years and have to change the directions of my category/ tag system. I knew that before I found your wonderful series but that is going to take a huge overhaul. It’s extremely overwhelming.
I have my branding design statement and have a confident idea of how I want my site to feel. I am struggling with color though. I’m not good with color combos and not particularly drawn to anything specific. I’ve started a color inspiration pin board… but I’m afraid to really look around at other blog colors because I don’t want to copy. Any tips on how to choose a color for those of us who are color challenged?
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I always seem to end up back on your site lol :). I absolutely love that you have made this series. I recently started a blog and I seem to be having problems with getting that “look and feel” that I see in my head. All your wonderful tips are going to be helping big time! I printed out the worksheet and am starting to work on it right now. I have a big hobby background with web design and graphics but yet… I can’t seem to get it! Thank you so much for all this wonderful information!
How do I download the printable? AM I just not seeing the link?
Opps! Found it now! Thanks
Wow! I just discovered this series and it is just perfect. I’m going to work through the articles one a day and hopefully I’ll soon have my blog set up just the way I want it.
The print out has been so useful in helping get my ideas down and I can already see some designs in my head after struggling to have a real concept for a few weeks. The brand design statement I have come up with is, ‘Modern and masculine done simply with a pop of colour.’
From what I’ve seen, the world of blogging is largely female so it’s important to me that my design is not overly feminine. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for this series! I just started a blog and have been struggling with these basic bits.
I’m now working through your articles one at a time to see how I can improve it. Keep up the wonderful and useful articles!
Thank you so much for sharing such an awesome tutorial series! I can’t wait to put some of your tips into practice!
What do you do when you realize that the blog design and brand you are trying to achieve has already been done?? I am a homemaker living on a working ranch with my husband and 4 kids. My blog is about ranch life, kids, cooking, gardening, entertaining, animals etc. Someone says to me..”oh, like The Pioneer Woman”…I check out her blog and YEP! That is EXACTLY what I am going for. She is SUPER successfull with books, tv show etc!!! How do I compete with that without looking like a complete copy cat?? UGH!!
After doing plenty of research on what it takes to start a blog and make it successful on Pinterest, I came across your series on redesigning and rebranding. I just finished this portion of the series and am getting ready to delve into the other articles.
I must say that I absolutely LOVE this. This is the most helpful article/series that I have come across and will more than likely be using it when creating the brand for my graphic design business.
I found this at a perfect time considering I am moving to wordpress and looking for a more focused direction on my blog (where as up until this point it has been super random). I want to focus on beauty tips for moms with the feel of a fashion-focused salon but with the friendly dialogue you would find in a local cafe. I think I’m going to go with a “vintage glamour beauty cafe”.
Thanks for the tools you have provided to organized my mind =)
Aw, this was a very good post. Finding the time and actual effort to create a good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a whole lot and never seem to get anything done.
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The very next time I read a blog, Hopefully it doesn’t fail me as much as this particular one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read through, nonetheless I actually thought you would have something useful to say. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something you could possibly fix if you weren’t too busy searching for attention.
This has really helped me define the goals for my blog! Thanks so much for posting this series!
Studying this write-up the represent of your time
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d certainly donate to this fantastic blog! I deduction in support of now i’ll settle representing book-marking and adding your RSS nourish to my Google account. I expression to the fore to brand new to the job updates and will let somebody in on this website with my Facebook group. Chat soon!
I haven’t filled in the Drawing Board sheet, but it has really inspired me to try harder and have a rethink on my blog design. Thanks for the help. Hannah
Although I’m finally in a great group through CraftyLink.com [DreamYourSuccess] & we’re working on branding right now. I was led to your site & worksheet; it’s always good to have a couple of perspectives when tackling a difficult subject. I’m starting a handmade jewelry business, Blessings In Design Jewelry, so named because of all the many ‘blessings in disguise’ I have received & learned to recognize over the years. Thank you. Blessings, Holly
Is this printable still available? I would love to go through it, however I can’t seem to get either a download or link to the printable worksheet.
Thanks!
Stephanie
I am not positive the place you are getting your info, however
good topic. I must spend some time studying much more or understanding more.
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info for my mission.
I started my blog a while ago and to be honest I don’t really know what I am doing with it! I really enjoy writing and photography and so I was having fun but the blog as a whole didn’t look how I wanted it to. I recently had a name and theme change and I think I’m slowly but surly getting things to how I want them to be and this post has helped me so much with branding. I never thought branding was important before but it really is! Thanks so much x
Thank God I reached here! You’re making me excited April! :D Thank you for all the ideas! :)
God bless!
JM Kayne | http://www.iamjmkayne.com
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