Blog Design - Keep It Simple

Simplicity is the key to a good looking blog. 
Today’s web readers are inundated with a plethora of visually stimulating advertisements, ideas, posts and photos. The result is overwhelming, and very exhausting. 
A clean, crisp blog can relax the reader and make them enjoy their stay on your blog. This doesn’t mean make your site boring - it just means it’s time to throw out the Comic Sans font, and put the fancy photo backgrounds back in your high school yearbook. 
Here are just a few simple guidelines that will give your blog the air of professionalism, without giving up your originality or personality:

Fonts: 
Step away from the Fancy Fonts. They can make your blog look unprofessional, and often, childish. According to America’s Most Fonted –  Comic Sans is the worst font of all. Just Google “comic sans” and you’ll find a long list of web designers that share the sentiment, including websites like bancomicsans.com. 
Here are the top 7 Most Hated Fonts in order: 

1. Comic 
2. Bradley Hand ITC 
3. Curlz MT
4. Papyrus 
5. Vivaldi 
6. Kristen ITC 
7. Viner Hand 
A good rule of thumb is to make sure the font you use is “Sans Serif” such as Arial, Calibri, and Verdana. Let me explain. “Serifs” are the small finishing strokes on the end of a character such as Times New Roman. “Sans serif” fonts do not have these finishing strokes. Serif fonts have been widely used in traditional printed material such as books and newspapers. But once you start using the web, with varying screen resolutions and sizes, serifs become difficult to read, and hard on the eyes. 

Backgrounds:
White Text on Black Background is bad. We can’t read your blog. Tatham Oddie explains the scientific reasoning which has to do with your iris opening to receive more light, and create a “fuzzy” effect. 

Thanks to UxMovement for this demonstration

Just keep in mind the key is readability. 
Downloading blog templates can be great, but can also be disastrous. You want your blog to stand out because it’s good, not because it’s a prime example of what not to do. Fancy backgrounds with photos can work if they don’t distract from the most important part – your posts. Make sure the background behind your post is clean, clear and offers enough of a contrast for even the lowest resolution screens. 

Photographs/Pictures:
We are a visual generation – we need photos. "Text only" means a boring blog. Break the monotony with photographs, videos, slideshows, etc. But again, make sure the photos don’t detract from what you’re saying. 
Make sure the photos are large enough to see. Think of the photos that catch your eye and make sure yours fit that category.
Don't go overboard!  Adding too many photos can prove taxing for the reader and also for the browser which will add to the download time, different sizes, places and photos plugged anywhere threatens the professionalism of your blog.
Also make sure when you are adding photos that they are scaled properly, meaning not out of proportion and check the creative commons for the legality of using someone else’s photo. To get more information on legally using photos go to Blogger.com’s help page on posting photos. There are plenty of sites that also offer free images including morgueFile, RGB stock and FreeFoto.

Simplicity is the key to a well designed blog

Finally, Consistency: 
A consistent approach to layout, colours and fonts allows readers to adapt quickly to your design and get comfortable. The visual language of your blog is a reflection of who you are and what people can expect. Don’t speak in a number of tongues. Impress visitors with not only a great first impression, but also an even better lasting impression.