I Want To Blog: Step 2 (The Fun Part)

I don’t know about you, but when I think of creating a space online, something that is all mine that is going to share all my ideas and thoughts, I get really excited about what it will look like.  You want it to be gorgeous right?

The overall look of your blog design is called your theme and that is step two in starting your blog.

Click here for step one – setting up your blog.

Step 2

To give you an idea, the theme I use for Love and Marriage is called Delightful and is designed by Restored 316 Designs. If you’ve seen any of my past blog designs, the last three have all been from there. I just adore them.

(affiliate links included throughout – see my disclosure for more information – thanks for your support)

Besides having gorgeous themes for $50, Restored 316 gives step by step instructions for each one; what plugins she used, where they go, frequently asked questions, etc.  If this is your very first blog design, you’re going to want someone to walk you through the ins and outs of your theme.

To use any of these themes (and a lot of others) you have to first have something called Genesis Framework. Genesis ($59.95) is the main structure of the blog design and is required for many themes.

Other Gorgeous Themes

Here are a bunch of other fantastic themes to take a look at.

• Swank by Pretty Darn Cute Designs $40
• Beverly by BluChic
• Modern Studio Pro by Studio Press $40
• FoodiePro by Shay Bocks $70 (perfect for food bloggers)
• Runway Pro by Studio Press $40  (perfect for fashion bloggers)

Step 2 – Optional

One optional step you may or may not want to take is getting a logo. I’ve made a few and paid for a few. If you’re new and design isn’t your thing, I suggest a pre-made logo from one of the many great Etsy shops.  Most of these are reasonably priced ($25-50) and beautiful.  The downside is that they will be resold again, so you won’t have something totally unique. The chances are though, that you will never notice someone else with the same logo.

More Reading

Here are some more great articles on designing your blog.

• Blog Design Love ECourse
• 6 Ways To Make Your Blog Pretty
• Why You Need A Beautiful Blog
• Graphic Design 101 for Bloggers

Here is the last part in the series: an enormous list of articles, tips and tricks for every aspect of your blogging business. Stay tuned!