How to make a blog look attractive?

I have been messing around with different looks for my blog since I got it started. I really like the black background with white text thing, but I hear it hurts peoples eyes.

I want it to be simple and clean. Trying to avoid a bunch of extra nonsense widgets that cause slowdown on other blogger blogs.

Right now I'm running a Halloween theme (orange and black) but I don't want it to turn people away. What do you guys think of this so far? Any suggestions to make it better?

I know the banner is a bit difficult to read. I threw it together pretty quick today, and have some other stuff to do to it (like highlight the letters) but the old banner I had was so boring, I had to change it around at least for Halloween ;p

Rentamovieblog.blogspot.com is the site.

 

Really my friend you should concentrate on content first, Try maybe to keep It simple and kind on the eye. I have checked your blog and it seems good but try to stay away from themes as this can become tacky. Unless of course your talking about nothing but Halloween films then by all means keep to that theme.

Pm me or go to my home page I have lots on info on how to succeed at blogging/websites tipsforasuccessfulblog.blogspot.com/

Hope this helps you

 

thanks dood, those are some good tips on there. I'll have to set up RSS too.

 

if you want a nice layout , u need to switch to wordpress instead of blogspot , but i prefer blogspot since it's hosted by google and it's fast

 

or you could use wordpress and host it urself?

 

I've considered wordpress. It is a bit more complicated though, and I like having adsense built in with blogger.

 

There are nice looking CSS online you can download and then add on your website.

 

If you are using wordpress than you have limited choice but if have blog post than you can download any free template according to your blog content

 

Hi Sethisto!

You got a good blog out there except that you should try and change the theme - it hurts the eye to some, although not to me, but as a professional, since it's a review site - Just keep it plain and simple. Content is King and people would definitely bookmark if you rely on this.

I got some good tips on blogging all outlined in about 25 posts which I might not be able to share here, but you can get them here -
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=1961091

As regards your attractiveness question, there really is no mathematical solution but I guess good looking and attractive blogs are based on the right combination of a number of factors which I'd love to share here so as not to be selfish, and would be known as

"Top 7 Key Elements To Make Your Blog Look Great

So pay attention!

Before I continue! I'd like to say that the first 60sec - 1minute of a visitor to your site determines how long he/she stays. So anything you know that delays the loading of your webpage really sends the wrong signals.

1. Top-Notched Structure:

This is very important. In a recent survey to my mailing list members on how long they normally stayed on a new website, I discovered this factor. In fact, since a lot of information is available on a webpage, ordering should be on your mind and if the first-time visitor does not notice good ordering, they might get overloaded and leave. This accounts for reasons why some people complain about having all the information on their site yet people just spend less than 1 minute on the their sites.

2. Good Balance.

Now think of a two-side measurement scale: If the objects on both sides of the scale are equal, it would be balanced and not tilt. So also, a good design allows the visitor to surf around the page naturally without having to be compulsorily drawn to a particular element or page. So when considering a specific element, make sure you consider its size, position, colour and even its details.

3. Colouration Of The Site.

Now, for some this is a no-go area and I guess that's one of the downsides of your blog. However, the greatest mistake you can do to your site is to ruin the awesome design with a non-matching color scheme. If you do not trust your eye enough to help you out with this, a lot of tools are out there and you can find some here - http://www.problogdesign.com/general-tips/tools-for-choosing-a-color-combination/

4. Small Details.

You do not need a complex design to prove a point. In fact top sites are noted for simplicity but accuracy of small details. This goes a long way to communicate the effort put into the design and could be the deciding factor between a good and a great site.

5. Emphasis & Clarity.

Recent surveys show that most people do not like to read and this has even affected writing now. I'm sure you would agree with this too. So keep your posts simple, short as possible and above all clear. Emphasize on the elements you deem important like the headlines, etc. A friend of mine usually suggests Ample WhiteSpace as a favorite tactic for achieving this as it lets your design breathe, preventing readers from being overloaded and confused.

6. How Remarkable Is Your Blog?

Does it leave something unique with the visitor? Many times, this factor is often associated with product sales but it applies here as well as one could decide to take one of two routes - The Safe & Unsafe.
The safe could be a combination of a simple color scheme, the regular 2 column layout, normal web font and nothing spectacular but which will do the job. The Unsafe could be a great design which is capable of doing something more, but risky. It goes further than the regular and creates uniqueness and I guess that was where you were driving at with your blog. Great designs are remarkable though, but you must be careful.

7. Functionality.

Sites have evolved beyond design nowadays - even on blogs. Infact, the recent upgrading of blogger's blog with awesome functionality, testifies to that and the almost every second release of a new WordPress Plugin. What do you think when you see a site with beautifully threaded comments or well implemented Gravatars? Blogs are no more diaries with comments but interactivity with the content. This shows that functionality has a large role to play in today's blogs. A webpage with great functionality speaks well of the owner and a good blog gives a visitor high expectations of the site.

I could go on and on....but I'd advise that you bookmark my thread here http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=1961091 as I'd really dedicate a series of posts to this effect.

I hope this helps.

Have a great day!

 

Woah, amazing advice. I'll work on a new banner when I get home tonight and mess with the color schemes a bunch. I figured it was way annoying. I might use this again when halloween actually comes around. It is way too early ;p

 

apart of all those designs andcms, besure to have good well written and helpful contents. that should make it more attractive.

 

Why dont you try to find a new Wordpress template there are tons of WP different themes are available! I am sure you can find anyone

 

there are lots of ways to make a blog creative. but you should not over do it because it might just be useless. use off tools that can actually make your blog creative and at the same time easy to manage

 

To make a blog look attractive there are various ways to look blog attractive edit in the CSS and HTML design.

 

if you use wordpress you will themes you can use to make your site look good.
if you use blogspot then use the ready made templates too.

 

To make your blog look more attractive, You can choose a nicer blog template, There are many template on internet you can download for free.

 

Your site does look pretty nice and provides good content. My only and main suggestion would be for you to self-host your blog instead of letting Blogger do it for you. I think with your quality of posts that this would be the way to go.

 

I have been looking toward wordpress. I have just been so busy lately with another website me and some friends are opening, that I haven't had time for anything other than a quick post on the blog here and there. I dont even have time to design a new theme for it ;p

 

To make blog Attractive post new smart tips for blogging and answer every comment!

 

fiverr mate. Designers for cheap