Designing and automating your blog can be hard especially if you are not a designer of programmer. But thanks to the hard work of others you can have a beautiful and professional looking blog. Since the most popular blogging platforms are open source there are a myriad of add-ons, plug-ins and new themes that you can use to modify your blog.

Self Hosted vs. Internet Based

The real battle here is between self hosted blogging platforms such as Wordpress or Moveable type or internet based blogging platforms like blogger. Anyone who has blogged before knows that there are many drawbacks when using Google’s free blogging service Blogger. Most professional and semi professional bloggers use a self hosted blogging platform because of the wide variety of options, plug-ins and styles available. Word press in particular has a lot of use in the search engine marketing industry, giving it a robust platform for search engine optimization.

Self Hosted

http://www.livejournal.com/

http://www.typepad.com/

http://wordpress.org/

http://www.movabletype.com/

Internet Based

https://www.blogger.com/

http://www.xanga.com/

http://www.myspace.com/

Designing your blog is one of the most fun parts of creating a blog. This is your chance to be unique and define what you and your blog stand for. The best way to obtain a design is by using a template. There are many websites on the internet that offer free templates for every blog platform. Listed below are various blog template websites to pick a design from. If you cant find what you want here then search the internet to find additional themes. There are almost limitless themes on the internet that can be used.

Blog Templates

http://www.createblog.com/

http://www.thestylearchive.com/

Word press

http://themes.wordpress.net/

http://www.staska.net/2007/03/27/top-30-wordpress-plugins-in-blogosphere/

http://www.topwpthemes.com/

Moveable Type

http://styles.movalog.com/generator/

Live Journal

http://bottledsky.com/features/lj/

http://themes.wordpress.net/

Once you’ve installed your new blog design you will want to customize it. Like blog templates there are many plug-ins available for every blogging platform. Depending on your needs there are many things you can do with plug-ins, everything from wacky to professional. Especially in the search engine world there are a lot of options. And just like with everything some plug-ins are effective and others are well….not.

Plug-Ins

Word press

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

http://wp-plugins.net/

Moveable Type

http://plugins.movabletype.org/

http://www.staggernation.com/mtplugins/

Live Journal

http://weblogtoolscollection.com/archives/2004/06/18/live-journal-plugin-pack-release-3/

The Second part of the Web 2.0 how-to. Learn how to incorporate web 2.0 styling into your web design.

3. Go Big

One of the most noticeable features a modern web 2.0 website is the boldness of it. Logo, Icons and even text stand out proudly, boasting appealing graphics and cutting simplicity make them great websites. Good web 2.0 websites standout because they are simple, original and striking. When designing your web 2.0 website don’t be afraid to make things big and leave open space.

Big Logos

Strong logos are part of the overall grandeur of web 2.0. They proudly display the simple energy of the website. A big bold logo can look great if created correctly. It needs to work visually with the rest of the website, including colors and styling. But as much as you want your logo to fit in, it must also standout and be the focal point of that page. Your logo will say this is who we are, and this is what we represent.

Bold Colors

Bright colors are attractive, and can help invoke an emotional response from your visitors. There is a basic psychology to colors that humans relate to on a subconscious level. Bright flashy colors tend to attract the eye and help distinguish which elements of the page are most important, or separate from each other. Heres some basic color psychology.

Bold Titles

Keeping your website clutter free is an important aspect of web 2.0, it needs to be simple. That’s why you want big, catchy title. They standout and get your customer interested. And considering how low the attention span is of the average internet user, getting your message across quickly is important. You only have a few seconds to make a difference.

Heres one with both bold coloring and big text.

4. Style

Gradients

Gradients are en vogue right now amongst web 2.0’ers. Gradients are a great way to add some intricacy to basic colors. Gradients, like colors can help affect the mood of the user.

Graphics

Lots of websites are highly graphic but it’s often ad nauseum. There is usually way too much going to distill any kind of purpose or clarity from the site, we have all seen and dread the website with graphic son overkill. However web 2.0 is helping fix that, by integrating simplicity with high end graphics.

Reflections, glassy

Reflections and “glass” make websites looks more realistic and create that high tech feeling web 2.0 websites are known for. Here Cafepress demonstrates a great usage of reflective graphics.

Keeping up with design trends is one of the most important parts of sustaining a successful website. If you want to succeed in the minds of your customers you’re going to have to be hip. While trends of the mob are fickle it is important to keep up with them, at least in part. Web 2.0 is perhaps the most popular new thing in the web design, internet marketing industry. Web 2.0 is associated with a certain “type” of website; however the design is a large embodiment of what web 2.0 represents. Gradients, rich imagery, simple navigations and interactive frameworks are all commonly associated with a Web 2.0 site. We will explore some of the features of Web 2.0 design and how you can integrate them in to your current or future websites.

1. Simplicity

Web 2.0 is the embodiment of simplicity. Everything on a Web 2.0 website is clean, simple and easy. Maybe this is why users love Web 2.0 designs so much. They look great and work. One of the biggest reasons simplicity is key is because with less clutter the physical content of your website becomes the focus. It’s one of those things that the user doesn’t realize or acknowledge but subconsciously understand.

Every website has a different goal in mind. Basic Psychology is important when thinking about web design. Your users have their own motivations and are there for their own (selfish) reasons. The more things there are on your website the more things there are to distract your users away from the most important things.

Very Simple

Not So Simple

2. Structure

Structure is hugely important. The way your website is structured determines how users are going to get to areas of your website and why. Again simplicity applies. Most web 2.0 websites have a very centralized website without a lot of perks. Minimal columns are also very important. Fewer columns make your website simpler, easier to navigate and communicate your information much more clearly than with 4 or 5 column layouts.

Minimal Columns

Too Many Columns

Another thing that’s important is not over designing. One of the problems designers often face is they are visually oriented, which in this case is great. However the problem comes when designer forget about the content which is going to be the main focus of the site. Make sure when you create a site it’s minimal, and has lots of space for future content. A solid area is going to far more efficient than separated content, you’ll want to center and localize.

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Branding is the single most important part of business. And because it is such an integral of web design and online operations its important that you as a web designer recognize and practice some of the correct methods of branding. A brand is typically recognized as a name, slogan or logo that is associated with a particular product or service. Branding is done to create an emotional response from a customer and to help the customer remember that particular brand. By doing this your product will be the first one a person thinks of when they think of your type of product. If done properly your business will be properly aligned and will bring in all kinds of new business.

Positioning

There are lots of products and services out there, so how can you separate your product from all of the other ones out there? Positioning is how your product compares against your competitors. Positioning is a subtle thing and happens with out conscious knowledge its even happening. By first identifying where you stand against your competitors you can figure out a way to make your business unique. Carry this over to your web design, get an idea of what your competitors are doing but make yours unique. Don’t be so far out of the mold that you look like a different industry, but don’t be afraid to be different.

Be Direct

Remember that people are impatient and have very short attention spans when it comes to the internet. Nobody likes to be tricked so avoid redirects and tricky linking. Use short summarized information, make it as easy as possible for your users to find out the 5 W’s (who, where, what, why and when). Make it clear what it is you do or sell and how you can get it. Also remember

Consistency

In order for you to have any credibility you need to stay consistent. This means your design, text and color use have to be the same throughout the site. Think of it like a movie, if there no continuity it’s not going to make any sense. If your site doesn’t make any sense people are going to become disenfranchised and you’re going to lose customers. So make sure your layout, copy writing and color usage has the same theme on every page of your site.

Style

Your style is a huge part of your brand. Deciding on what your site is going to look like depends largely on what it represents. When a person believes in their work, it shows. Believe in your web design and your business position and it will show through the quality of your work. In order for your web design to be amazing, brainstorm your ideas, bounce them off others and most importantly, commit.

Be Positive

Every business has weaknesses but it’s important not to focus on them. Don’t ever lie to your customers but certain items of information are best left unsaid. Make all of your positives stand out on the site. Cite your examples of success and things that make your business better than competitors. Also read up on business tips for web designers.

Usability

All these other things are important, but if your site isn’t easily used you are in for trouble. If your website lacks usability it’s going to affect your credibility and hurt your brand image. Ideally, you want your users to have the best possible online experience, and when they remember their pleasant online experience they will remember your website.

Call to Action

This is perhaps the most important facet of your website. In marketing one of the biggest concepts is about motivating your customers to buy. Getting them to your product is the first large hurdle, but once they’re on your website what is going to happen? You need to have a call to action which requires your web visitors to do something. To sign up for a newsletter, to buy a product, any thing that encourages your users to take an action will help increase your conversions.

In web design photos and graphics are essential to creating a beautiful web design form scratch. Whether you need a whole photo or just want a part of it, photos and vectors are instrumental to creating quality web pages. You have several options when looking for graphics or images to use including: stock photo sites and vector sites.

Web Design Photography

There are many ways you can find images on the internet. And unless you are running a business or professional stealing images from Google image search is no big deal. But for those who need photography they can sell or market, they need legal consent. If you obtain a royalty free image you can re use for any of your purposes without having to worry about legal repercussions. Below is a list of website you can use to obtain stock photography.

Paid & Free Stock Photography

http://creative.gettyimages.com/source/home/home.aspx

Paid Stock Photography

http://us.fotolia.com/

http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php

http://www.stockxpert.com/?ref=bow

http://www.fotosearch.com/

http://www.luckyoliver.com

http://www.dreamstime.com/

Free Stock Photography

http://www.picfindr.com/

http://www.everystockphoto.com/

http://yotophoto.com/

http://www.sxc.hu/

http://www.inmagine.com/

http://www.123rf.com/

http://www.bigfoto.com/

Images and Textures

http://www.imageafter.com/

Taking Pictures Yourself

If you don want to buy pictures you can take them yourself. While it is very hard to take professional quality photos you can do a very good job at home with a little education and a camera. Whether you own a film or digital camera you can produce the quality pictures you need for your web design. Below are several websites and tutorials that can help you learn the basics.

http://www.photography-basics.com/

http://www.morguefile.com/archive/classroom.php

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/techniques.htm

http://www.dg28.com/technique/index.htm

http://www.photoaxe.com/composition-in-photography/

Finding Graphics & vectors

Vectors and graphics are great resources for the web designer. Vectors are wonderful because of their extremely high detail and the ability to easily partition certain parts of the vector graphic.

http://www.vecteezy.com/gallery

http://www.freevectors.com/

http://www.bittbox.com/freebies/

http://www.vectorportal.com/

http://www.vectorvault.com/free_downloads.html

Logos, Icons & Ads

http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/

http://adsoftheworld.com/

http://www.iconbuffet.com/store/products

Fonts & Text

http://www.urbanfonts.com/

http://www.1001freefonts.com/