How to define your design. Essential principles for developing your blog design to communicate your brand more effectively. How to use colour theory, layout and type hierarchy to share your message with your audience and use effective design to grow your audience.

1. BritMums Live 2015

2. “Find your voice, shout it from
the rooftops, and keep doing it
until the people looking for you
find you.”
—Dan Harmon

3. Who is your audience?
Who do you want your audience to be?
How can you reach them?

4. “A goal without a plan is just a wish”
—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

5. Form a strategy
Set practical goals
Tailor your design
Measure effectiveness

6. Visually connect the elements of your blog
Alignment ∙ Cohesion ∙ Repetition ∙ Navigation

7. Why your design layout matters!
Gutenberg Diagram Z Pattern F Pattern
Good design means never having to say “Click here”.
Credit:vanseodesign.com

9. Complementary Analogous Triadic
Split-Complementary Rectangular Square
Credit:Kissmetrics

10. RED Aggressive, Energetic,Provocative
PURPLE Elegant, Nostalgic, Spiritual
BLUE Trustworthy, Dependable, Responsible
GREEN Fresh, Prestigious, Serene
YELLOW Creative, Positive, Optimistic
ORANGE Exciting, Playful, Energetic
BROWN Simple, Natural, Durable
BLACK Timeless, Luxurious, Sophisticated
WHITE Pure, Clean, Soft

11. “The best colour in the
whole world is the one
that suits you.”
!
—Coco Chanel

12. Readability ∙ Experience ∙ Message ∙ Distinction
!
“When typography is on-point, words become images.”
—Shawn Lukas

13. Typographic Hierarchy
“Digital design is
like painting,
except the paint
never dries.”
—Neville Brody

14. No photo is better than a bad photo!
!
But everyone can be a photographer
!
Story ∙ Composition ∙ Lighting ∙ Alignment ∙ Size

15. Communicating you
Recognisability is crucial
Simplicity is superior

16. B r a n d o n G r o t e s q u e
R e g u l a r
B R A N D O N G R O T E S Q U E
R E G U L A R
B R A N D I N G G U I D E L I N E S
C 2 0
Y 1 3
M 5 0
Y 3 0
C 1 0
M 2 0
Y 3 0
K 9 5 C 5
M 3
Y 3
C M Y K F O R P R I N T
# F 5 9 7 9 5
R G B F O R W E B
U s e f o r b u l k o f t y p e - t r a c k i n g 2 0 0
M i n t f o r t y p e - # A C D C C E
C a p i t a l s f o r p o s t t i t l e s
# C A E 8 E O # E 8 C 3 3 9 # 3 2 3 1 3 2 # E F E F E F
P O S T O V E R L A Y S
P R O D U C T C O L L A G E S
b r a n d o n g r o t e s q u e l o w e r c a s e
H E L V E T I C N E U E T H I N C A P I T A L S
( T R A C K I N G 3 0 0 )
l i g h t b a c k g r o u n d i m a g e - # 3 2 3 1 3 1 d a r k b a c k g r o u n d i m a g e - # E F E F E F
u s e a b o r d e r o n
W H I T E

17. Room to breathe
Consistency across the board
Quality is key
Don’t be a commitment-phobe

18. Responsiveness
Functionality
Flexibility
Embrace Change

19. “Design is creativity
with strategy”
–Rob Curedale