November 10, 2011 By The Blog Designer Network
If you’re curious about the art of blog and web design and how to pursue it as a hobby (or even a career), here are five very important but basic steps that can help get you started. These aren’t all inclusive of course, but are a great place to start if you’re interested in learning how to get into the design world!
1. Be a Blogger – There’s nothing that can help you understand how to create designs for blogs and websites more than actually experiencing it for yourself. Blog regularly for awhile, comment on blogs that interest you, and network with like-minded bloggers. Not only does this give you a first-hand account of what the current needs and trends of design are, but it also gives you a strong web presence that you can use to market your design services.
2. Do Your Homework – Luckily, homework in this case is fun! Visit popular blogs and websites and study their design. Not just the design, but the layout, content, and organization of the site. Use our Blog Designer Directory to find designers and look at the things they’ve created in their portfolio. What audience do you want to appeal to? View their blogs and websites, and learn what the popular design trends are, as well as what design techniques are timeless. Be involved in forums or websites, get pinning on Pinterest, and even become a regular on “blog design” related sites similar to this one such as Makin’ Cute Blogs and The Blog Guidebook. The more you research, the more versatile you’ll be as a designer!
3. Learn Your Software – …and learn it well. It doesn’t matter what editing or graphic design program you use, but it does matter how well you know how to use it. Practice doesn’t make perfect – perfect practice makes perfect. So take your time, take a class, search for answers, watch YouTube tutorials, and challenge yourself to be an expert in your software of choice. We recommend Adobe Photoshop for professional use, but you may also find Photoshop Elements, Pixlr.com, or GIMP useful too.
4. Get Designing – Don’t wait until you have a reason to design. Just do it! Make a Christmas card, a business card, a pretend blog, wall art, an invitation, a pretend website, a re-design of a REAL website, a blog you want to launch, – anything! To get practice with potential clientele, offer your blog friends or readers a design for free or at a discount. Anything that allows you to gain practice with good design techniques, working with other bloggers, and designing based on the requests of others is a great start to becoming a designer.
5. Don’t Be Afraid of Code – Learning CSS and HTML seems like a scary task, but if you approach it correctly it can be easily learned over time. It’s not necessary to learn every single aspect of how to code a website immediately. Learn the basics, practice the basics, then learn something new. Build your skill set and add to it frequently. Start with designing your own blog or website. Decide exactly how you want it to look, even if you don’t know how to code it. Then step-by-step use search engines, classes, forums, and more to learn how to achieve your objective. You don’t have to take classes to learn it either (that just speeds up the process a bit.) Using your own site is better than a practice site, because it forces you to push your boundaries, and the hours you put into it will be worth it in the end. Through trial and error, a lot of determination and practice, and using your resources, it’s possible to become a professional web designer. Not many professions have the luxury of being able to do that!
We hope these steps help you have a little direction in becoming a blog designer!