One aspect that bloggers more carefully, although sometimes not enough, is the design that will present our websites. Obviously, not everyone has a great knowledge of graphic design or layout, or have enough time to stop learning how to manage style sheets, or the money to purchase a template designed ex-professo later we will want to change, so we settle for a plunge into the many websites that serve as repositories of templates and choose one. If you have skill, until it will transform our taste, if not we will comply with what we have chosen.

In a group blog, the issue of choosing a template is sometimes a matter of state. Everybody has different tastes and wish to convey a certain image to our visitors, so do not necessarily result in similar messages. Some want to provide a more serious, others more casual (for only targeting two aspects), but the fundamental question is always the same: Someone has to impose the criteria and get away with it for better or worse for the blog. For our part, we have used various designs, the last, Ars Nigra, is a conglomeration of previous smaller and some things we have borrowed, but the need to start from zero, ie, to choose and change a template without dragging above codes is something that lures us seems necessary.

Essentially, the main problem with bloggers is that we want to offer all the information condensed into a single page, archives, categories, recommendations and other options condensed and come to overload and overwhelm the unwary that reaches our pages first. This is something that has started to worry me lately, leading to the conclusion that blogs should prioritize the content, something that we sometimes forget about other considerations.

One of the designs that are designed for those based in a single column. Blogpocket was among the first to transfer this idea to its website, giving greater weight to the texts, allowing for the beginning and the end of the page other options. This solution appeals to me greatly, but I think it's too transgressive and causes us to lose some elements of value. MiniD design also uses a single column, but its design does not convince me at all, since excess premium content leaving navigability issues and other options rather parked. But this is something that we could not perform due mainly to recent quotes and comments left on our blog. Note that other bloggers have gone a step further and have left the style of your blog to a minimum, a column and with minimal options file to the naked eye. The example is aNieto2k, where the premium recent content on other considerations.

One of the blogs that I like in design, I will not deny it, is Microsiervos. Maintains the traditional layout of blogs (two columns), but with very simple solutions and an attractive design have remedied the muddle of files and links, along with other options available to them such as wikis. However, due to the enormous amount of links that we have, we can condense all that information in two columns only, although we are aware that this is a trend that is returning. Thus, we must note two blogs that have been decided by this traditional configuration in its redesign, which I liked, are eCuaderno and Escolar.net. The funny thing is that both have opted for colors (red, white and black) and similar provisions of text.

But in any case, it seems that the option that is being imposed is to put certain information in the bottom of the page, adding some navigation options at the top, while leaving a second column smaller than the main containing the most important part of the content for other options, leaving the previous arrangement of three columns that we use today is somewhat old-fashioned here. The latter is the configuration that we see in Yukei, though of course there are other designs that reinvent as did The Green Compass with an attractive design but a motley much for my taste.

Well, that, for now, continue to think.

Note: All screenshots have been generated with Thumbalizr.