Comments on: 3 Ways of Differentiating Your Blog http://www.blogclout.com/blog/3-ways-of-differentiating-your-blog/ How To Grow Your Blog Traffic Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:03:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: Monique’s Scrappin’ Blog! » Blog Archive » So you want your blog to grow huh? http://www.blogclout.com/blog/3-ways-of-differentiating-your-blog/#comment-1548 Monique’s Scrappin’ Blog! » Blog Archive » So you want your blog to grow huh? Fri, 31 Aug 2007 03:30:25 +0000 http://www.blogclout.com/blog/3-ways-of-differentiating-your-blog/#comment-1548 [...] 3 Ways of differentiating your blog [...] […] 3 Ways of differentiating your blog […]

]]> By: Chanya http://www.blogclout.com/blog/3-ways-of-differentiating-your-blog/#comment-759 Chanya Sun, 12 Aug 2007 01:44:27 +0000 http://www.blogclout.com/blog/3-ways-of-differentiating-your-blog/#comment-759 Great article on 3 Ways of Differentiating Your Blog. I just subscribed to your RSS feed. Does that make me subscriber #501? Will check back frequently. Great article on 3 Ways of Differentiating Your Blog. I just subscribed to your RSS feed. Does that make me subscriber #501? Will check back frequently.

]]> By: Ankesh Kothari http://www.blogclout.com/blog/3-ways-of-differentiating-your-blog/#comment-491 Ankesh Kothari Sat, 04 Aug 2007 04:38:42 +0000 http://www.blogclout.com/blog/3-ways-of-differentiating-your-blog/#comment-491 <b>Mark:</b> Thanks for asking. Haven't cross checked NorthXEast in all the browsers. But it looks fabulous in FireFox. It has a very unusual look. Yet it is easy on the eyes and very well designed from usability point of view. <br> Lets break it down in the essential designing elements. <br> 1. Colour. Very unusual colours. Contrast with black-green on the top and white-light grey in the body. The third colour - orange - adds flavour to it. Plus, they make excellent use of gradients. It is very hard to use gradients on a webpage. But NorthXEast has done it perfectly. And it adds a lot more depth to their theme. <br> 2. Logo. Its simple yet elegant. Just 3 colours. Can be used as a symbol anywhere and it marks NorthXEast out perfectly. Look closely at the shadows on the logo - how much depth it has. <br> 3. Layout. This is where NorthXEast marks itself out. Its layout is something I've never seen before. But its something that works well. Very easy on the eyes. Has the ability to win my attention and keep it. Their main page works as a "Table of Contents." It has some social proof elements like testimonial and the number of subscribers. The blog post page just gives me one thing to do: read the post. Doesn't distract me with bells and whistles. <br> 4. Fonts. Are easy to read. Yet contrasting enough that it differentiates the title and the body well. <br> 5. Un-clutter. There is no un-needed variable or widget on the blog. It is totally un-cluttered. <br> The only thing missing from it is "categories." Because they publish a post just once a week - categories are not required now. But when they have 5 pages of archives, thats when they'll feel the need of categories. I don't think it'll be too hard to add categories though. <br> The detail in NorthXEast is un-imaginable. I personally don't spend so much time on details. But thats what adds the charm. For eg: the gradient look. The "previous articles" button is jumping out to the top a bit. The ad has a shadow underneath it. A white line divides all the post titles. Small details like that gives a lot more depth to their design. <br> Hope this helps you. In summary: focus on the 5 main key points: colour. Logo / header. Layout. Fonts. Un-cluttered look. Mark: Thanks for asking. Haven’t cross checked NorthXEast in all the browsers. But it looks fabulous in FireFox. It has a very unusual look. Yet it is easy on the eyes and very well designed from usability point of view.

Lets break it down in the essential designing elements.

1. Colour. Very unusual colours. Contrast with black-green on the top and white-light grey in the body. The third colour - orange - adds flavour to it. Plus, they make excellent use of gradients. It is very hard to use gradients on a webpage. But NorthXEast has done it perfectly. And it adds a lot more depth to their theme.

2. Logo. Its simple yet elegant. Just 3 colours. Can be used as a symbol anywhere and it marks NorthXEast out perfectly. Look closely at the shadows on the logo - how much depth it has.

3. Layout. This is where NorthXEast marks itself out. Its layout is something I’ve never seen before. But its something that works well. Very easy on the eyes. Has the ability to win my attention and keep it. Their main page works as a “Table of Contents.” It has some social proof elements like testimonial and the number of subscribers. The blog post page just gives me one thing to do: read the post. Doesn’t distract me with bells and whistles.

4. Fonts. Are easy to read. Yet contrasting enough that it differentiates the title and the body well.

5. Un-clutter. There is no un-needed variable or widget on the blog. It is totally un-cluttered.

The only thing missing from it is “categories.” Because they publish a post just once a week - categories are not required now. But when they have 5 pages of archives, thats when they’ll feel the need of categories. I don’t think it’ll be too hard to add categories though.

The detail in NorthXEast is un-imaginable. I personally don’t spend so much time on details. But thats what adds the charm. For eg: the gradient look. The “previous articles” button is jumping out to the top a bit. The ad has a shadow underneath it. A white line divides all the post titles. Small details like that gives a lot more depth to their design.

Hope this helps you. In summary: focus on the 5 main key points: colour. Logo / header. Layout. Fonts. Un-cluttered look.

]]> By: Mark http://www.blogclout.com/blog/3-ways-of-differentiating-your-blog/#comment-487 Mark Sat, 04 Aug 2007 00:36:55 +0000 http://www.blogclout.com/blog/3-ways-of-differentiating-your-blog/#comment-487 You mentioned NorthXEast having one of the best designs you have seen. I have visited that website frequently and there is only some things I do appreciate about that design. It could be the browser I am using but it looks terrible on the old IE 6.0 but I doubt it. However on a different computer with IE 7.0, it looks like it was the way it was supposed to be designed so it does look better. I don't understand why the difference but it brings up a question, What exactly qualifys a blog as the best blog design you have ever seen? I am curious because I am currently designing my new theme which will take some time but it is being differentated from other blogs as newer ones are popping up all the time now. The Internet makes it hard to be original. You mentioned NorthXEast having one of the best designs you have seen. I have visited that website frequently and there is only some things I do appreciate about that design.

It could be the browser I am using but it looks terrible on the old IE 6.0 but I doubt it. However on a different computer with IE 7.0, it looks like it was the way it was supposed to be designed so it does look better. I don’t understand why the difference but it brings up a question,

What exactly qualifys a blog as the best blog design you have ever seen?

I am curious because I am currently designing my new theme which will take some time but it is being differentated from other blogs as newer ones are popping up all the time now. The Internet makes it hard to be original.

]]> By: Chuck http://www.blogclout.com/blog/3-ways-of-differentiating-your-blog/#comment-476 Chuck Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:54:47 +0000 http://www.blogclout.com/blog/3-ways-of-differentiating-your-blog/#comment-476 I use images that you wouldn't expect and add a caption to show how it's related. It adds interest visually, adds a bit of humor, and keeps people reading my blog. I use images that you wouldn’t expect and add a caption to show how it’s related. It adds interest visually, adds a bit of humor, and keeps people reading my blog.

]]>