Leave room for the words

A blog does not need to introduce every feature before it lets someone read. A name, a few links, and a good paragraph can do most of the work.

Start with the reading column

The first useful design decision is often a boundary: how much space should a line of text have? Too wide, and the eye has to travel back across the page. Too narrow, and every sentence feels interrupted.

A consistent column gives the page a rhythm. The site name, the first sentence, and the footer begin on the same invisible line. Nothing needs a box to explain where it belongs.

Let navigation be navigation

Home, Archive, About. Those words already tell a reader what to expect. They do not need a background colour, a large icon, or an animation to become useful.

Every element should earn the attention it asks for.

This does not mean removing personality. Personality can live in a turn of phrase, the choice of a title, or the things an author notices.

Make room for the ordinary

A useful test is a page with no image and only three paragraphs. If it feels unfinished, the design may be relying too much on decoration.

The quieter version should still feel intentional. That is the version worth keeping.