PBD: InspirationBit – 8 Ways to Blog Smarter
08 Ways to Blog Smarter InspirationBit have looked at 8 different blogs, including PBD, and come up with 8 tips Read More »
PBD: Smashing Magazine Rocks
0Smashing Rocks Blogroll now features PBD! Always knew they had good taste… ;)
PBD: Sidebar Set Up
0Look forward to recommended links and site news here. Comments will be disabled usually (Unless I need your advice!). Enjoy!
Surround Yourself With Beautiful Things
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Your environment rubs off on you.
Want to be a better photographer? Browse Flickr.
Want to write better? Read great authors.
Want to be optimistic? Hang out with optimists.
It’s a simple principle, and it applies to design as well.
Want to have better taste in design? Surround yourself with beautiful things.
There are hundreds of sources of inspiration surrounding us every day, but for a web designer, the most obvious are simply other web sites.
Paid Theme Directory is Fine By Me
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Matt (Creator of WordPress) has just announced his plans to set up a directory of paid themes on WordPress.com. The initial reaction has been both good and bad.
Before I give my thoughts on the ups and downs of this, here’s a quick run-through of the facts.
- Matt removed all sponsored themes from the free WordPress.org directory a few months ago.
- The new theme directory is only for WordPress.com (The free blog host).
- Automattic (Matt’s company) will take a 50% cut from all sales.
- All themes must be “original, link-free, not published before, and GPL-licensed.”
Why You Should Use A Sideblog
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A sideblog is a mini-blog that sits in your sidebar. The entries are only ever short snippets, and you can post them on anything you like.
They could be personal updates, like Sil does with Twitter, link recommendations like on Abduzeedo, or even blog updates.
They are very common on personal blogs but not so common on others. I’m considering adding one to Pro Blog Design though, and I can think of a few good reasons for a blog to have a sideblog.
30 Ways to Improve Readability
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When I asked what the most important aspect of design was, many of you replied that it was readability; how easy it is to read your content.
People come to your blog to read articles, and the easier they are to read, the better. A design that obscures the content will only turn visitors away.
So what can we do to increase readability, and keep those readers reading?
