Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Bigger and better

Thanks for the comments about my blog spruce-up! It was gratifying to see several refer to it as "clean". That was my intention. A blog interface is a bit like one's desk. It can get quite cluttered over time and sooner or later it needs to be cleared off so you can see what's there. It drives me a little crazy to look at an artist's blog and be so distracted by all the stuff lined up down the side, sometimes both sides, that you can't appreciate the artwork being shown. Another thing that baffles me, as long as I am complaining about other peoples' blogs, is why artists will choose a blog template with huge expanses of bold, bold color for its background. I'm sure you've seen them—hot pink, chartreuse, violent violet—then they expect you to focus on the delicate piece of artwork they have posted. What are they thinking? Neutral, I tell you, is the way to go. Black, white (my personal favorite) or gray. But that's just my opinion. Do what you like—it's your blog.

The "bigger and better" refers to my blogroll, which I thought I would just delete, but according to some of your comments, would be missed. So I have cleaned it up, categorized it, deleted defunct blogs and added some new ones. I think it is much improved. I listed all the fiber artists by name rather than blog name. I could never remember who went with which blog name. Look down at the bottom of the sidebar to find my blog lists.

I also increased the font size. Did you notice that? I think it helps.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:52 PM

    Ahh! Nice! Just a bit more width and it makes all the difference!

    I totally am with you on the clean crisp blog, to keep the focus on the images! It's what I'm working hard to achieve!

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  2. I very much agree with you that a blog should be as clear and simple as possible in order to feature the art which is the true purpose. Some headers take so much time to open; and a coloured background leaves you behind with impaired vision.
    It is a great advantage to be welcomed with larger types (although the reader can enlarge it by using Strg+) and a neutral background. Also black is difficult. I think that white is best. We have been used to reading white pages most of our lives.
    I appreciate the new styling, although the old one wasn't bad either.

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  3. ...and thanks for adding the blogroll.

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  4. I love the new look..especially the grand view banner.

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  5. Yes, this is good. And I agree about the font size. Do you think you could find an extra L somewhere to fit into my last name?

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