The Top Elements of Blog Design

Originally published April 27, 2020 on the original SPEN10 blog. Lightly refreshed in October 2026.

A blog is essentially an online journal displayed in reverse chronological order. But a blog is also a website, and it needs the same attention to detail — and the same design elements — as any other website.

Bloggers have design decisions to make about colors, layout, fonts and whether to include advertising. Many blogging platforms offer templates that make design fairly simple, and bloggers with some coding skills can customize their blogs as much as they like. This article covers the basic design considerations every blogger runs into.

Colors and layout

Colors and layout are the most obvious design decisions when starting or redesigning a blog. You can use a solid background color, blocks of color, images or textures — in any color imaginable.

When choosing colors, think about what will appeal to most of your visitors. Garish colors that are hard on the eyes can drive readers away and reduce your traffic.

Think carefully about layout, too. Visitors should be able to follow your blog easily and logically. A confusing or unappealing layout is one of the fastest ways to lose readers for good.

Fonts and readability

Bloggers have lots of font options, including the typeface, text size and text color. Choose a font that fits your overall design and suits your subject matter, and make sure it's easy to read on every device.

Text size and color matter just as much, mainly for readability. Your target audience should be able to read your posts comfortably — a blog aimed at seniors, for example, might use slightly larger text than usual. Use strong contrast between text and background.

2026 note: web fonts now load reliably everywhere, so you're no longer limited to "common" system fonts — but stick to one or two families and make sure body text has enough contrast to meet accessibility guidelines.

Advertising

Bloggers also need to decide whether to show ads at all — and if so, how and where. Ads can appear in many places throughout a blog, and they can be subtle or prominent depending on your preference. They also come in many sizes and shapes.

Whatever you choose, make sure ads never get in the way of your content. If readers can't comfortably read your posts, they won't stick around long enough to see the ads anyway.

Build your own

Want to start your own blog or website? The SPEN10 guides show how to build one with the help of AI — no traditional development background required.

— Spencer