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[ugly_cat] · 12-22-2007, 12:11 AM

designing 11 tips for blog
* Use natural colors. When photographing people, you never know what they will wear so you use a neutral background. The same applies to your design. You need a background color that works with all your photos e.g. The black background is perfect against the Northern Light photos of all colors.)
*Fast loading is crucial. Most first-time viewers will skip from one photo to the next. Their reserve of patience runs lower all the time, and even a few seconds between each image will get on a person's nerves quickly.
*Let your latest photo speak for you. There is no need for fancy imagery in the banner. It will only compete with other images on the page. Use a solid, plain logo and let the photo on the page sell your skills for you (Stuck in Customs is an example of image clashes).
*Do your photos have a style? This doesn't really apply to photography tutorial blogs or general galleries, but for photography portfolios it can be very effective. A photography style can take years to develop but once you have it, its your trademark. Can that style be emphasised by a good design? (Example: Look at the style of Mr Toledano)
* Don't follow all the usual text blog advice. Photos are so different to articles that not all the normal advice applies. For instance, does your blog actually need a sidebar? Text blogs normally do, but when you get down to it, what purpose does it serve for a photoblog?
* Display camera information unobtrusively. It's good to know the camera/lens combination that you used for a shot, but it doesn't all need to be repeated on every page. You can simply name the camera and have link that to a certain section of your "My Cameras" page.
* Provide an RSS feed. This seems to be lacking in most photoblogs. RSS isn't just for articles.
* Add post captions. It's true that a photo can speak for itself, but why not get the conversation started? A quick one-liner about the photo and why you took the shot adds a whole new level of interest and gets the comments flowing.
* Splash pages are dead. A lot of galleries have a splash page, but none of them are very useful. Having a large shot of your most recent image on your home page has the same effect of displaying your photography, but the user doesn't have to work out how to enter your site (see Stefan Loeliger)
* Are monthly archives useful here? I'm normally against having monthly archives, but in a photoblog, perhaps they are actually useful? I find it interesting to see how a photographer has developed and changed from even a year or two ago. Would you agree?
* search and learn free tutorials. I always learn from this photoshop support site.

12-22-2007, 12:11 AM	#13 (permalink)
[ugly_cat] Elite Googler Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: MM Posts: 1,852 Thanks: 58 Thanked 57 Times in 54 Posts	designing 11 tips for blog * Use natural colors. When photographing people, you never know what they will wear so you use a neutral background. The same applies to your design. You need a background color that works with all your photos e.g. The black background is perfect against the Northern Light photos of all colors.) Fast loading is crucial. Most first-time viewers will skip from one photo to the next. Their reserve of patience runs lower all the time, and even a few seconds between each image will get on a person's nerves quickly. Let your latest photo speak for you. There is no need for fancy imagery in the banner. It will only compete with other images on the page. Use a solid, plain logo and let the photo on the page sell your skills for you (Stuck in Customs is an example of image clashes). Do your photos have a style? This doesn't really apply to photography tutorial blogs or general galleries, but for photography portfolios it can be very effective. A photography style can take years to develop but once you have it, its your trademark. Can that style be emphasised by a good design? (Example: Look at the style of Mr Toledano) Don't follow all the usual text blog advice. Photos are so different to articles that not all the normal advice applies. For instance, does your blog actually need a sidebar? Text blogs normally do, but when you get down to it, what purpose does it serve for a photoblog? * Display camera information unobtrusively. It's good to know the camera/lens combination that you used for a shot, but it doesn't all need to be repeated on every page. You can simply name the camera and have link that to a certain section of your "My Cameras" page. * Provide an RSS feed. This seems to be lacking in most photoblogs. RSS isn't just for articles. * Add post captions. It's true that a photo can speak for itself, but why not get the conversation started? A quick one-liner about the photo and why you took the shot adds a whole new level of interest and gets the comments flowing. * Splash pages are dead. A lot of galleries have a splash page, but none of them are very useful. Having a large shot of your most recent image on your home page has the same effect of displaying your photography, but the user doesn't have to work out how to enter your site (see Stefan Loeliger) * Are monthly archives useful here? I'm normally against having monthly archives, but in a photoblog, perhaps they are actually useful? I find it interesting to see how a photographer has developed and changed from even a year or two ago. Would you agree? * search and learn free tutorials. I always learn from this photoshop support site.