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A blog themes can be a really important aspect of the presentation besides the content. It tells a lot about the personality and the purpose of the blogger. For example, if I want my future employers to visit my career work online, I will not have colorful themes that would be more geared towards children. This is one of the few aspects to consider when giving the visual component to the users when they can’t physically interact with the author. As I was choosing my theme, I thought it had to a first-sight love because that means that I obviously feel confident about it. I also like to be different and don’t like to follow the crowd. The fonts used in a blog also need to be clear so that the users can be able to read it. That’s the reason why I chose the Volcanic Web Design Company, which has a “dark and colorful theme with sweet transparency characteristics, drop-down categories menu, 2-column layout and widget-ready footer and sidebar.”
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The two aspects that got my attention about this theme were the color and mood. I am a huge fan of dark colors, especially black. But when I saw dark colors combined with a greenish-bluish tone, it communicated a professional tone to me. I may seem like a serious blogger with no fun stuff. However, I do plan to include cool content yet professional because I would like future employers to perceive this by seeing my theme. I think it looks simple and straightforward, and that is definitely something that I look for.
Moreover, whitespace and number of columns can give a sense of professionalism if used appropriately. I have a few whitespaces in my blog and I did it on purpose. Why? Well, I’m the kind of person that doesn’t like information to be thrown at me without giving me a break to digest it. Straight, simple, and to the point. That’s how I like stuff to be. Mark Boulton in his article Whitespace mentioned that designers use it “to create a feeling of sophistication and elegance for upscale brands. Coupled with a sensitive use of typography and photography, generous whitespace is seen all over luxury markets.” This is the feeling I want to give people who see and read my blog. It is the same situation with the number of columns. My theme supports two columns. The first is for content and the other one is for the sidebar. Honestly, that’s enough for me to organize the information I want to put there.
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Typography, customizability, and image placement are other components that are important when organizing the blog content. The typeface that I like to use a lot is Arial. It is clear and legible. Sometimes I see fonts that are cool and look pretty, like the gothic typeface. But when I try to read, I find myself like trying to decipher a language I don’t even speak. I always look for something easy on the eyes, not just pretty stuff. Now, for my blog I can’t really customize with a banner across the header, but I don’t necessarily want that in my blog. I noticed I can play with the color and adjust them. Again, I enjoy my theme as it is without any color changes. Also, the theme I chose gives me the options to placing images on the left, center or right side of my blog post. Ilike this kind of flexibility.
Bottomline: Aesthetics along with good content can be the perfect combination for an employer to say: “This person has to work for my company!”
Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
