27 Blog Designs With Amazing Design And Functionality
Dainis Graveris
In this inspirational showcase article, I collected a little bit different blogs – usually blogs serve for one purpose – design or function. Just a few blog designs fulfil both important tasks, I thought I will find a lot more design suitable for this article before I started.
Here you’ll find a lot of beautiful simplicity and functionality where design really works and matters! Enjoy and hope you will learn good things from those blog designs and implement in your own designs as well!
1. Web Is Love
You will find just a few colors used in this layout, effectively used whitespace, cool hand-drawn illustrations and little icons. Unique concept.
2. 15 June
Very clean landing page without any images, but visit his individual posts as well, you’ll see unique styling and change of navigation color!
3. NuWomb
What I enjoyed the most was a little touch with textured background and featured slideshow putting all main content above the fold. Only I think since middle section is so long, designer should have 2 column layout not 3 to give more space to actual article. It’s good to have the most important information on “above the fold” section though (RSS subscribe, newsletter, shop).
4. Cult-F
This blog has excellent header to show immediate creativity, not sure though if it’s not too big. Navigation is very interesting – when you scroll down, navigation cloud moves with you – idea is great, I felt a little bit disturbed since I am sitting on my laptop with little resolution, but this is a great way how to increase pageviews I think.
5. SkyLab Blog
Here I enjoy the most little, silent Twitter,Facebook, Delicious and RSS buttons – every designer will notice and evaluate this approach!
6. Creative Depart
Interesting approach – you can switch between grid/normal modes and choose which layout works better for you. At least for me – I feel appreciated, like I have some kind of modification possibilities and personal touch.
7. Veerle’s Blog
Great example showing how it’s possible to consume a lot of different information in good way. All those little icons, header and light typography just creates right accents and makes layout interesting.
8. Freelance Switch
Every site in Envato network is designed in smart and very effective way. Watch out how they put the most important information in above the fold section, but in the meantime they emphasize effect with big typo, self describing icons and cool mascot!
9. Twirk Ethic
Beautiful simplicity – can retro style be any cooler? Excellent 3 column layout consuming a lot of information in visually appealing way.
10. Ecoki
Is it possible to be any more cleaner and grid based? Such eye-candy and so effective design!
11. Best Blog Box
Visually and content rich magazine type website – on index page you will find a lot of different articles to grab your attention in 3 column layout, but when you are in article, you’ll get even more space for article and just 2 column layout! Handy!
12. All For Design
Very clean and textured French blog design – I enjoy social networking mouseover buttons and style throughout whole design keeping it clean, grungy – yet trendy. Visual beauty is emphasized with colourful “above the fold” header.
13. CSS Tricks
Close to perfection, Chris has many projects already and he advertised almost all of them in single landing page! Very functional website, only I think it needs more detailed sections, so people could find information more easier besides search and sidebar featured articles.
14. Mike Precious
One more great dark design!
15. The Designed
Very often it’s good idea to just keep layout clean to be effective.
16. SquareSpace Blog
Little rulers and transparent header creates an effective impression, I am not sure about sidebar but other than that – unique approach!
17. Elliot Jay Stocks
Besides colors, I enjoyed original footer and even more notice Search, which is only there! Good way of thinking – people scroll through site, don’t find what they want, but then notice footer and fat search button inviting to search for desired topic!
18. Good.Is
You can learn from this website, how to consume huge amounts of information and sections in good way.
19. Mashable
Mashable’s great design is huge case of study more from functional point of view (I would give a little bit more artistic look to it, but it’s social news site, not design blog).
I include whole index screenshot, because I wanted to show how many ads and information is consumed here, how mashable promotes their all social networks and really dominate there!
20. Web Design Ledger
Henry Jones has given this 3 column site some great functional and visual features – beautiful featured images and a lot of small thumbnails in sidebar to grab reader (designer) attention and it works!
21. Coda
One of rare exceptions where I really like dark design! Design could be more functional, but it always depends from specific project – for them, I think, suits perfectly!
22. Think Vitamin
Beautiful light and functional design which works using just monochrome, orange and green colors in the right sections!
23. Simple Bits
Handcrafted pixels done effectively!
24. Freelenz
Little things matters and a lot of little things used in good way, create amazing website like this!
25. 45 Royale
At first design seemed to be chaotic, but just after a moment I got a very good impression about its appearance and functions!
26. N-Design Studio
Amazing designer blog – extremely creative and surprisingly functional in the same time!!
27. PSD.Tutplus
Not a long time ago Envato changed their network site designs – big case study, interesting choice of navigation, sidebar organization and great icons to make good accents!
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Sanjeeb Sahu
Posted 2 days ago 21Very great list…It is really helped me a lot for my work…
Thanks for sharing…..
Natalie
Posted 13 days ago 20I love that Web Is Love design; it pulls in snippets of graphics really well. The one thing I don’t like about so many blog themes is that they’re too text heavy (I know, is that ironic, since it is a blog, after all?), but there’s been a ton of research that shows that blogs with images keep people on the site significantly longer than blogs without (and blogs with stockphotos also convert so-so). Anyway, these were lovely to look at!
Web Design Schools
Posted 18 days ago 19Hi. I just want to say you have a very nice blog, with helpful links and information as well. Thanks for sharing.
Tony Kelsey
Posted 59 days ago 18Thanks for putting this together. They are really inspirational. My personal favorite is Freelenz and Skylab. Both have a beautiful, clean layout.
Web design Wolverhampton
Posted 65 days ago 17Great collection, thank you. I especially like the way you’ve taken the time to include screen grabs of the entire website, not just the top. Great stuff :)
webdesign_ffm
Posted 68 days ago 16Somewhere i’ve seen better webdesign: ;)
http://speckyboy.com/2010/06/27/the-complete-web-design-style-series-700-designs-in-14-categories/
Naimesh Patel
Posted 79 days ago 15Nice complied list. My site for ABAP Help blog has also great design .. check it out at ABAP Help.
Regards,
Naimesh Patel
Shah Blogger
Posted 89 days ago 14Great list. Anyway for me personally i love nerdist[DOT]com old design really amazing. But now new design :(
dell
Posted 191 days ago 13its nice great site and thanks for sharring CLASSPAD330
and i have added in my favorites list
reza
Posted 192 days ago 12thanks nice its grat site and i have added in my favorites list
Nitesh Ahir
Posted 266 days ago 11I was searching for best blog designs on Google. I land on it and found awesome blog post. I am PHP web developer and CEO of web development company eSparkInfo.
I want to start internal blog on my website on PHP technology. I also want to design very unique design for my blog. I suppose to design some attractive one and let you know.
I have forwarded this blog post to my web designer team. BTW: very nice blog and looking forward to read such a great blog posts like it.
Bill
Posted 368 days ago 10These designs are so Amazing! Thanks for this great and inspirational list!
CSSReX
Posted 492 days ago 9Amazing designs.. Thanks for this great and inspirational list!
MONOmoda
Posted 531 days ago 8Interesting designs, especially Web Is Love at the top.
Scott Webb
Posted 626 days ago 7Woah I don’t know how I missed this! Thanks for mentioning my blog. And sadly, I just changed everything up on it. I also noticed that the middle column was a bit small for longer posts and the blog is set to 2 columns now. I’m still weaking the blog and sidebars.
I totally appreciate you mentioning my site though. I’ll have to come back here more to check everything out here.
.-= Scott Webb´s last blog ..Saturday Night Live Photo Bumpers Inspiration =-.
Tom
Posted 656 days ago 6I always find posts like this so inspiring. There is so much creativity around and it is nice to see what people are doing.
.-= Tom´s last blog ..Communicating With Offshore Programmers =-.
blackgown
Posted 658 days ago 5I love these themes.. simple but exclusive :)
.-= blackgown´s last blog ..Invalid setting of Mysql with Wamp server and Xampp Caused by Problem with password =-.
Auré
Posted 660 days ago 4Hello Dainis !
Thanks a lot for the featuring I appreciate, really.
Good selection of blogs (I don’t speak about mine), I particulary like the few lines of comment you put for each ones.
Regards
;)
.-= Auré´s last blog ..Wallpapers typographiques pour Iphone =-.
cooljaz124
Posted 660 days ago 3This is awesome awesome list !!!! 45Royale Design is one of the best :)
Manuel
Posted 660 days ago 2Thanks for this great list!
All of them are great designs, so it’s hard to have a favorite.
.-= Manuel´s last blog ..10 praktische Online-Tools für Webdesigner =-.
olybop
Posted 661 days ago 1Nice Selection ! Thx :)
.-= olybop´s last blog ..20 Publicités qui utilisent PacMan =-.