Creating a blog theme from scratch

March 27, 2006

Over the next little while, I’ll slowly be building up a blog theme called “cre8d 2.0″. It’s not built yet, so I’ll be relying on your feedback during the process on how you think it could be improved. There’s a tonne of free templates out there and personally I’m a bit reluctant to start churning out free ones every month as I have enough already on my plate.

I’m hoping that this series of posts will help people see the process I go through to create a new theme and I hope that I’ll also learn from your feedback in creating this.

Blog design steps:

  1. Consulting with the client about the purpose of their blog, learning about who the blog is aimed at, what style of writing, what feelings they want to convey through the design. Learning about how they’ll be using the blog.
  2. Constructing a wire frame (if necessary - it depends on the complexity of the layout).
  3. Constructing an initial design idea in Fireworks. We may go through a series of completely different design ideas or adapt one of the ideas.
  4. Converting the design into the (Wordpress/MovableType) template files (includes installing relevant plugins and writing any code required for the templates).
  5. Tweaking the design to suit - focussing on the smaller important details such as comment forms, archive pages.
  6. Re-addressing the blog’s design after it’s been used for a month or two. Usually you find your blog’s “voice” by then and can adapt the design to reflect the key things you’re focussing on.
    I think this step is really important and it’s not about adding the latest plugin but going back to the initial questions of the purpose of the blog, what people are looking for when coming to the blog, thinking about how they’re using the blog again. Sometimes things you thought were really important at first become unimportant and unecessary. Other things need improving.
  7. Blog maintenance - staying on top of software updates, keeping track of how your spam filters are working, checking your error logs, looking at highlighting things people are most looking for, cleaning up your blog and so on.
See also
Comments

  1. Can you email me a good wire frame template?

    — Dennis Bullock, March 27, 2006

  2. Hi Dennis, I don’t actually have a template which I use. I’m now tending to wireframe in HTML more than in Fireworks (I don’t use a tool like Visio). Sorry to disappoint!

    — Rachel, March 27, 2006

  3. Hey Rachel,

    Firstly I like the new comment box emphasis.

    Secondly, your blog design process. It seems straight forward. I think the way you’ve been handling it is fine - accoding to the above.

    I ain’t no designer but did a diploma in a few subjects, and working from a wireframe is the best way to get a feel for which way the website or final product is going to be.

    Will comment as Cre8d-2.0 progresses. :-) Cheers
    Aaron

    — Aaron, March 27, 2006

  4. maybe i should try borrowing your process. i’ve done a few wp templates and my routine went something like:

    1. make a mental image of what i want
    2. start coding from the top down (header, main content, footer)
    3. bug hunt
    4. finish (and then ultimately tire of my own work and start afresh)

    i hear lost of positive things about working with a wire frame. i may have to try that out on my next page.

    — derek, March 27, 2006

  5. Hi Rachel

    Thank you for the post. We try to go through a similar pattern when we set-up a new web-site for the organization that I work with on our custom CMS. I think that I, like Derek above, might borrow your process as it seems more refined than our is.

    Thanks for the post and blog.

    Bill

    — Bill Hutchison, March 27, 2006

  6. i’d love to learn how to do this.

    — C. Wess Daniels, March 28, 2006

  7. Rachel, I look forward to reading about the process. I am not a designer, but think the creative process can cross borders and all of us can use the stimulation for more creativity. Thanks for documenting it.

    — Larry Hendrick, March 28, 2006

  8. Reads totally logically, Rachel, and it is what I would encourage a designer to do on a job, too.

    — Jack Yan, March 28, 2006

  9. Hi Rachel,
    Your advice seems good, I myself have tried to create my own blog site from scratch, but it got the better of me.
    I would love to start learning how to start my own, I have drawn a sketch of my desired page layout.
    But what’s a wire frame?
    Would you be able to help me out with my blogging dreams?
    Thanks

    — Adnan, March 31, 2006

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