Books. Books need those classic creamy white pages, with dark text and maybe embellishments of colour here and there. I have plenty of plans for my page layouts, including the delightful little swirls and highlights I would love to see. The reading experience will not be infringed upon, but the page itself should be considered through the eyes of an artist. Some of my favourite books contain unique designs, often around the page number, or across the chapter name.
I’ve been hunting down some new blogs to read*, and it occurred to me with shocking suddenness: I hadn’t been paying any attention to the colours most people are using. I only realised this when one of the blogs had a header with the same colour scheme as my own blog, and I consciously acknowledged that it caught my eye and made me loiter at the page longer than usual. I admit, I sometimes have a very short attention span.
So I cycled through my most-read blogs. White, white, white, white. Some of them have a coloured background, which displays as a tidy little border around the large, white text table. Most have a coloured header, or a nice, full header image, but the main content is black and white.
There’s nothing wrong with that! Goodness knows, it made no difference until I was intentionally looking for it. There are the small selection of blogs I read which have other colour themes. Black, red, purple and grey feature predominantly, though that just shows the kinds of people I hang out with – we’re a grim, brooding and dark kind of bunch, often enough. Horror and dark fantasy, eh?
When I decided I was going to actually write a blog, and be serious about it, I spent a very long time finding a layout I was happy with. This was to become my online “home”, one which reflected upon me personally. The green tones, and the gear-like, yet nature-inspired designs on my current layout are kind of perfect. A melding of ideas, something graceful without being overly feminine, compact, subtly textured, with a left-oriented side bar (which I have always preferred), plus the Theme is named “Thirteen”, and I kind of like that.
*If you have a favourite read, please recommend the blog to me!
~A
The Fane 
It is a nice theme you have picked. Sometimes the choices are pretty limited on these free ones. I do a lot of blog surfing when I can, and you are right many of them are white white!
Thank you, Neeks! A lot of the free choices feel like “more of the same”, so finding this Theme made/makes me very happy! 😀
~A
This is a good reminder. I love picking out blog themes. I look for the one that most represents me, but I’ve changed a few times. I even considered buying a theme if I found one that suited me. I haven’t yet.
The thing that bothers me about wordpress is that it seems like everything is pay. I can’t really customize the text unless I shell out money, and I’m so not in a position to do that. (Well, I could, but I’d have to add it to expenses and in the game I’m playing with myself I’m still in the red.)
But you’re so right to notice such a detail. It’s a small thing that can make such a difference. I’ve just changed my background to a slightly off white. It still goes with the theme and it’s the background color I’d prefer to be honest. It does remind me of the page of a book.
Funny enough, when I was younger, I would change things around me almost constantly. My bedroom layout would change weekly, the colours I used on my computer and various web locations would be switched around, and even my screen names would be different from one day to the next! But some things, I’ve stuck with for a while now; it’s really only that I still change my computer a lot (new desktop backgrounds, and colours to suit). I think in public places like a blog, when you find something you really love and feel like it suits you, it can be beneficial to stick with it, as it becomes linked to your “brand” somewhat. Web design is a tricky business, though, since we all know how quickly trends change and visuals can become “dated”.
It is still fun to browse the available Themes, just to see if there’s anything better. XD
~A
Some of the blogs with color background are difficult to read, for me. They look pretty, but give me a headache if I stop and struggle to read.
Ease of viewing is important to consider.
Then there are some blogs which I find overly busy. Too much going on makes me not want to linger. I think of those as ADHD blogs. Like the host can’t decide on any one thing, so it’s ALL up there. Hahaha!
Contrast is a VERY important thing. The coloured blogs I read don’t have any issues in that area, but I have certainly seen some offenders (and, unfortunately, I won’t stick around to struggle through reading if the contrast is so bad!).
I haven’t seen any hyper, over-busy blogs yet. XD Well, no, that’s not true. I remember one I saw, where there was a huge sidebar full of mismatched images. I don’t even know what they were meant to be for! I’m a little too interested in things being tidy and clear, so I’m with you! Too much stuff, and I’d probably leave.
~A
The only blog I follow that you don’t already follow is Lisa Foiles’ geek-outlet Save Point, over at loadsavepoint.com.
When I started my Livejournal, I noticed that the default setting was nice & simple & purple-backgrounded, so I was sold on it right away [especially after trying to decode some of the more complicated layouts I’d seen before]. 🙂
Eventually I decided to make an in-character blog for Hayfever, so I needed a color scheme more aggressive-looking & bold, but I still wanted not to sacrifice readability or simplicity. Xanga had a great template that fit what I needed: white text on black with blocky red trim.
I’m still greatly satisfied with both, though I would want to do a more customized theme if & when I set up a full website.
Awesome, I’ll check that out!
A very old and completely private blog I had was also green-themed, though that one leaned more toward muted grey/blue-green tones, rather than these bold yellow-greens. I can definitely understand wanting the layout and colour scheme to match the persona using it.
~A