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“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” - Steve jobs

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So you’re already on your way •  WordPress already

WORKS pretty damn well

•  Don’t let your themes or widgets get in the way of that

•  Good site design should emphasize your content, not itself

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But… #mnblogcon @myklroventine

“Everybody thinks they have good taste and a sense of humor but they couldn't possibly all have good taste.”

- When Harry Met Sally

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Good taste is subjective.

Good design: not so much.

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Photo: emiliokuffer on Flickr

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Look around. Get inspired.

•  Pay attention to what you like about other sites

•  Find & follow creative curators on the web and via social channels

•  Listen to recommendations

•  Apply what you learn

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Start by making your site

your own.

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Photo: LeonMMelissa on Flickr

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Color

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Color •  The easiest way to make any site

stand out

•  Mix pairs of unusual colors or pick one dominant color for emphasis

•  A little goes a long way, even monochromatic tones can be powerful

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#mnblogcon @myklroventine

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Hex Colors

•  Annotation for the combination of Red, Green, and Blue color values (RGB)

•  HEX values are specified as 3 pairs of two-digit numbers, starting with a # sign

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Typography

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Type Tips •  Web fonts (@fontface) allows you to

use a variety of different fonts

•  Perfect way to add a unique touch to any design

•  Don’t use too many

•  Be careful when combining

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Photos

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Show, don’t just tell •  Great photos are another powerful

way to make your design stand out

•  Create rules for formatting and be consistent (rounded corners, specific width, right-aligned, etc.)

•  Always credit sources. Don’t steal!

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Page Templates  

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Use ‘em if you got ‘em •  Built into many themes

•  Can enhance different types of content

•  Creates variety,

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Theme Customizer •  Introduced in WordPress 3.4

•  Make changes, preview them in realtime, before going live

•  Theme developers continue to further integrate it into updates

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Premium Theme

Frameworks

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Plugins

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Plugins

•  Choose plugins that add functionality but allow control over their style/design

•  Take advantage of those controls to tie into your site’s style whenever possible

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Sidebar

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Triage your sidebar often •  Only include what you NEED to

•  Avoid too many third-party widgets (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr), can slow page load times

•  Limit # & size of ads unless you are making lots of money

•  Animated anything = annoying

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:(

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:) #mnblogcon @myklroventine

Default widgets usually need tweaking

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Consider consolidation

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Other bits & pieces •  Create & use a favicon

•  Use built-in HTML text formatting for posts & pages (H1, H2, blockquote, etc.)

•  Less is ALWAYS better. Simplicity is never a bad choice.

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“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

- Antoine de Saint Exupéry

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Photo: Tsahi Levent-Levi on Flickr

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Mykl Roventine myklroventine.com

Thank you!

Headshot: Glimpses of Soul Photography

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