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You know that commercial for bing.com, where everyone is rambling on nonsensically from one unrelated topic to another, emulating what happens when you get on the net and search a word or phrase? Im sure all of us can relate to that in some fashion. Even with my own blogroll, Twitter groups and the ever-important, specific search for “What does a tick bite look like”, its just all too much to take in.

Thank goodness for tools like StumbleUpon, Kirtsy, Tweetdeck groups. I also love when a few of my favorite bloggers post their highlights and finds on the web. It just helps to have a recommendation sometimes, doesn’t it?

That’s why today I’m starting a new series called “Stroll Around the Blogosphere”. Its my attempt to bring you helpful and interesting information that I’ve compiled for you, my readers, from around the blogosphere (and the web). So why would you want to read my recommendations, you ask? Well, if any of the following categories interest you, you’ll want to check it out:

The Basics of Blogging – Tips for the new or “still-contemplating” blogger
Every Blogger Should Know – Tips and tricks to make you a better blogger
For The Working Mother – Topics and resources for working mothers
So You Say You’re Not Artsy - Everything from photography to decorating…for the artistically challenged
You Name It – Anything else I find interesting!

So join me on Wednesdays and see if you don’t just find something new and wonderful. And if you have a blog post or stumble on a great article that you would like to have considered for my “Stroll”, please email me. I’d be happy to take a look!

Happy strolling…

Have you ever visited a blog and left early, simply because of the look? As a designer, I try not to be a “design snob” and pass judgement too quickly, but the overall look and readability of your blog is extremely important. Your blog’s first impression will be made (and your blog judged) in the first few seconds of a visit.

There are many factors to getting the best first impression out of your blog, one of which is the use of type.

Way back when in design school, we spent a whole lot of time on typography and the theories of best practices in using type. Tons of research has been done on what font, size, justification should be used when.

Here are a few tips for getting the most out of type on your blog.

1. Don’t center your posts. There is nothing harder to read than a large block of centered text. Small phrases or titles are fine, but not whole paragraphs. You tell me; which is easier on the eyes?

Typography is the art and techniques of arranging type, type design, and modifying type glyphs. Type glyphs are created and modified using a variety of illustration techniques. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing), adjusting the spaces between groups of letters (tracking) and (kerning) adjusting the space between pairs of letters. ^[1]

So do the blogosphere a favor and left justify your posts.

2. Pick a readable font. There are two types of font for the use of body copy: serif and san-serif. What is a serif, you may ask? Serifs are the little “feet” or extensions on a letter. Here’s an example.

This letter is a serif:

This letter is a sans-serif (“without” a serif):

Your best option for the body of your post is a readable font, either serif or sans-serif, such as Times, Helvetica or Arial. Not only are these readable fonts, they are all very common and probably installed on most computer systems. If you found a font you just loved so much that you had to use it, chances are good that it would be replaced with a default font on your visitor’s computer anyway. So stick with the web-safe, standard fonts and you will be loved. For more on standard web font, go here.

3. Use contrasting colors. Avoid using similar colors for your background and type, like blue on green. Often bloggers will use every color in the rainbow in their blog. Not only is it unappealing, but it is difficult to read. Stick with a light background with dark text or vise versa. You dont want to tire out the visitor’s eyes.

4. Use a readable font size. As I near 30 + 10, my eyes are definitely not what they used to be. I’m finding I squint at a lot of blogs. On whatever blog platform you are on, you control the font size on virtually every section. Choose a font size for your main blocks of text that is no smaller than 11 pts. That way you’ll be sure to not turn off your old mature experienced readers, like me. Trust me. You’ll be here sooner than you think.

5. Be cohesive. There are literally hundres of thousands of fonts out there. And for some, its tempting to use all of them. But please, don’t. Between your titles, sidebar items and posts, try to be cohesive with your font faces. Don’t use too many different fonts on your blog. In this case, less is definitely more.

1. Pipes, Alan. Production For Graphic Designers 2nd Edition, Page 40: Prentice Hall Inc 1997