You have to admit some blogs and websites are so ugly to look at that you start crying and you probably need to run to your closer ophthalmologist to check the damage! How to Feng-Shui your blog? Actually, it’s quite simple, good bloggers and web designers do it every day, and they don’t even know they are applying Feng-Shui principles. Surely high-quality content is the key to the success of a good blog but if it is badly designed, you are wasting your work and talent.
Let’s see great tips to help you to have a beautiful and pleasant-looking blog.
What is Feng-Shui
Feng shui is a Chinese philosophical system of harmonizing human existence with the surrounding environment. The term feng shui literally translates as “wind-water” in English. (Wikipedia).
The most important aspect of Feng-Shui is ch’i, it’s the energy that must be able to flow in a positive environment; e.g. a tidy blog (good Feng-Shui) vs. a messy blog (bad Feng-Shui), simple isn’t it?
Less is more
Less is more, similar to a magazine, the top of your webpage should be prominent display your blog name, logo, and a simple tagline describing your site.
Don’t be scared to keep some free space, your site needs to breathe to allow the positive energy to flow, it will also help your readers to find easy pieces of information.
Write in black on white background. Recently I saw a website in blue electric with a green font over it, ouch! Shame it was a good blog but I couldn’t read it.
Designing your blog is fun and creative but always design it from your reader’s point of view. Unless you are 8 years old, avoid flowers, hearts, bugs, and pink everywhere. Tattoo art websites are an exeption.
Colours
Use colours that match together. Using bold colours yes – everywhere no. Avoid pastels or too bright colours. I know it’s fashionable but on your blog, you should use those colours moderately. Think, modern, minimalist, you can find some really good sites with palette colours to help you. My favourites: Color Combinations and Color Trends.
If you want calm, use Yin elements. Therefore consider still images, darker tones and fully rounded and subtle shapes. Calm soothing colours such as blue or white are best for large areas of space.
If you want your visitor to be excited and invigorated you are best to use more Yang elements. Go for brighter images that have a sense of movement or rhythm. Think strong, masculine and bold colours such as bright reds, blues and yellows; sharper fonts and borders with stronger contrasts for a more positive feel.
Images
Use a bit of movement, a completely static website it’s boring. You might like to add some nice sliders, banners or an animated landing page. For animated banners, do not use Adobe Flash Software – it’s no longer accessible or supported.
Do not use pixelated images, it’s very bad feng shui, and it looks cheap. I know it’s common sense, but here and there I still see blogs with very poor images 🙁
Be careful when using Google images some have copyrights, use your own quality pics or bank imagery like iStockphoto.
If you use a photo as a background be sure that it is contrasting with your content, and again it has to be a high-quality pic – no porn, please.
Navigation
The navigation should be easy and simple, try to avoid a thousand clicks on your site, let your reader swim easily through your pages.
Don’t line up your pics or text against the sides of your site, it looks amateur and the ch’i energy can’t circulate.
Making money on your site with advertising it’s good, but if your page looks like a Las Vegas poster, tilting & flashing images everywhere it’s bad Feng-Shui. Ensure that all your ads look good together on your pages.
Avoid a long-stagnant list of links, just select some good ones that you updated regularly.
I love music, but if your blog has a crazy soundtrack that goes off, viewers will leave your blog within a second. If you really want some music on your blog, give the viewer the option to mute and of course like images be careful with copyright. A piece of soothing ambient music will probably increase the flow of positive ch’i. Please note some music will increase the storage space of your blog.
Consider the placement of design elements on your pages. Can the reader’s eyes travel smoothly around the site – Or are you forcing your visitor to read left to right and up and down for fear of not finding what they think might be there?
Consider adding design elements, such as images and cool fonts (visit Google font site), that support the energy you are trying to convey.
My personal touch, place a laughing Buddha on your desktop’s right it brings good luck and when you have a bad day, this little fella will always look at you smiling.
What is your tip for keeping a positive feng shui on your blog?