Browsing the well-made pages of Indiblogger.in today, I was struck by their badges. They got me thinking. The badges are little (or not so little) graphics that the website lets users put on their respective blogs as a mark of membership.
Each badge makes a statement. Whether you are a homemaker, a techie, a gamer, or a traveller, there is a badge for you to flaunt. Even if you are undecided, you will very likely find a badge to suit your blog.
Coming down to the basics however, a badge is only a design element. If we manage to find the reason why people put up badges on their blogs, we will know what the purpose of design is (or at least what the generally accepted definition is).
People display badges to make a statement. Those who blog to speak their mind find badges an easy way of making some basic facts clear. "I am a rock fan!" or; "I love my bike." Things like that.
Trouble is, a lot of blogs I stumble upon are so crammed with such 'statements' that the point is all but lost. I might stick around if the blogger is reasonably well-known or if I went there looking for something particular. Otherwise, I would mostly just move on.
Most surfers are ruled by basic needs. They wander the web in search of things to read, gawk at, and use. Your content is what will feed their needs. Think of your writing as medicine and your design as the capsule that contains it. The capsule can be any colour you want. But it would not serve its purpose if it is too unshapely to be swallowed with ease.
In addition to needless badges, you might also want to rethink heavy images (especially full-page backgrounds), javascript chatboxes, and flash-based widgets. Drop them if you think you can do without them.
A blog's design can be as arresting a tool as the writing itself. But it will do your blog no good if it starts fighting your content for the reader's attention.
Each badge makes a statement. Whether you are a homemaker, a techie, a gamer, or a traveller, there is a badge for you to flaunt. Even if you are undecided, you will very likely find a badge to suit your blog.
Coming down to the basics however, a badge is only a design element. If we manage to find the reason why people put up badges on their blogs, we will know what the purpose of design is (or at least what the generally accepted definition is).
People display badges to make a statement. Those who blog to speak their mind find badges an easy way of making some basic facts clear. "I am a rock fan!" or; "I love my bike." Things like that.
Trouble is, a lot of blogs I stumble upon are so crammed with such 'statements' that the point is all but lost. I might stick around if the blogger is reasonably well-known or if I went there looking for something particular. Otherwise, I would mostly just move on.
Most surfers are ruled by basic needs. They wander the web in search of things to read, gawk at, and use. Your content is what will feed their needs. Think of your writing as medicine and your design as the capsule that contains it. The capsule can be any colour you want. But it would not serve its purpose if it is too unshapely to be swallowed with ease.
In addition to needless badges, you might also want to rethink heavy images (especially full-page backgrounds), javascript chatboxes, and flash-based widgets. Drop them if you think you can do without them.
A blog's design can be as arresting a tool as the writing itself. But it will do your blog no good if it starts fighting your content for the reader's attention.
