I’m finding lately that using a blog for some of all of a client’s web site has been a solid solution for their business need. In those discussions with clients they’re a bit worried that their blog would have to look dull and drab, with a standard three column layout and devoid of a tasty look and feel.
So I’ve started collecting a list of great blog designs and layouts that don’t look all that "bloggy". I’m going to post a few of those designs each Friday for the next few weeks…or until I run out of links. (If you have suggestions, please email me or drop me a note in the comments) I will also be posting the links each week to my delicious account under the tag "nonBlogDesign".
Some of the designs I’ll comment on, some of them will just be a link to a great design. Don’t think so much about the business context of the design, since it’s likely that the design isn’t directly "business" related. Just soak in the style and ask yourself how your company or client’s blog could benefit from a tasty design.
This week’s Non-Blog Design Series:
Brother Jones Art Works
This is actually three blogs in one – each of three brothers have their own blog. In addition to the nice look of the blog(s), I also like that there is only one entry shown on the home page, with older entries being wrapped under the "More Blog Entries" header. This allows the page to remain focused and not very overwhelming upon initial visit.
ASFusion
The first time I saw this site I literally had an emotional reaction. It’s a beautiful design, but what really sucked me in was how well the overall design theme was extended to every element on the page. User comments, form fields, main site navigation, page titles – every bit of it sucked you into the feel of the site.
Veerle’s Blog
This blog stands out to be because of the way it handles a vast amount of content in a eye-pleasing way. It’s a blog, but it’s a blog by someone with many different types of information to get across.
