I am about to offer a piece of advice that will almost certainly be completely ignored, and while I’m not fine with that, I feel that bringing this up and offering my help is a public service. If this piece of advice applies to you, I want to promise you with all my heart that someone you know has been dying to broach this subject with you (because they love you) but are afraid.
WHITE TYPE ON A BLACK BACKGROUND IS DIFFICULT TO READ AND IF YOU CAUSE A PERSON’S EYES TO HURT THEY WILL NOT WANT TO READ WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.
Many people believe that black is sophisticated and “frames” everything really well. While this is occasionally true in design, it is never true of print. So if you have a blog with white type on a black background it is almost certainly making people’s eyes uncomfortable and in some cases it may actually pissing them the hell off.
When I set up my very first blog on blogspot I chose that template with the dark green background and the white print. I had that template for at least a year. Maybe even two, before I changed it. When I finally changed it my blog was transformed. I have to say that looking at it every single day had irritated my eyes though I never realized how much until I stopped having to look at it any more.
A black background is not sophisticated.
Please, PLEASE be kind to your prospective readers and inspire them to come back by not hurting them.
Recap of public service announcement: Black background with white type on a blog…KNOCK THAT SHIT OFF!
Credentials for giving such advice: design school, two years as the color specialist at a mens necktie company, growing up with an artist mother, my own dismal blog mistakes, I’ve painted many color wheels, I like to read and I prefer it not to be an annoying experience, all the books ever printed (that are worth reading) have been printed on either a cream, natural, or white paper using black ink.
and no music.
I’m totally doing the automatic music annoyance next! If there is anything else you think I should cover, please tell me in case I don’t have it already on the docket.
Here here! And ditto on the music! I especially hate it when I have several windows open (because I’ll open links while I’m reading an article) and can’t figure out which one of them is playing music. Or how to turn it off. Luckily, my computer’s “mute” button is within easy reach.
hooey, yup. nothing makes me click away faster. except for maybe a yellow background with red type. amazing that people still give that evil combination a whirl.
Emma- got the music one posted!
Kelly- I thought about discussing the yellow background with red type but figured colorful type was really a separate post. Usually the people who choose the brightly colored type also use HUGE fonts or different sized fonts throughout one post.