Contents at a Glance -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- About This Book -- Foolish Assumptions -- Conventions Used in This Book -- Icons Used in This Book -- Beyond the Book -- Where to Go from Here -- Part I: Getting Started with Blog Design -- Chapter 1: Recognizing Components of a Well-Designed Blog -- Knowing Why Blog Design Matters -- Discovering How Readers Visually Travel Your Blog -- Using Design Elements That Complement Your Message -- Creating a Great-Looking Blog (When You Aren't a Designer) -- Looking at Available Tools -- Chapter 2: Applying Core Design Principles -- Providing Structure with Proximity -- Using Repetition -- Creating Contrast -- Aligning Design Elements -- Chapter 3: Getting to Know Your Blog (Even Better) -- Creating Goals for a Strong Design -- Defining Your Writing -- Understanding Your Audience -- Chapter 4: Establishing a Style Guide -- Exploring the Benefits of a Style Guide -- Identifying Elements to Include -- Creating Your Style Guide -- Developing Guidelines for Blogs with Multiple Contributors -- Part II: Choosing the Visual Design Elements -- Chapter 5: Gathering Design Ideas -- Creating a Mood Board - And Why -- Studying Other Blogs -- Digging into Blog Analytics to Improve Navigation Design -- Deciding Who Designs Your Blog -- Chapter 6: Selecting Fonts and Colors -- Choosing Fonts -- Choosing Colors -- Chapter 7: Developing Your Overall Blog Layout -- Getting Familiar with Common Layout Types -- Selecting a Blog Theme -- Exploring Ways to Showcase Blog Posts on Your Home Page -- Deciding Where to Place Advertising -- Chapter 8: Customizing Your Header, Footer, and Background -- Expressing Visual Identity with a Strong Blog Header -- Enhancing Navigation with a Blog Footer -- Polishing Your Design with a Blog Background -- Chapter 9: Customizing the Design with Coding Basics.

Seeing How HTML and CSS Work Together -- Basic HTML Every Blogger Should Know -- Basic CSS Every Blogger Should Know -- Accessing the CSS in Your Blogging Platform -- Inspecting Your Blog with Firebug -- Part III: Designing for Easy Navigation and Interactivity -- Chapter 10: Navigation and SEO Basics -- Discovering the Mission of Good Navigation -- Easing Navigation with SEO-optimized Blog Components -- Making Your Blog Mobile-Friendly -- Chapter 11: Laying Out Your Navigation Menu and Sidebars -- Introducing Important Content with a Navigation Menu -- Putting Together Your Navigation Menu -- Showcasing Key Information with a Sidebar -- Identifying Elements to Build a Sidebar -- Including Visual Design within Your Sidebar -- Staying Clear of Sidebar Distractions -- Chapter 12: Making Content Easy to Find -- Giving Visitors the Opportunity to Explore -- Making Sure Visitors Find What They're After -- Organizing with Categories and Tags -- Helping Readers Find Old Content -- Increasing Reach by Highlighting Your Blog Posts -- Chapter 13: Increasing Ability to Share and Interact -- Exploring Sharing Buttons for Your Blog Posts -- Managing Comments -- Highlighting Social Media Profiles -- Part IV: Creating Design-Friendly Content -- Chapter 14: Designing Main Pages of Content -- Incorporating Design into Your Blog Posts -- Sharing Your Story with an About Page -- Laying Out the Basics with a Start Here Page -- Encouraging a Sale with a Product Page -- Building an Enticing Resource Page -- Creating an Informative Advertising Page -- Making Yourself Available with a Contact Page -- Chapter 15: Working with Images -- Finding Photos for Your Blog -- Editing Photos -- Using Images in Your Blog Posts -- Showcasing Multiple Images within a Post -- Working with Illustrations -- Chapter 16: Incorporating Design into Your Blog Posts.

Banishing Long Blocks of Text -- Breaking Text into Smaller Paragraphs -- Using Subheadings -- Including Images -- Applying Indentation and Block Quotes -- Including Lists -- Increasing Space between Paragraphs -- Part V: The Part of Tens -- Chapter 17: Ten Places to Extend Your Blog's Design -- Facebook Page -- Twitter -- Google+ -- Pinterest -- E-books -- Printables -- Media Kit -- Blog Badges -- Blog Business Cards -- Slides for Videos and Presentations -- Chapter 18: Ten Well-Designed Blogs -- Joy the Baker -- Go See Write -- Nom Nom Paleo -- Say Yes to Hoboken -- Alex Beadon -- Los Angeles, I'm Yours -- Rage Against the Minivan -- What I Wore -- Butter -- The Everywhereist -- Index.