Technically, 3 Dimensions refers to objects that are constructed on three plans (X, Y and Z). The process of creating 3D graphics can be divided into three basic phases: 3D modeling, 3D animation and 3D rendering.

Three dimensional (3D) computer graphics are widely used and they are almost too common to see anywhere, let it be movies, products designs, advertisements, etc. Although they are commonly seen, that doesn’t mean they are easily created. In order to interactively control a 3D object, it must be created in a 3D authoring tool which usually cost a lot to a non-professional user.

A 3D model is usually originated on the computer by engineer using some kind of 3d modeling tools. Creating 3D models is not easy and the software alone can cost a fortune Therefore, we thought it might be interesting to check out the availability of open source 3D modeling tools out there. Crawling from sites to sites, reading through end users comments and feedback, we bring you 25 Free 3D Modelling Applications You Should Not Miss. Full list after jump.

1. Blender

   A free and open source 3D modeling and animation application which can be used for modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, rigging, water simulations, skinning, animating, rendering, particle and other simulations, non-linear editing, compositing, and creating interactive 3D applications.

   

2. K-3D

   K-3D is free-as-in-freedom 3D modeling and animation software. It features a plugin-oriented procedural engine for all of its content, making K-3D a very versatile and powerful package.
   K-3D excels at polygonal modeling, and includes basic tools for NURBS, patches, curves and animation.

   

3. Art of Illusion

   Art of Illusion is a free, open source 3D modelling and rendering studio. Some of the highlights include subdivision surface based modelling tools, skeleton based animation, and a graphical language for designing procedural textures and materials.

   

4. SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool

   A free 3D modeling and animation software for aspiring game developers and modders. The Mod Tool is a free version of XSI for non commercial game creation. It is made for everyone needing a powerful 3D application to make and mod games. The Mod Tool plugs into all the major game engines and development frameworks for next-generation games, casual games, mods for existing titles and even Flash-based 3D games.

   

5. Zmodeler

   ZModeler (or Zanoza Modeler) is a 3D modeling application developed by Oleg Melashenko. It is aimed at modelers who model for computer games. ZModeler is capable of complex modeling, even though it does not support important modeling functions such as extruding, or beveling.

   

6. TopMod3d

   TopMod3d is a free, open source, portable, platform independent topological mesh modeling system that allows users to create high genus 2-manifold meshes. It can also create solid models that can be prototyped using various rapid prototyping technology.

   

7. Google SketchUp 6

   

   Google SketchUp is software that you can use to create, share and present 3D models. Whether you want to design a new deck for your house, build models for Google Earth, or teach geometry to your fifth-graders, you can use SketchUp to see your ideas in 3D. And when you’re done, you can export an image, make a movie or print out a view of what you made.

8. AutoQ3D Community – 3D Editor

   AutoQ3D Community is an easy, light and fast 3D model editor tool that uses the full power of your PC´s graphics hardware, allowing you to rapidly prototype your 3D designs. Its interface is intuitive and easy to use and provided at no charge. It is released under the terms of the GNU General Public License so it will be free to use, modify  and distribute within any educational, professional or commercial purposes.

   

9. Anim8or

   Anim8or is a 3D modeling and character animation program which allows users to create and modify 3D models with built-in primitives such as spheres, cylinders, platonic solids, etc.; mesh-edit and subdivision; splines, extrusion, lathing, modifiers, bevel and warps,

   

10. Seamless3d

    Seamless3d is free open source 3d modelling software which designed for the artist who is realistic about the time it takes to learn any tool that’s going to offer creative freedom.

    

11. BRL-CAD

    BRL-CAD is a powerful cross-platform constructive solid geometry solid modeling system that includes an interactive geometry editor, ray-tracing for rendering & geometric analyses, network distributed framebuffer support, image & signal-processing tools.

    

12. 3DPlus

    With 3DPlus you can create outstanding 3D designs in just a few minutes – with no need for any complicated VRML or other programming. 3DPlus is the amazing 3D design software that enables you to create stunning 3D graphics for your home, school or business – no experience required!

    

13. 3D Canvas

    3D Canvas is a real-time 3D modeling and animation tool that incorporates an intuitive drag-and-drop approach to 3D modeling. Complex models can be constructed from simple 3D primitives, or created using 3D Canvas’ Object Building Tools. Modeling tools are provided to deform, sculpt, and paint 3D objects.

    

14. eDrawings

    eDrawings is a freeware utility which will give the user the power to view, create and share 3D models and 2D drawings. eDrawings offers unique capabilities like point-and-click animations that make it easy for anyone with a PC to interpret and understand 2D and 3D design data.

    

15. Blink 3D

    Blink 3D is an authoring tool for creating 3D environments. The 3D environments are immersive, just like today’s modern games and can be viewed using the a Blink 3D Viewer on the Web or locally.

    

16. Minos

    MINOS extends the capabilities of your existing 2D-or 3D-wireframe-based systems, so you can take advantage of all the benefits solid modeling offers right away. MINOS makes it easy to design 3D parts and assemblies. The design methodology is based on defining simple geometric elements including lines, curves, and circles, and then linking them together to form contours.

    

17. freeCAD

    freeCAD is a basic 3D CAD with advanced Motion Simulation capabilities. It is suitable for anyone interested in learning 3D CAD and Motion Simulation for free before using more sophisticated packages. Its motion simulation capabilities are comparable to the best and can provide accurate answers to engineers and scientists in diverse fields.

    

18. Bishop3D

    Bishop3D is an interactive modeler and animation tool for the popular freeware raytracer POV-Ray™, a world-class renderer for creating three-dimensional photo-realistic images. Bishop3D allows you to model the scenes interactively and it will automatically generate the correspondent POV-Ray SDL script. It offers native keyframe animation support, POV-Ray SDL import and a powerful texture editor.

    

19. K3DSurf

    K3DSurf is a program to visualize and manipulate Mathematical models in three, four, five and six dimensions. K3DSurf supports Parametric equations and Isosurfaces. K3DSurf can be used by every one interested in 3D Mathematical drawing functions and don’t require any special competences by users.

    

20. DesignWorkshop Lite

    DesignWorkshop is a three-dimensional modeling program for architectural design and related endeavors. Its unique interface makes it more profoundly “Mac-like” than any prior modeling software. This interface allows it to support actual design in three dimensions, as opposed to just recording design ideas already worked out with other media.

    

21. GDesign 2.0

    GDesign 2.0 is a 2D/3D free generative art application for Windows. With GDesign you can interactively build, test, and edit complex models. You can create, edit, build and preview huge 2D and 3D objects with extended LSystems and Cellular Automata tools.

    

22. Sweet Home 3D

    Sweet Home 3D is a free interior design application that helps you place your furniture
    on a house 2D plan, with a 3D preview. Sweet Home 3D helps people to design their interior quickly. The user may: draw the walls of his rooms upon the image of an existing plan, change the color or the texture of the walls, import additional 3D models created by himself or downloaded from different Web sites, change the size, view the changes in the plan simultaneously in the 3D view, either from an aerial view point, or from a virtual visitor view point, print the home plan and the 3D view.

    

23. trueSpace

    trueSpace7.6 is a fully-featured 3D authoring package that will let you model, texture, light, animate and render 3D content. As well as traditional images and movies, you can also make 3D content for online shared spaces, and for Virtual Earth.

    

24. Alibre Design Xpress

    Alibre Design Xpress is a rich and capable 3D solid modeler for creating mechanical parts, assemblies and 2D drawings – and is free. Alibre Design Xpress equips the person needing basic 3D design capabilities. Alibre Design Xpress has a rich set of integrated tutorials that you can use to learn the product quickly.

    

25. 3DVIA Shape

    3DVia Shape is a free online 3D modeling application that eases you to create, publish and share ideas in 3D. There are 3DVIA archive of prototypes and modeling software you can choose to create three-dimensional. Each model can be viewed at any angle, spun around and zoomed-in on.

    

When it comes to online publishing, most of us are firm believers of the same old rule – Content is king. We’d like to argue a point that, even with the greatest blog that constantly pumps great contents, it’s not to overlook the importance of interface design. This includes overall color matching, the typography, attractive logo, proper text and paragraph alignment, clear navigation, etc. Another way to look at things is when you put an image and a row of text side by side, image is where the eyeballs are while the text plays a supporting role.

We spent weeks going through hundreds and hundreds of blogs in the blogosphere, looking for blogs with nice and interesting design. We marked down those with great interface, graphically beautiful, unique personalities and styles. Here we bring you – 100 Nice and Beautiful Blog Design. You might learn something or perhaps inspired by these designs. Full list after jump and get prepared to scroll.

Freelance Web Designer in Cardiff

31Three – Creative services for the design-challenged developer

aNieto2k

Vikiworks Studio

Aaron Mentele

aiAlex – Artificially Intelligent Life

Alex buga – Webdesign Superstar

Zinaz

Artypapers – An Experiment Gone Useful

Start Cooking

Art Culture

Bart-Jan Verhoef

Personified

Big Sweater Design

Missy – Great Blog In My Jeans

Cause/Effect

Spoon Graphics

Blogsolid – Ideas for better blogging

Robert Beerworth – Business Solution Blog Business Idea

Carsonified

Cheaper Than Therapy

Circle Six Blog

Country Music Articles

Blog Web Design Blog

Cult-foo

Darkmotion – Animation and Illustration

david hellmann – Graphic and Webdesign

Design Disese

Design Intellection

Design Reviver

Design*Sponge

AvalonStar

Dollarshort

Eleven3

Elitist Snob – Mac snobbery and such

Elliot jay Stocks

Simply Fried

FreelanceSwitch – Freelance Advice and Freelance Jobs

Freelenz

GrantMX Design

Great Design

GZ Web Design Blog

I Am Neato – The Online Portfolio of Emilio Cavazos

I am Finch

IceBeat

Jesus Rodriguez Velasco

Josh Spear

Kimberly Coles Illustration Blog

Kohette WebDesign

Kulturbanause

Larissa Meek

Laura alter

Lucy Blackmore

Matthew Inman – Marketing & Design

Moderno Prometeo

Mutado

Narfstuff – WordPress Development, Web and Graphic Design

Oaktree Creative

Olliekav – All things design, music and more

Papel Continuo

PhillRyu

Ploink! Brothers

Refreshing Content

Revota

Rikcat – The art of rik catlow

Rob Goodlatte

Schneeballschl8

Search Engine Optimization Edmonton

SimpleBits

Sparklette

Squawk

Sr28 Web Design

Natalie Jost – Standards for Life

Superawesome

TehCPeng

NorthxEast – Weekly Articles About Blogging

The Big Noob

The Rissington Podcast

TheHotSeat

This Is American Soccer

Tj Mapes

TNTpixel

I Love Typography

Veerle – Webdesign, XHTML, CSS, Graphic Design

We Are Not Freelancers

Viget Labs

Web Designer Wall – Design Trends and Tutorials

Komodomedia

Ribbons of Red Web & Graphic Design

ISO50 – The Visual Work of Scott Hansen

Bonsai Studios

Paintbits – Life in Colors

GoMediaZine

Matt Mullenweg

Matt Brett

Studio Racket

{e} House Studio

Lorelei Web Design

The Yawkey Way

NemStudio Blog Developement Web

When I get passionate about a topic, I tend to search for the best material I can find on it in order to expand my knowledge further. Web design is no exception and this list represents the books I have found to be very useful. These are all books that I have actually read and most of which are sitting on my bookshelf right now. This list is a follow up to my article “Buy, Borrow, or Steal the Best Books to Get Ahead.”

The links lead to the book’s amazon page and they have my associate id attached to them. Because I don’t have ads on this site I have to ask that if you like this list and decide to buy a book from amazon, please use my links as it would be helpful in paying for my coffee, book addiction, and future contests. Enjoy!

Typography

1. The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst

This is one of those books a lot of people with a background in graphics design loves. I think the language is way too exaggerated for a person without a graphics design background. I only include it in this list, because some of you might find that you like it since it has withstood the test of times, but I don’t recommend it for your first book on typography. Richard Rutter at webtypography.net took the elements in this book and applied it to the web very well. The site is a must read.

2. Designing with Type: The Essential Guide to Typography by James Craig, William Bevington, and Irene Korol Scala

This was my first book on typography and it does a very good job at explaining typography in a way that is easy to understand. It is organized very well, includes good examples, and lots of pretty pictures to stare at. Does a good job of covering all the areas you need to know about typography,

3. Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students by Ellen Lupton

This was my second book on typography and while it covers a lot of the same materials as other typography books, I found it very helpful to see a different author explain the different aspects of typography. Typography is one of those subjects where it is very helpful to hear different opinions and angles on the subject in order to get a better grasp of it.

4. The Complete Manual of Typography by James Felici

I used this book in the same way as the others and it was to expand my mind about typography by reading other angles on the subject of typography. I would recommend going with the one that speaks to you the best first and then reading other books to get a more full understanding of it.

CSS/XHTML

5. CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions by Andy Budd, Simon Collison, and Cameron Moll

CSS Mastery is one of those solid books that does a good job covering the different aspects of CSS and XHTML you need to know in order to build a website. At the end of the book it goes through a couple case studies so you can get a look at practical applications of what you learned.

6. The Art and Science of CSS by Jonathan Snook, Steve Smith, Jina Bolton, and Cameron Adams

A good book that is jam packed with good examples teaching you the fundamentals you need in order to build a website. The difference between this and CSS mastery is that this book uses more color so some examples are easier to see and they also cover a few different topics. Both books cover the basics though, which one you use is up to your personal preference and needs.

7. Bulletproof Web Design by Dan Cederholm

This book’s primary focus is on building websites that can stand the test of time, well at least better than non web standards websites. This books takes examples of websites that are not coded well and then shows you how to make it better.

8. The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks by Rachel Andrew

This book is organized by tips so you can skim through it looking for what you need to learn. It is helpful for when you are clueless why certain things work a certain way or want to do something a certain way, but don’t know how.

9. CSS Pocket Reference: Visual Presentation for the Web by Eric Meyer

I carry this pocketbook with my macbook pro a lot in the beginning and still do from time to time, because it is a useful book to refer to when you can’t remember certain code structures because you don’t use that particular code often.

Design

10. The Principals of Beautiful Web Design by Jason Beaird

A very good book to start you off on the principles that make a beautiful web design. It has a lot of good examples of each principle. At the end of each chapter, what you learned is applied to a website that the author is building so you get to see a nice site unfold as you read the book.

11. Design Elements: A Graphic Style Manual by Timothy Samara

A more detailed book on design elements that I found to be very useful after reading the principles of beautiful web design. This book goes through different aspects of design in a more in depth manner so you get a better understanding of the different design elements.

12. Design-it-Yourself Graphic Workshop by Chuck Green

A great book that covers the different aspects involved in logo, letterhead, business card, and newsletter design. I found it very helpful to see how print designers work and a lot of the principals they apply to their work can be applied to the web as well.

Color

13. Color Design Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Using Color in Graphic Design by Noreen Morioka, Terry Stone Sean Adams

All design books talk about color and that includes typography books as well. So I am only recommending one book on color, because I don’t feel reading any more books on color would help more than experimenting with it yourself or supplementing it with online resources.

Usability

14. Prioritizing Web Usability by Jakon Nielsen and Hoa Loranger

Everyone who talks about usability has read this book and for good reason. Jakob Nielsen is considered the guru of usability so check out this book. It is a good read with lots of interesting facts as well as things not to do when building your website.

15. Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug

A much shorter book than Prioritizing Web Usability, but just as useful. Steve Krug uses a lot of examples in order to show you both good and bad websites. He also talks a lot on how to set up usability testing to get the most out of it.

16. Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web Application Design by Robert Hoekman Jr,

As the title says, it is about designing the obvious in such a way that it really is obvious and easy to use. After you are are done designing for usability though, you should work on making it more pretty though.

Logos

17. Logo Design Workbook: A Hands-On Guide to Creating Logos by Noreen Morioka, Terry Stone Sean Adams

Who doesn’t want a cool logo? Learning how to build logos is one of those things that are great to know, because often times you will have to design either your own logo or a client’s. It is important when designing logos to understand how the brand affects your image.

18. Logo by Michael Evamy

A great book that has a ton of logos (1300 logos). Great as a reference or source of inspiration.

Javascript

19. Simply Javascript by Kevin Yank and Cameron Adams

There comes a point where you want to add more functionality to your design and javascript is a great way to do this. Be careful not to make it so that your visitors need javascript in order to use vital functions of your site as this will exclude quite a bit of users.

20. Learning jQuery: Better Interaction Design and Web Development with Simple Javascript Techniques by Karl Swedberg and Jonathan Chaffer

jQuery is a great framework that makes javascript easier to use as well as easier to understand. This book is written by the developers of jQuery and is filled with great examples that makes it easy to learn.

Extras

21. The Unusually Useful Web Book by June Cohen

This book is filled with ideas on how to structure your web design projects, which makes them easier to work with. It also goes in depth on the various stages of web design and questions you should ask yourself.

22. How To Be A RockStar Freelancer by Collis Ta’eed

I found this book very valuable in expanding on my knowledge and making me a better freelancer. Check out freelanceswitch.com for some great articles Collis has written on the subject so you know what you are getting into.

23. Google Analytics 2.0 by Jerri L. Ledford and Mary E. Tyler

Google Analytics is awesome not only because it is free, but it is a very powerful program to track what your visitors are doing. If you don’t know what your visitors are doing, then you won’t be able to fix problems before they get out of control or make your design better. Read my book review on Google analytics 2.0 for more information.

Bonus for Blog Designers

24. Clear Blogging: How People Blogging Are Changing the World and How You Can Join Them by Bob Walsh

While knowing what makes a blog successful from a blogger’s point of view is not required, I found it very helpful in making better blog designs. This book goes over a lot of the different tools bloggers use as well as what makes a blog successful.

25. Blogging Heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers by Michael A. Banks

If you have ever been curious as to how the top blogs came to be, then this book is for you. The interviews reveal a lot of interesting information about the top blogs and their authors. I have to say though, that a lot of the top blogs’ design are terrible and the only reason they can get away with that is because they have the advantage of not only being the first in their niche, but also being around for years. That and great content of course. Read my book review on Blogging Heroes.

How to use this list

The books in this list represent the books I liked and found useful, but they may not be the best fit for you. This is because each of us come from different backgrounds and have different learning styles. Check out my article on finding the best books on any subject in order to find the best books for you. I recommend going to your library or bookstore though and checking these books out to see if they are right for you first before buying.

Next article in this series will focus on how to find the best online resources in any subject. Subscribe today by RSS for free and get more tips on improving your blog design. If you don’t know about rss feeds or you want to use the email subscription option, read this page on subscribing to Blog Design Blog.

Introduction

When designing blogs I noticed there are a few different design elements that I have to take into account every time. I have broken these different design elements into nine different parts. The more attention you give to each part, the better your overall blog design will be.

1. Header
2. Content Area
3. Primary Navigation
4. Secondary Navigation
5. Headlines
6. Comments
7. Post’s Footer
8. Footer
9. Advertisements

1. Header

The header is the first thing most visitors see when they come to your blog and it is also one of the most important. It is important for branding and making your blog stand out apart from the millions of other blogs. It is important that the header be unique so that is is memorable. This is why headers are usually given the most attention to in blog design, even by people who don’t do anything else with their blog design.

Lots of different types of headers work, but no matter what style you design your header in it is important to make your header design POP.

Examples of great blog headers:

1. Octwelve

Octwelve is a good example of using a cute character in the header to make it very distinct from other blogs. It also does a good job of quickly telling you what the blog is about in the header.

2. Cult foo

I like how Cultfoo’s header just breaks the boundaries of rounded corners and rectangles. This creates a very distinct and appealing header for a blog.

3. Darkmotion

I am a big fan of darkmotion’s style as you can tell if you have read my other posts. And one of its strong points is its very cool header design. It is just so playful and really draws me in.

How to make your header design great for your blog:

1. The first element in a blog design that I like to design is the header, because I feel that it sets the tone for the rest of the blog design. So I recommend to decide on what message you want to convey, title, and taglines before getting to work in photoshop. This will prevent a lot of headaches and changes down the road.

2. While there are many different ways you can design a header for you blog, it is important to remember to prioritize the communication of the purpose of your blog above everything else. A reader needs to be informed as quick as possible as to what the purpose of your blog is.

3. Get creative and don’t be afraid to try different things until you find a header design that works for your blog. This is generally the first thing people see when they come to your blog so make it memorable.

2. Content Area

The content area is where your readers will spend most of their time when they are on your blog. It is important to make sure that this area is easy to read and have minimal distractions. It is also important to create a well established hierarchy where the different elements of your design gets less emphasis as your go down.

Examples of great content area:

1. Simplebits

Simplebits’ content design is easy to read and the links pop just enough to be noticed, but not too much to be distracting. It has a very soft look to it.

2. We Love WP

One of the biggest problems with dark designs is that it is hard to read, but when done right it can work very well. WeLoveWP uses a soft light brown that doesn’t contrast too much with the dark background so it is easy to read.

3. We Break Stuff

I like the combination of color and dotted underlines for the links used here.

How to design a great content area:

1. Build a hierarchy that establishes a flow where there is less emphasis as it goes down in the list. For example, headings should pop more than links and bold texts.

2. Keep the design of the content consistent. This lets the reader know that they are reading information that are closely related to each other due to their similarity.

3. When styling links, make sure that they pop out enough to call attention to it, but not so much that it is distracting when reading.

3. Primary Navigation

The primary navigation is the set of links that lead to different areas of your blog. This is usually placed on the top near the header, but it doesn’t need to be. It is good practice to place it near the header though, because that is where most users will expect them and look for them.

Examples of great primary navigation:

1. A list apart

A List Apart is one of the best examples of good primary navigation design on the top.

2. Mindtwitch

Mindtwitch is a good example of using texture to make the primary navigation pop out more.

3. Jogger

Jogger’s primary navigation is simple and easy to do, but it serves its purpose and has been integrated into the design just as well.

How to design a great primary navigation:

1. Keep the amount of primary navigation links low. There is no hard number for the max amount of primary navigation links, but I would recommend under 6 or 7.

2. Primary navigation links should be reserved for major areas of your blog that you want the reader to have access to on every single page of your blog. If they don’t need it on every page, consider putting the link in your secondary navigation area.

3. Examples of common primary navigation links are contact and about. What your specific primary navigation links would be depends on how you structure your blog and what you want people to pay attention to.

4. Secondary Navigation

The secondary navigation is the set of links that lead to different sections of your blog. This usually comes in the form of some sidebar. Secondary navigation is important because it gives your readers easy access to other parts of your blog that the primary navigation does not cover.

Good links to put in your secondary navigation are popular posts, links to series pages, and other items of interest that you want your readers to have quick access to from anywhere.

Examples of great secondary navigation designs:

1. Elitistsnob

I like how each section in the sidebar is given its own clear area so it is easy to read and find what you are looking for.

2. Mancub

I like how the sidebar just seems to slide out from the content and is clearly separated from the content.

3. Designdisease

Design Disease uses shades of orange here in order separate the different sections of the sidebar very well.

How to design a great secondary navigation for your blog:

1. Just as with the primary navigation, only include necessary links and do not fill it with random links for no reason.

2. Divide the secondary navigation into different clear areas for different types of links. This will help keep the secondary navigation organized and easy to use.

3. Do not clutter your secondary navigation with unnecessary widgets that doesn’t really help the reader find what they are looking for. That calendar might look cool, but it doesn’t really help anyone.

5. Headlines

The purpose of headlines is to draw your readers in and make them want to read the rest of your blog’s post. The best way to do this is by making your headlines pop out. This can be done in a variety of ways so get creative.

Examples of great headline designs on blogs:

1. Henry Jones

Henry Jones’ blog is an example of a very simple headline design yet it does what it is suppose to do and that is to draw the user’s attention to it. Henry also uses cute icons to draw the user’s attention to the date and comments.

2. I Love Typography

This is a great example of what you can do with pretty much the font and color to make a creative and interesting headline for a blog.

3. Blogsolid

Blogsolid if an example of using an interesting design near the headline to draw the user’s attention towards the headline.

How to make your headlines pop.

1. An easy way of doing this is by making the color for your headlines different from your body text.

2. You can also use a font that is different from your content. The most common way of dong this is to use a serif font for your headlines and a non-serif font for the rest of your content.

3. Size. While size might seem like a given, I still see people who change the size of their headlines only a little bigger than their content, which makes it hard to tell if it is a headline.

4. A pretty popular way of making your headlines pop is by making the date of the post stand out. This blog uses this technique.

6. Comments

Comments are where the discussion of your posts take place and it is important to design this area in a way that it promotes communication. You can do this by making it easy to tell different comments apart, adding numbers so it is easy to refer to other comments, make the author’s comments different enough so that it sticks out and is easy to scan when a user scrolls down the comments.

Examples of great comment designs:

1. Chris Shiflett

Chris’ comment design is very simple and easy to read. It separates the comment from the author’s information into different sections that makes it easy to glance at for information.

2. Darkmotion

I like the separation of author’s information and content here into different blocks. It makes it really feel like a conversation with each other.

3. Blog Design Blog

I am including my comment design, because a lot of people said they like it. What do you know, I like it too! I went through dozens of variations before I settled on this one and I used the following guidelines when designing it.

How to design a great comment design:

1. Make it easy for a reader to see that each comment is separate from each other. An easy and common way of doing this is by alternating the colors for the comments. You could just as easily separate comments by putting it into clearly separate areas of real estate.

2. Design the author comments so they pop out more than regular comments, but not so much that it doesn’t look like it is part of the discussion. Small changes in color or design can do this well.

3. Separate miscellaneous information like name, date, and number from the actual comment itself. It makes it easier to quickly scan a discussion and if they want to they can read the misc. information if they want to.

7. Post’s footer

The post’s footer element refers to the area at the end of a post and before the comments section. A post’s footer often gets neglected so much it is ridiculous. It is a very valuable area of real estate on your blog design as it gives you a chance to direct your readers attention to other important articles on your blog after they have read a post.

People spend hours perfecting other elements of their blog design, but when it comes to the footer of the post they just stick in one of the default safe designs. But is it really safe when it sucks?

Examples of great footer designs for posts:

1. Freelanceswitch

I really like Collis’ blog designs. They are really sharp, clean, and a very close attention to details. The footer for Freelanceswitch’s post does a real good job of separating the content from the extra information provided in the footer.

2. PSDTuts

This is another one of Collis’ blog designs. This one focuses the user’s attention to different places the reader can vote for or bookmark the content if they like it. I really like the attention he gave to it and how the next section uses a different background color to separate it from each other.

3. Standards for Life

I really like the clean feel of Standards of Life’s footer for its posts. The alternating colors for the similar posts is a nice touch as well as the design of the foot notes. (foot notes not shown in screenshot)

How to design great footers for the posts of your blog:

1. Give the footer of the post a clear area separate from the content. This lets the reader know that it is not part of the content and it also helps it pop out more. You can do this by using a different background color.

2. Decide what you want in the post’s footer before beginning the design of it. This will help cut out unnecessary garbage and make the design process more smooth.

3. One of the best content to put in the post’s footer is links to related posts. This makes it easy for your reader to find other interesting posts on your blog.

8. Footer

Footers are interesting in that most people don’t really use it and just stick a copyright on the bottom with some basic links. But they are a great way to add more secondary navigation to your blog without overflowing your sidebar.

When people arrive at your footer, they would have just finished reading your article and maybe some comments. At this point it is good to provide secondary navigation that can lead them to other great articles you have on your blog.

Great secondary navigation links would be to your popular posts, other great posts, and recent posts. You could also stick a small about section or more contact information if one of your goals is to have them contact you.

Examples of great footer designs on blogs:

1. Designshack

I like how Designshack uses its footer as its main secondary navigation and doesn’t use a sidebar.

2. Web Designer Wall

I like the attention to detail that Nick spent on his footer. It looks like he spent the same amount of time as he did on his header and the result is amazing.

3. Chris Shiflett

This is a good example of a clean and simple footer that does what it suppose to do very well.

How to design a great footer for your blog design:

1. Design the footer so that is contrasts with your regular content. This will let users know that they have reached your footer and makes it pop out to them.

2. Only include links you think people who have read your article would like to see. Avoid miscellaneous information that doesn’t really help the user at this point like recent comments.

3. Keep it simple and don’t go crazy with the design. Focus on making it useful and usable.

9. Advertisements

More and more blogs are using advertisements on their blog so it has become an important element to design for. An ad placed with no thought to the blog design sticks out pretty badly and will make your blog design look terrible. You also have to be careful with the placement of your ads so that it doesn’t overpower the content.

If users are too distracted by your ads, then they won’t be able to read your content. So while you might get money for the click, they are less likely to come back to your blog. You should prioritize your content over your ads at all times, but if you design and place the ads right then you will still be able to make money while retaining your readers.

Examples of great ad designs on blogs:

1. Copyblogger

Copyblogger uses the standard 6 125 x 125 ads as well as a bigger one on top. They are clearly labeled as sponsors and before you even see the ads you see their tagline, which shows how much they prioritize their content over their ads.

2. Webdesignerwall

Webdesignerwall uses not only the standard ads, but has one inside the blog content. It is clearly labeled and designed in a way so people can tell it is not a part of the content easily.

3. Problogger

Problogger uses a small banner on top of the standard ads next to its logo really well. It does not overpower the logo or content at all.

How to design for ads?

1. If you are going to have ads on your blog, then you must take this into account as early as possible in your design. Preferably during the pencil and paper stage of the design. This gives you the most flexibility in changing your blog design so that ads fit seamlessly in it.

2. The most popular methods of advertisements on blogs are google’s adsense and 125 x 125 banner ads. Google’s adsense is a lot more flexible since they come in various dimensions so find one that works for you. 125 x 125 ads are less flexible, but they are usually placed in the sidebar next to each other in a block of six ads.

3. After you figure out the ads you want to use on your blog, go find examples of it and copy n’ paste them into your mock up. This will help you figure out how it works in your design and allows you to make quick changes until it is how you want them.

4. Remember when designing your blog design to make the ads noticeable, but not overpowering the content. The sidebar is generally the best place to put them. The worst place to put them is where they can be mistaken as actual navigation links.

Google has an ad that is just a bunch of links and I have confused them more than once as navigation links. Labeling the ads as sponsors helps with this problem.

Bonus Resources for Designing Your Blog

• 17 Resources for Creating a Blog Design
• 47 Must See Great Blog Designs
• 30 Must See Comment Designs for Web Designers
• 30 More Must See Comment Designs for Blog Designers
• 25 Must Buy, Borrow, or Steal Books for Web Designers
• 5 Simple Ways to Make Your Blog Design POP
• The Secret of Great Blog Designs
• 37 Ways to Design a Comments Form
• The Secret of a Great Blog Redesign
• How to Design for Ads in Blog Design
• 5 Ways to Make Your Blog Design Unforgettable
• What Everybody Ought to Know About Usability and Web Design

Bollywood’s zing babe, Preity Zinta has found a new best buddy on her Unforgettable tour with the Bachchans, and she is none other than Jaya Bachchan.

Jaya Bachchan is accompanying the whole cast and crew of The Unforgettable tour which includes her hubby Amitabh, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai and Preity Zinta loves the whole Bachchan parivaar.

She says, “I knew I’d be comfortable with Amitji, Ash and Abhishek. I’ve always gotten along with them. I did the film The Last Lear with Amitji. And we had a blast.”

“But my favorite is Jaya aunty. We bonded earlier during Kal Ho Naa Ho. At that that we had gotten really close. Now it’s like old times again. Jaya Aunty is my favorite member of the Bachchan family. We get along so well,” she added.

The awesome twosome rush off to shopping whenever they get free time, “Just the two of us. We love it!” adds Preity.

So another loyalist joins the Bachchan club.