Things have been slow-going around here as of late, and that’s not because we’ve run out of things to say. We’ve been busy with a lot of internal and client-facing projects, and hopefully we’ll be able to show y’all soon. We were talking recently and wondering, where did real design go? When did “having a company weblog” not involve real design? Did people forget that a weblog is just a type of website? It appears so, at least from stuff I’ve seen lately, and it’s a trend that really bothers me.
Paul wrote about how just having a weblog isn’t the only thing needed for it to be successful. The design and aesthetic appeal of a website still counts for something, doesn’t it? I can’t tell you how many corporate blogs, weblog companies, or “important weblogs” are still run by a slightly-modified Movable Type, TypePad, or WordPress templates. If someone can’t put the time into making their weblog look like it didn’t just jump out of a “Start Your Blog Now!” box, then what makes me think they’ll take the time to write for it? If you don’t have a designer on your team, then please, for the sake of all users, find a nice designer and outsource the design of your blog to them. Don’t skimp on the design, it’s not worth it.
Take the time to do more than just take the “off the shelf” route. True, get up and going, but as much as writing is about comminication, so is design.