Thursday, June 26, 2008

Blogging FAQ: banner sizing and backgrounds

Some people are not sure what size blog banner or header they would like for their blog. The rule of thumb for Typepad users is generally 670 pixels wide for a two column layout and 870 pixels wide for a three column layout.

For the 2 column layout - your main column is 500 px wide and you have a 200 px sidebar, so with the "padding", you would go with 670 px to get the blog banner to appear centered.
For a 3 column template, the main column is 500 px, the two side columns are 200 px wide each, and with the padding, that adds up to a 870 px wide layout for perfect centering of your new header.

Blogger varies as well, depending on the template. I can tell you that I used a minima white three column template (which I have the coding for) and I tweaked the size of my header html. I was able to upload a 900px banner to my blog . I removed the border around the header and removed the border around the photos (so that there wasn't a border around my signature).

I am going to be fooling around in the next few weeks with backgrounds, because this is a service that people have been asking me for. I personally like the white background on my blog because it is not distracting to the photographs. Obviously each blog is different and you want to customize your blog to your personal preference, so I will soon be offering custom backgrounds. If you are interested in changing the color of your background right now to the color of a part of your banner, please let me know and I will provide you with the hex code of the exact color in your banner. I have created a sample blog for you to view HERE to see what the background would look like - it can be the designer background (shown) with a solid color posting area and sidebar. This service is $15 plus it would need to be uploaded to blogger for you (since there is extensive HTML code modification). I am going to familiarize myself more with Typepad and offer it there as well.


Questions or comments? As them here!

7 comments:

Kelly L said...

I love all of the information you give us, Beth. I am really learning from you. I agree with the white in the bg. Although sometimes the color is soothing and adds to a picture, sometimes it also is better with a white bg. I had asked for the color code, tried it out and found that it didn't always look the best with my photos. It is all a personal preference though, I am sure.

Bevie Pearl said...

Hey Bethie........go check out my blog today. You won something.
(((((HUGS))))) Bevie Pearl

Bevie Pearl said...

Bethie it's me again....I just tagged you!!!

Debbie Corbari said...

Very kewl Beth! I like white too...but I would LOVE to be able to decorate my side bar up a bit...I'll talk to you about it.....gotta KILLER headache right now over my right eye. OMG.:(

Beverly said...

Thanks for the info.
I sent you an email.. did you get it?

Judy in Indiana said...

Just checking in to say hello.

Unknown said...

Great tips! I always end up having to run Google searches to remember what the dimensions have to be -- I'm still trying to figure out how to add a custom background to Typepad.

Your tip was featured over at Card of the Week.com.

You can check out the original post at http://www.cardoftheweek.com/2008/07/tutorial-tuesda.html

 

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