Are you looking to do something a little different with your next blog design?
There are a lot of different pages to worry about when you design a blog, but the most important are archive pages, including your main Blog page as well as your category pages, the blog’s individual blog posts, and the blog’s homepage.
In this post, we showcase design examples for each so you can get some inspiration.
Blog site designs to inspire your next project
Blog page designs
1. UpFlip
Primary Design Elements: Search bar in hero section; search filters in sidebar
This is the Blog page of UpFlip’s website, a website we featured in our post on business blog examples.
UpFlip is a business blog and course academy that offers startup and side hustle tips for small-time entrepreneurs.
The site’s Blog page deviates from the usual blog page style of featuring a simple chronological archive of the site’s latest posts by using a hero section that includes a search bar readers can use to find topics they want to read about.
There are even four buttons underneath the search bar that act as search suggestions. They change the text within the search bar when clicked.
A small “x” even appears on the right-hand side of the search bar when you hover over it, allowing you to delete the search query within it.
The page does have a chronological archive as users would expect, but it features filters on the left-hand side that allow users to filter posts by topic and industry.
The archive itself uses a three-column grid layout in which each post is a card that includes the post’s featured image, title, author and category.
The Blog page uses pagination, so there are only five rows in the grid.
It concludes with an email opt-in form.
2. Linearity
Primary Design Element: Featured posts slider with card-based animation
Linearity is a design tool graphic designers can use to create animations, illustrations, digital ads, social media images, branding assets, flyers and more.
The tool’s Blog page features a unique element in the form of a featured posts slider that uses card-based animations to change from one featured post to the next.
The number of featured posts in the slider is featured at the bottom of it with the one in view highlighted with a thin, orange outline around the number.
This outline even features an animation that acts as a timer, letting you know when the slider will switch to the next featured article.
Beneath this slider are buttons presented in a grid layout with each button representing different blog categories.
The next few sections promote the brand’s content in different ways:
- Product Articles – A three-column, one-row showcasing of the blog’s latest posts on Linearity itself.
- Watch and Learn – A section to promote video tutorials from the Linearity Academy. It features a video background and three featured videos.
- Recent Articles – An archive of the blog’s latest posts. It features a large section showcasing the most recent post. This is followed by a three-column grid layout of additional posts with a Load More button giving you the option to reveal as many additional posts as you like.
- Creative Community – A call to action promoting the site’s community gallery, which showcases projects Linearity customers have used the tool to create.
- Get Started – A call to action promoting Linearity itself.
- Instagram Feed – A five-column, two-row grid layout of the latest Instagram posts published under the #linearity hashtag.
3. TechnologyAdvice
Primary Design Element: Featured post slider
TechnologyAdvice is a prominent technology media site that publishes reviews, research and other data-driven articles, and guides.
The site’s blog layout uses a hero section that includes a featured posts slider on the right.
The slider features two articles presented as cards that are side by side. Each card has a featured image, post title and publication date.
There are two arrows at the bottom of the slider, which you can use to cycle through each post in the slider.
The slider also has a progress bar to indicate how far you’ve scrolled into it.
The rest of the page is pretty standard. It features a paginated grid layout of the blog’s latest posts. This is followed by a simple list of links of the blog’s categories and a team element filled with cards that introduce the blog’s experts.
The bottom of the page features an email opt-in form.
4. Intellectsoft
Primary Design Element: Categories as buttons in hero section
Intellectsoft is a software development company who publishes guides for fellow software development agencies as well as practical guides on software development in general.
The company uses a great blog layout that’s simple yet useful.
The hero section features several buttons for the blog’s categories with the buttons leading to category archive pages.
This section also features a search bar readers can use to find specific topics they’re looking for.
The rest of the page features a paginated latest posts archive as well as an email opt-in form.
Blog post designs
5. Salt in Our Hair
Primary Design Elements: Big imagery; floating section selector; element boxes
Salt in Our Hair is a travel blog we featured in our post on travel blog examples. It’s a travel blog operated by Nick and Hannah, a couple from the The Netherlands.
The site uses a beautiful blog layout that mostly relies on large images the couple has snapped from their adventures. They use a professional camera, allowing them to capture high-quality images.
One of the best elements on the page is actually a floating section selector that allows readers to easily jump to whichever section they’re most interested in.
Of course, because it’s floating, it follows the reader down the page as they scroll.
The post features several element boxes as well, mostly for calls to action the couple would like readers to interact with in order to book hotels, view the couple’s map tips in Google Maps and save the post to Pinterest.
6. The Needle Drop
Primary Design Elements: Unique design; floating social sharing links
The Needle Drop is Anthony Fantano’s own blog. Anthony publishes music reviews and other music-specific content on YouTube.
Anthony’s blog on the website uses a stunning flat design that features a pastel yellow background and a border around each section of the post, such as the content area and the sidebar sections.
Each border is thickest on the bottom, creating a flat 3D effect.
A floating element for social sharing links hugs the left-hand side of the post content box.
The site also uses animations to depict progress for site visitors. There’s a progress bar that floats at the top of each post as well as one that fills up the back arrow that takes the reader to the top of the page.
These animations encourage readers to read posts all the way through since it lets them know how little of a post they have left to read.
Blog homepage designs
7. Pinch of Yum
Primary Design Elements: Category links and search box at the top of the homepage
Pinch of Yum is a popular food blog we featured in our post on food blog examples.
The blog’s design gets right to the point for readers. Their homepage features several links readers can use to access the blog’s different recipe categories.
The links are image based with four image links at the top depicting the blog’s most popular recipe categories. This is followed by nine smaller links for additional categories.
There’s also a search box here, which brings up an entire search overlay full of post suggestions for the blog’s latest posts, popular blog posts and stories.
The rest of the homepage features the blog’s latest posts, popular blog posts and multiple email opt-in forms.
8. Fashion Jackson
Primary Design Elements: Affiliate links in featured post box; tab selection for featured posts
Fashion Jackson is a lifestyle blog we featured in our post on fashion blog examples.
The blog uses a clean and minimalist layout, but it has several little elements that give it a unique design.
Several can be found in the blog’s main featured post element. They’re image-based affiliate links for products Amy, the blog’s owner, recommends in the post being featured.
There’s another section for additional featured posts, but this one has a tab selection the reader can use to cycle through different collections of featured posts, such as popular posts, travel tips and reviews.
The rest of the homepage features different elements for recommended products, Instagram posts, recent posts and an email opt-in form.
9. Hope Taylor
Primary Design Elements: Several calls to action for resources, different content and products
Hope Taylor is a professional photographer and content creator who publishes content on her blog as well as her YouTube channel.
Her blog website uses a visually appealing design, and her homepage is a fantastic example of a blog that combines content suggestions with professional marketing elements, such as calls to action.
The homepage has several calls to action to advertise Hope’s services, products and resources.
Over to you
There we have it, 9 blog site designs to inspire the layout for your next project.
Looking for more information on starting a new blog? Check out these posts:
