For blog engines and blogging platforms, blog designers create and modify themes and templates. The majority of blogging platforms are released under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and are open to third-party design and development. Basic design coding, such as HTML and Cascading Style Sheets, should be familiar to a blog designer (CSS). He or she may also need to be familiar with programming languages such as PHP and ASP, depending on the platform. Blog designers, in general, do not work on the development side of things, such as building blogging engines or platforms; instead, they concentrate on the aesthetics of a blog through the use of themes and templates.
Because blog design is a component of Web design, specialized blog designers may simply be referred to as Web designers. Designers of blogs may also work in other aspects of the Web design industry. A designer might, for example, create basic HTML websites and create themes and templates for content management systems.
A career in Web or blog design typically necessitates a thorough education in the field in order to master the various aspects of design. A Web or blog designer attempting to work for a major company or design firm may be required to have such formal education. Others are self-taught blog designers. It is possible to learn the basics of Web design in as little as a few months thanks to a variety of resources available on the Internet and in books, though it typically takes a few years to become highly skilled.
As freelancers, many blog designers work on their own. Such designers frequently have an online portfolio showcasing their best work, and will market themselves on social networking sites, groups, and message boards in the same way that any other professional would in order to spread the word about their work. Clients for freelance blog designers can be found locally or through freelance sourcing sites that help people who need design help find qualified people.
In order to promote their skills, some freelance designers offer free themes or templates through official blog engine repositories. These themes or templates may also include a link to the designer’s portfolio, where they sell higher-quality or premium themes or templates. A talented blog designer can make a good living selling custom templates and themes or selling the same templates and themes to multiple customers once they’ve established themselves.