On A Mission

On a Mission blog is for communicators, learners and nonprofit decision makers who want to educate and influence their priority audiences.

With six Interactive Media & Communications classes under my belt, I have already created well over thirty blog posts covering content creation, interactive writing and social media. 

This is the perfect time to curate and reconsider the optimal blog format and design to show the work. 

Blog Reviews

I reviewed a number of marketing industry blogs because they have all the best practices in place. I also looked at other Quinnipiac University student blogs because I know the younger generations have their online *hit pulled together. 

Name/URL	First noticed	What works	What else?
Samantha Sheehy	She identifies her three areas as “Public Relations, Music & Media”.	Casual and clear introduction. Consistent voice to “hang out” on social media.	Samantha’s name covers up the content when scrolling. It is distracting.
Kim Shepherd	Kim’s personality. QU samples.	Beautifully designed.	Kim could share her methods.
Seth’s Blog	He doesn’t have to introduce himself.	Simplicity. Words that make you think.	Three paragraph blogs at the most.
Ted Talk Blog	Clear design hierarchy allows top story to pop	Balanced design is easy on the eye. CTA’s	To follow = interest. Subscribe = to engage.

Standout blogs regardless of whether they are students or industry-leaders, all share a few things: 

• Distinct voice that communicates who they are. 

• Clear blog structure and navigation.

• Design that adds gravitas to their words.

Working with WordPress, I currently have a design called Tenku in place. While it shows the top story, it is geared for magazines, which gives it a “busy” versus ‘less is more’ look. Here is what I am looking for in a blog design:

Looking through dozens of options with the above in mind, I’ve narrowed it down to two possible designs that fit the content.

Now the real work begins as I migrate the content developed to date over to the final design.