Recently my blogger friend Aila approached me about doing a guest post on her blog on the topic of graphic design basics. Because of this I was both flattered and a little frightened. Flattered that she had come to me out of all the incredible bloggers out there who do design, but also a little terrified because that meant I was going to be teaching a whole lot of strangers on the other side of the computer screen how to do stuff. Cool and super stuff, albeit, which is awesome. But I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on graphic design by any means; it’s a hobby, and I’d like to think I’m good at it, but there is still much I have yet to learn as well. Lately I’ve been designing phone backgrounds, button designs, playlist covers, and bookmarks. I also will gladly trade my design services in #booksfortrade! Graphic design skills can equip you with a variety of opportunities. So, here I am, imparting my wisdom unto you, dear reader. Here goes everything (literally).

I think we’ve all reached that point where we’ve asked ourselves, what can I do to make my blog look better? What will snazz up my posts and make my overall blog layout and header look more professional? What fonts do I use for this post? What even is a font!? The short answer to this is graphic design. Defined as “the art or skill of combining text and pictures in advertisements, magazines, or books,” graphic design can be so much more than that. So without further ado, here are some of the biggest tips and tricks to know when you start designing!