Want to change my blog layout using custom graphics…can I do this with CSS?

  • Unknown's avatar
    curiousemily · Member ·

    I know very little about web design.

    I’m trying to make my blog look more professional. I have a friend who is a professional graphic designer do all my branding, header, logos, etc. However, I don’t know how to get this on to my website.

    My best guess is to learn some CSS and adapt the sandbox theme. The new layout, which is being designed by someone with no grasp of coding, is custom but quite simple. Will this be achievable?

    Any advice would be really appreciated. :)

    The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

  • Unknown's avatar
    timethief · Member ·

    The Custom Design upgrade allows you to edit fonts and CSS only. You can change the appearance of a theme, but not its HTML markup, PHP code, or content.. See here so you know what cannot be done > http://en.support.wordpress.com/custom-design/#frequently-asked-questions
    Be sure your friend reads this and comprehends that there is no upgrade that can be purchased from wordpress.com that change anything at all stated here > http://support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/

    In a nutshell:
    You cannot build or use your own custom theme built from scratch at WordPress.com. All blogs wearing the same theme are using the same underlying template and we cannot access the underlying files and edit templates or themes.
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/themes/editing-themes/
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/ftp-access/
    http://en.support.wordpress.com/themes/adding-new-themes/
    Also note that CSS is theme specific, so you cannot use the CSS stylesheets from other themes with the themes at WordPress.com.

  • Unknown's avatar
    designsimply · Member ·

    Branding elements like header, logos, etc can be inserted without too much trouble—that doesn’t sound like a full blown redesign with CSS. I would recommend picking out a theme that looks closest to the end look you’d like to see, and try adding in some of the elements to see if you can adjust it enough to get a really nice, customized look without too much work such as creating a whole design with a blank slate like the sandbox theme.

    If you need any help getting started, try starting with the Appearance → Header page to add in your header background. If you need help from there, maybe post here about what other small elements you’d like to change to see if we can give you a hand and help you learn along the way.

    Cheers.

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