Editorial Design That Makes Content Worth Reading
Your blog is a business asset — not an afterthought. We design article layouts, content hubs, and category systems that prioritize readability, encourage exploration, and support your SEO strategy. Typography-first, mobile-optimized, and built for scale.
LAYOUT TYPES
5 Blog Layout Patterns We Design
Magazine Grid Index
Clean card grid with featured image, title, excerpt, author, date, and category. Featured post gets larger treatment.
Typography-First Article
Minimal design where typography carries the page. Generous line-height, optimal line length, large body text.
Content Hub / Resource Center
Central page organizing content by topic clusters. Each cluster has a pillar page with supporting articles.
Long-Form Storytelling
Immersive reading with full-bleed images, pull quotes, inline data visualizations, and scroll-triggered reveals.
Knowledge Base / Documentation
Hierarchical content with sidebar navigation, search, and breadcrumbs. Scannable with anchor links and code blocks.
ANIMATIONS & EFFECTS
Reading Experience Enhancements
Reading Progress Bar
A thin bar at the top that fills left-to-right as the user scrolls through the article.
When to use: Long articles. Shows exactly how far the reader has progressed.
Lazy-Load Image Reveal
Article images fade in with a slight scale-up as they enter the viewport. Prevents layout shift.
When to use: Image-heavy articles. Creates a polished loading experience.
Sticky Table of Contents
Sidebar or floating TOC that highlights the current section as the user scrolls.
When to use: Long articles with multiple sections. Improves navigation and orientation.
Estimated Reading Time
Calculate wordCount / 200 and display "5 min read" near the title. Sets expectations.
When to use: Every article. Simple but increases engagement by setting expectations.
Related Posts Slide-In
Related post cards slide up from below with stagger animation at the end of the article.
When to use: Article footer. Encourages continued reading and reduces bounce rate.
BEST PRACTICES
Rules We Follow for Every Project
AWARD-WINNING EXAMPLES
Sites That Set the Standard
Stripe Press
Long-form articles with custom illustrations, pull quotes, and thoughtful typography. Each article feels like a book chapter. Proves B2B content can be beautiful.
The Pudding
Data journalism with interactive visualizations embedded in the article flow. Scrollytelling at its best — the design IS the content.
Medium
Clean reading experience that became the standard. Focus mode, estimated reading time, clap interaction, related articles. Typography-first.
OUR PROCESS
How We Build It
Content Strategy Alignment
Define categories, topic clusters, and content types. Map blog architecture to your SEO strategy.
Template Design
Design index page, article page, category page, and author page. All at desktop, tablet, mobile.
CMS Integration
Build templates in WordPress, Payload CMS, or custom. Content model with all required fields.
SEO & Performance
Structured data, Open Graph tags, canonical URLs, sitemap. Image optimization and CDN. Lighthouse 90+.
RELATED PATTERNS
Explore More Page Patterns
FAQ
Common Questions
Should I use WordPress or a headless CMS for my blog?+
WordPress if you need a familiar editor for non-technical writers. Headless CMS (Payload, Sanity, Strapi) if you need API-first content, multi-channel publishing, or tight integration with a Next.js frontend.
How important is blog design for SEO?+
Very. Page speed, mobile responsiveness, structured data, and content architecture all directly affect search rankings. A well-designed blog template gives your content a significant SEO advantage.
Ready to Design a Blog That Drives Traffic?
We'll design a content experience that keeps readers engaged and boosts your organic traffic.