Updating your blog's design is now faster & easier

A few months our co-founder Ben Trott explained that we’re migrating TypePad to a next generation platform and that after the switch, we’ll be able to release innovative features much faster. Most recently, we've been working on improvements to the Design screens. Those of you in the Beta program have already been testing them and your feedback has been very helpful as we've put the final touches on these features. Now time to start rolling them out for all TypePad members. (If you want to know more about the Beta program, you can learn all about it on the Beta blog.)

A faster and easier Theme Picker and Theme Builder

We know how important it is that your blog's theme reflect your personal style, whether you've chosen from one of our hundreds of built-in themes, or use the Theme Builder to create your own. To make changing your theme faster and easier, we're introducing a new Theme Picker and Theme Builder. Hans-Joerg Stangor who writes the TypePad blog ME über IT, has been testing it with us, is extremely excited about it:

“Theme Picker: Brilliant and finally it is very fast to choose a design. Theme Builder: Love it!”. It’s now dead easy to pick a theme or to create a new one! Try it by yourself, by clicking on “Design” and them “Themes”.

To try it for yourself, go to Design > Theme and chose from either the Theme Builder or One Click theme list:

A single place to select, modify and arrange sidebar modules

Many of you have asked that we make it easier to select and arrange your blogs sidebar modules and other content by letting you select and arrange them in a single place. Now, we've done just that. The new Content screen lets you see all of your option in a single glance, and configure and arrange modules with just a few simple clicks. To try it out, go to Design > Content:

Easier Advanced Template editing

You may notice that we've replaced the "Convert to Advanced" feature with the ability to start from a generic Advanced Template set. We made this change for a number of reasons, primarily to make it easier for you to get started customizing your template. Based on your feedback, we’ve removed the hidden configuration steps and tags. All the code is exposed to you to simplify making changes and we've launched a new site with detailed documentation on template tags.

There are more improvements to Advanced Templates coming soon, including additional Advanced Templates to start from, the oft-requested import and export function and much more.

 

There is a small group of you whose blogs are still in the process of being migrated to the new platform (we want to make sure we make the transition as smooth as possible for you) but we should be on track, as Ben predicted, to have everyone on the new platform by the end of the year.

Comments

[pam100]

Great changes. Not being one of the beta testers I had completely forgotten about this - busy with other things.

[Rob]

Are these design changes in production now? My home page shows that I am on the new software, but the design menus on my blogs are the same as the old ones.
Thanks.

[Sarah Sosiak, TypePad Product Manager]

@Rob -- Ah, sorry, we weren't as clear as we should have been in this post that, like the Horizontal Navigation Bar, these changes are being rolled out across the new system over the week.

[Geo]

It's great having all the new template choices laid out with easier access, but I do have to wonder how customizable the many 'One Click' templates are. Without any sort of indication as to what can be altered before you pick them, like custom headers or colors, it seems like a shot in the dark. Or do these new templates work in conjunction with the Theme Builder? It isn't completely clear. New bloggers, or transitioning bloggers, may find themselves stumbling around blindly without a bit of helpful guidance and information provided even if it's just a small blurb.

[Karen Salva]

Hi there, this is awesome but I changed my colors last night just playing around and today the theme picker windows do not appear and I can not change back...or at all as far as that goes! Help!

[miz_ginevra]

@Karen - have you already filed a help ticket about this? they might be able to better help you figure out what's going on.

@tenacitus - this is really good feedback on this item. I'm going to share this with the team and see what we can do to make this step easier.

[Aaron Barnhart]

I know I should be filling out a ticket to make this request but please, for the love of Mickey, get my site over to the new platform as soon as you humanly can. I just went thru an arduous redesign that woulda been easier with the interface, not to mention tags, that I hear are awaiting me on the other side.

[Kelly]

I'm hoping that account gets moved over as well. I've been holding off on doing a revamp to wait to see what new toys I'll have at my disposal once it does get switched.

I keep logging in every day with my fingers crossed.

[Josh Peters]

Ever since your last update all of my new blog posts have ads at the bottomof them instead of the links to subscribe, add to delicious, etc

[The Typepad Team]

hey Josh - you'll definitely want to file a help ticket on that, then! Let me know if I can help.

[Dissertation Coach and Faculty Consultant]

Wow! This looks great! I can't wait to start playing.
http://www.SuccessfulAcademic.com

[Kent Thune]

The new changes have been a complete disaster for me! What was "wrong" with the previous design features?

I've attempted to edit my current design and the new changes have somehow completely prevented me from even beginning the process.

Your knowledge base has been friendly but not helpful.

I even started a new blog (I am a "plus" user) to test a new design and somehow it applied the design to my existing TypePad blog!

I really hope something improves here.

My blog, The Financial Philosopher, received an "Honor" from TypePad and was even one of three designs featured on TypePad's Home Page for several months.

How quickly things changed for the worse!

I will hold out hope that TypePad will help me, only because they have been there for me in the distant past...

Kent @ The Financial Philosopher

[LetterGuy]

Wow! thanks for the updates. Mighty fine!

[Glenn Grossman]

I am a new blogger that can confirm what Geo says. The design features for my blog are NOT user friendly.

[Samantha Brett]

why did you take away the convert from basics to advanced option. that was really handy!!!!!! especially as you could do most of the basic design stuff in the basic, then convert and change the last few fiddly bits from there. This is really, really annoying now!!

[judy golden]

How can I get Categories under Title
example is Title
Files Stories pictures quotes

Judy

[Ginevra]

Hi Samantha - I'm sorry it took me a bit to get back to this question. We -do- want to make it easier for folks to design their blogs, and we're working hard on the best way to do that. I'd be curious - which features and HTML additions would you like to see most?

[Ginevra]

Hi Judy: I think you'll want to be in content and reorder it there, but if you have questions, please let our awesome tech support team know and they can help you.

[judy golden]

what?
how to change point size and font in blog post and title and description

jgolden

[judy golden]

body{font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9pt;background-color: #ffffff;color: black;}TypePad
body, td { color: #000000; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; }
p { margin: 10px 0 10px 0; }
blockquote { margin: 20px; }
a { text-decoration: underline; color: #0000FF; }
.content { margin: 10px 10px 30px 10px; }
.footer { margin: 10px; }
.footer a { color: #000000; }
my problem is using Firefox 2 and it doesnt support many of the TypePad features...Judy-----Original Message-----

[Ginevra]

Hi judy - is there a particular reason you're on Firefox 2? Does it work for you in IE? This sort of question really is best for the support tickets - our awesome support team will be happy to help you. :)

[judy golden]

how do I write direct to tech support?

Judy

[Ginevra]

in order to reach tech support, you'll just click on "help" anywhere in the application, or go to support.typepad.com. Then you should see the option to open a new ticket.

[judy golden]

I did open a ticket
can u tell me how to edit title and description change font and point size??????

judy