Travel is an essential part of the business I am hoping to build, so when I saw an entire section of blog themes dedicated to travel, it was an easy choice! It may seem that any image conveying the idea of "travel" would fit my personal criteria. When taking into account the clientele I am aiming for, however, the choice becomes more complex than fluffy clouds versus open roads. For a business geared towards making big adventures accessible to people with big anxieties, I had to choose a theme that would convey calm as well as excitement.
When thinking of what personally makes me, an autistic person with anxiety, excited about a new trip, I immediately think of flying. Unlike many anxious people, I love air travel--perhaps it's because I have such fond memories of it from childhood. To this day, I will fight for a window seat so I can watch a city become a model town until it vanishes below the clouds. I know that for some this thought is terrifying, hurtling through the sky in a big metal tube. I hope that by seeing the clouds as I do from my window seat while my readers are safely on the ground, they may see a bit of the tranquility I find when flying.
The image of clouds as seen from an airplane also can bring a feeling of excitement. It's the realization that the first part of a great journey has begun. Planes can take us so much farther so much faster than cars, trains, or ships. There's a definite thrill to leaving your home and within a matter of hours finding yourself a world away. This juxtaposition of the serene clouds with the knowledge that they represent what is likely a big step for anyone with anxiety made this particular theme perfect.
Formatting is also an important factor for any blog. While the imagery drove my initial choice, I was also drawn to the simplistic formatting of the page. The background image doesn't fight with the content. The post itself is the highlight and is easy to read without any clashing color choices. I think back to my old MySpace days and I can't fairly describe any of my design choices as "legible!" I can't say that I would take serious travel planning advice from a cluttered blog.
Hopefully the blog theme I have chosen can be one step towards building a professional platform for myself that will encapsulate all the pleasure one can find while traveling, even if they feel like they could never leave their own backyard. The blog in itself is a new adventure for me, as I haven't written anything beyond short Instagram posts since I graduated college! I'm excited to stretch my writing muscles again!
Hi Sara! I really enjoy your theme of your blog. The theme appears well-suited for your blog where the primary goal is to present written content clearly and efficiently. I also love traveling especially on planes, I also too understand most people get scared on flights but I enjoy them. The plane is such a good touch.
ReplyDeleteI'm sold. I fear flying and feel like I connected with your story. I like how you themed your blog and wanted it not to clash, and you did great. I will say I hate flying because I have to agree that it is like "hurtling through the sky in a big metal tube." You did a great job explaining it.
ReplyDeleteHey Sara! You got some great stuff going on here! I too am a big fan of traveling and as it so happens, most of said traveling ends up on planes. One last thing, I wholeheartedly agree that formatting is so so important for a blog it really just makes or breaks one for me!
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