I read this question in a comment and though I had an answer from my own personal preference, I think it would be really helpful for others to make this decision and consequently for theme developers to get a good feel for where and what they should concentrate on if there were some discussion on it.
I personally prefer one column themes with a minimal second column. Most information that is put on my sidebar(s) is extraneous and could be placed elsewhere. I have also found that some of that information deters from the original content of the blog. The landing page concept is nice for search engine traffic where extra links and information on the content might help you draw in the user to explore some more. However, the face of the blog is cleaner and chock full of good stuff to read with lesser distractions.
That being said, I have seen and read some really good blogs/sites that have made appropriate use of sidebar content including the venerable Slickdeals and the WordPress Development blog.
Do you like one, two or three (or more) column themes and why?
Three columns, simply for the sake of people with big screens; I browse the web on my 20″ widescreen, I do want to see more information, rather than stretched info. Using three columns I can keep the text still on a reasonable width but still display more info. The drawback is that people, who still think 800x600px is a cool resolution, might have some trouble with a small ‘content column’, but still readable and thus not quite an issue if you ask me.
I’ve rarely seen 3 column lay-outs that justify the need for that 3rd column. These mostly suffer from excessive use of widgets, plugins and the like, thus distracting from – lack of – content. My point of view : less is more ! 4-Column lay-outs should be illegal ….
BTW, I’d like the opportunity to appeal to all theme developers to stop using the lame feature that starts the text in a post (strong>under an embedded image.
Please start using
"respin your stylesheet or whatever you see fit.It plugs the absolutely ugly white gap next to embedded pics ( legacy from WordPress 01.)
I actualy prefer to use a 3 column blog, it allows me a lot more space for trying things out.
That being said i do agree with you about blogs that don’t distract you too much from the actual post, a lot of the themes that are 3 column are very badly put together and some can be downright difficult to read. Delineation is essential. At the moment I am using the “Zen” theme by milo317 which I think is very well laid out.
I am also a bit of a fan of the “bottom sidebar” (if there is a proper name for such a theme I am sorry but I don’t know it), and at the moment I am trying out “Orange W2 1.1” by Genkisan on my sandbox site.
These themes have the advantage of three columns worth of space while having the uncluttered look of a 2 column theme.
“Do you like one, two or three (or more) column themes and why?”
This is an odd question. Form should always follow function. Unless you define the functions a layout has to fullfill there is no clear answer to your needs.
I personally like one or two column better. If a second column is used, it needs to be used well, with vital information. I use a “bottom sidebar” on mine, along with a revealable “sidebar” that is there when you want, gone when you don’t to help keep from distracting from all my “important” posts (which really aren’t that important).
I find three columns presents too much information to the user – what’s in what column? They’re usually organized in no logical fashion.
I prefer 2-column with a fluid width. I don’t understand the prevalence of fixed width websites: such a waste of screen space! I know there’s some research about readability and such, but if the font is correct, a fluid width is more inviting, I find.
I switched from two columns to three recently because my single sidebar was getting too cluttered. I chose a liquid theme, so for people with small resolutions one or both of the sidebars will run away to below the posts (I have an irrational dislike of horizontal scrollbars) if they don’t fit at the side. The first sidebar has “important” stuff and the second sidebar has not so important stuff.
My blog is heavy on content but I need a lot of column space. I am only interested in three column blogs. The trick is not to avoid the third column because it is too distracting. The trick, theme developers, is for YOU (and you are brilliant so I know you can do this) to develop three column layouts that highlight the middle, main area but that give us the column space many of us need.
And yes, FLUID layouts … that’s the way to go.
In my search for three column fluid layouts, I’ve found almost nothing I can use. At present I’m using Anaconda, but I’m slowly working on the background, with Sandbox, to develop my own theme.
But if one comes on the scene … wordpress 2.0+ Widget Ready, simple, black text on white background, with the ability to choose color schmes (last not totally important as long as the css is well written) then I’ll jump on it!!!!
I used to only use two column themes as I hadn’t seen a need for nor a desire to use three. I finally switched over to three however when I decided to have a column for ads and links to other sites. This is then kept seperate from the Directory column for my site.
For me, 3 columns in 100E2R format is best.
I think I prefer 2 column but every once in a while I change my mind back to three columns. Also, I hate fluid width content. I much prefer something around 400-500 px. It makes it much easier for me to read through the post. Any complaints about wasted real estate could be reduce by just not maximizing the window.
I use a 3 column layout and would love a 4th column layout so it looks less messy. Having a resource blog means you have a lot of things all over your site and it tends to look messy which I hate but I think more DECENT 3-4 column layouts are definitely needed.
I am with Leftblank. I like three column layouts. I like the extra information which is available.
Personally, I think a three col layout which fills the whole browser window is ideal. It is a shame so many try to cram the columns (2 or 3) into a thin strip down the middle of my screen.
i prefer 2 column but i think 3 column is good for ppc or marketing 🙂
I’ve used both 2 and 3 column layouts, but have settled on 3 column so I can fill the 2nd column with secondary navigation to recent stories and the 3rd column for tertiary things like advertising. I’d like to convert my design to make column 3 automatically duck under column 2 on smaller monitors, but since most of my audience is pretty tech savvy, they mostly have larger screens.
Technabob: The dipping column idea is nice, of cousre. But if you have a fluid middle, that would help, I assume.
I like the idea of one “important” column and one “tertiary” column.
I use a three collumn layout (Qwilm theme), even I use only very few widgets. The reason for the third column is quite simple: it contains my ‘now reading’ book list which cannot be placed anywhere else. Therefore it’s all about additional, but for my blog important content…
By the way, depending on the width of the computer screen the third column will move besides or below the second column.
I’ve just posted a series of questions related to this here:
http://gregladen.com/wordpress/?p=541
I’m hoping to get some feedback from my readers, regarding number of columns, font size, ads, etc. etc.
GL
I prefer the symmetry of a three column theme. All too often I see two column themes that look like they are about to topple over from the overload on one side.
A well-designed three column themes will distract the reader less because both sides of the screen are similar, so they act like a border as the reader reads. The third column also helps users with larger screens by compacting the content slightly, so the user doesn’t feel they have to turn their head to read the end of the line.
Those are all good points about the three column side-by-side design.
Ideally, the central (main) area can be made to stand out properly.
I’m afraid I agree with orangeguru, above. It depends entirely on what you want the blog to do. My main blog is currently two columns, but the sidebar feels a bit crowded, and if I could find a three-column theme as aesthetically appealing as the two-column one I’m using now, I’d switch. Why? Becasue I have a quote blog in the sidebar that is virtually as important to me, and to my readers, as the main column stuff. On the other hand, I recently started another blog using the one-column Day Dream theme at WordPress.com, and it’s perfect for what I want to do there – a poem-a-day type of thing.
I think a lot of blogs get away with being one- or two-column by moving stuff into the header. But headers can be a distraction, too. Again, it depends. I’ve seen one-column blogs where it was hard to find the content simply because there were too many ads. The key to good blog design is clearly differentiating different categories of material, IMO.
Need help,
I love the 3 column templates but I’m very new and need help placing a template on my site. How do I get to my directory and then what do I do ?
For me, I prefer three columns, 4 columns if possible. The reason is as much as possible I would like to minimize the length of my site while maximizing the width, so that in just one glance, my readers can be able to see almost all the content. They don’t have to scroll down anymore.
I like clean minimalist designs. Generally I prefer 2 columns with the main column on the left and a narrower right column; 2 narrow right columns and a main left column would be my second preference. I really don’t like a lot of color or background patterns. I also like having tabs in addition to the right column.
I am currently running a 3-column theme. I completely agree that less is usually better. Although, for the most part readers only check out what is directly in front of them. This is why I have switched to a 3-column design, allowing me to put more of what is popular right up front. I have found it is a good practice to continually monitor you stats, see what is popular on the sidebars and what isn’t. I fight a constant battle of removing items of less interest and replacing them with more popular items.
I think it really depends on the blog in question, and the layout. I’ve seen very effective single-column layouts. I’ve seen effective four-column layouts.
Oh, and for those who’ve mentioned a “bottom sidebar” I think what you’re referring to is a Hemingway-style theme (and the various and sundry “children” of Hemingway”.
I like the symmetrical balance of 3 columns, with one side bar on each side. As with some of the other comments here, there’s a lot of information that I want to have available on the front page of my blog for every visitor.
Be well,
Bob
Very good post about columns! The biggest issue that makes me upset is the expectation that so much wasted and non-usable space should be created for most themes – between columns ending and screen border. Such as the case with the default theme. In certain applications, this looks great. However, for most of what I do, I don’t like it at all and is a ludicrous design.
Also, I don’t care for columns that are placed directly next to each other, instead of an either side of posts\content. It overloads my brain. That’s just me though, so don’t hate-flame me 😉
So, as long as a three, or perhaps even four column is designed without wasted space between screen sides and columns AND I have a need for the other columns, that is my preference.
Essentially, my web site is about as fully loaded as I like to get. Much more (especially if columns are next to each other) and I just leave a site without browsing.
Basically, two column themes are worthless for the vast majority of my personal and “for-friends” WordPress projects. Nevertheless, with a large number of sites, two columns (even with wasted space like the default theme has) looks great and works great. Just not for most of what I do though.
I prefer 2 column, fluid width layouts with the sidebar on the right. For some reason I’ve found it to be really annoying to use or view left sidebar themes. It’s the visual equivalent of a nail on a chalkboard. I suspect it’s because in the West, we read from left to right… and a bordered box that immediately hits the vision is disruptive to that flow. A large chunk of content feels better to my eyes.
I agree with the sentiment that the need for 3 columns 99% of the time stems from too much crap on the blog page in the first place.
I don’t know if there is really a golden rule (not that anyone has suggested it but it may be implied) as to “how much stuff” there should be. There should be … just the right amount. And in some cases that is more than other cases.
My blog probably has more than it should, and my excuse for that is that it is new, and I am new at this, so I dont’ know what is important yet.
Then, once you’ve got some stuff on side bars and some extra space, why not fill it with ads, to make the big bucks, like if some day you need to buy a stamp (and if you save up, maybe even a First Class stamp!)
But one consensus I see sort of emerging here is that three columns gets you more stuff in the field of view.
I’m intrigued by the suggestion that stuff on the left side interferes with the flow of reading. I kind of like the idea of side bars on the right side. I’ll have to think about that.
I’ll have to say three columns
I’ve begun my first blog with 3 columns using the Andreas09 theme. After seeing too many bloated and disorganized blogs, I’ve made a strong effort to limit my widgets, rather than get caught up in all the cool, yet extraneous, options available.
I’ve found myself enjoying both 2 and 3 column blogs, however a big dislike in my book is the endless number of posts on a page. I limit mine to 3-posts per page, which saves from ungodly amounts of scrolling (and keeps the sidebar widget level in-check).
If your sole purpose is to post just blog content then I would agree a single column theme is the way to go. However my blog is used as an both a personal and educational portal and the extra columns allow me to provide relevant links and resources pertinent to my practice. Just within the past month I moved from a modified 2-column FallingLeaves theme to a modified 3-column Fjords01 theme because there was more info that I wanted to have access to.
I have three columns. The left column contains all blog related links – archives, categories, comments, archive calendar, etc. The right sidebar is used for extras like books, movies, pictures, flickr, and blogroll.
Dave mentioned that he hates the endless posts on a page. I am the opposite – I’d rather have the most content possible on the main page – that way, I have enough to glance through to determine if I like it enough to bookmark it and come back to delve deeper.
John Martin (above) has a great looking blog. Andreas is brilliant. I like the way this has three columns, but the middle is highlighted and stand out.
Everybody must go to John Martin’s blog and vote on whether or not he should increase font size!!!!!!!
(the answer is yes, by the way, though the “no’s” are winning at the moment)
By the way, Dave’s blog (above) has a very nice twist to it, the way the divisions from the lower part of the page intersect with the banner. That must have been a bitch to code.
3 column fluid. Otherwise things get too cluttered, IMO. I’m using Fog 1.0 by milo317 and I think it’s simply the best theme out there. Simple yet beautiful and VERY functional.
Definitely single-column for the moment, because it satisfies all my needs and gives a prominent focus to my blog posts, which are what I want my visitors to pay attention to. I used to have a 2-column template for about a year on my blog, and I found myself consistently adding new things to the sidebar, till the entire blog looked crowded and a bit of information overloaded. So, I decided to strip away all the unnecessary plug-ins and ended up with a clean and minimal single-column layout.
i like 3 column, because its good for my website. test here: http://www.woim.net
I prefer 3 column for the simple purpose of organizing extraneous data. Also, I hate it when links etc. scroll 3 or four pages lower than the entry content on a page.
I like to have 5 or 10 entrie on my page. My extraneous information should extend to the bottom of the entries, but not 20 pages lower.
I’ve noticed that the “Ann Arbor News” (Mi) has a three-column layout on their front page.
FYI: This is a newspaper publication.
Very ‘bloggish’, no doubt. I wonder why they went that route?
I prefer 3-columns simply for aesthetics – I find them visually appealing. As for the critics who say it distracts from the content I’ve never had that problem when reading blogs. Some people distract easily I suppose.
I run several blogs. I find that if I run an advertising blog (kind of like this one), I prefer the 2 column layout so there is little distraction from my content and the ads I have with it.
But for my personal blog, I have way too much information to display (links, current posts, current links, archive, pictures of girls, etc…) that I think are needed for the site feel.
As far as themes go, for my personal blog I use Tiga http://shamsulazhar.com/ because not only is it fluid, but I can set the maximum width as well. Very sweet. When it comes to customization, a lot of developers can learn from this theme.
I prefer three columns and I am a big fan of “newspaper” style looks. Both my blogs have that feel.
I am sure I am overloading my sidebars and I often tell myself to clean them up. But I don’t.
I have a decent readership and they are used to my haphazard ways.
None of the above! Ha ha! Always the contrarian am I. I like to have my most recent two posts side by side with extraneous stuff on the bottom of the page. Then post pages have meta-info about the post to the side and most of the page dedicated to the post itself. Once again, extraneous stuff is on the bottom of the page.
I use dKret theme (http://diekretzschmars.de/dkret-theme/), which is my first time with a 3 column theme. In Options you change if you want 2 or 3 columns, so sometimes I like 3, sometimes I like 2. I think it depends on what stuff people put in there. 2 columns of flashing advertising doesn’t look good on anyones blog. Another site, http://www.nashvilleistalking.com uses 3 columns and it looks great.
I’m schizophrenic, I flip back and forth between two and three columns. This of course causes widget alignment problems, but sometimes I feel Spartan, sometimes not. Right now I stick pretty much with a modified two column Ocadia.
Some people speak in monotones and some don’t.
Some people multi-task and some don’t.
Some people want everyone else to be the same as them.
And some don’t.
I use 3 columns, but have seen 3 totally overdone – cramped – and with such piss poor design that the site shouldn’t have ANY columns… Any number of columns can work if it is done with simplicity and taste.
I read in one of the comments above that 3 columns is too much and makes it confusing for the reader… Again I would say that it depends upon how the columns are done and what content goes in them.
I have yet to hear someone tell me that my site is too cluttered with the 3 columns. In fact, I have had several people email me and ask how I did it (a double sidebar at the top half then it goes into a single sidebar at the bottom). Anyway, my site is pretty clean.
@
I like two-column blogs for some of my clients, but for my authors I prefer three. This gives me a sidebar for their book covers which I can link. While the other sidebar is used for the normal links and info.
However I prefer the two sidebar columns not to be side-by-side but one on the left and one on the right. This gives more balance to the page without seeming cluttered and becomes very eye pleasing.
I use a theme with one column, and it is enought!!! Two only if the screen will be bigger, three coUimns never!!
orangeguru nails it. If the site dictates three columns, use three columns. Or one, or two. It all depends on what you’re trying to do with the site. The same goes for whether a single sidebar goes on the left or on the right.
Three columns is better by far. Small screens are the past.
I like the 2 column blogs most of the time. However – 3 columns are great for people who run high resolution and are sick of looking at websites in the 800×600 size… I think as we see monitor technology get better and people adopt it – we will also see more and more sites geared toward the wider screens.
Three Columns.
I used to have 2 columns but after widgets were released, I just needed three columns to try out everything.
I use a heavily customised and reworked Hemingway for my blog. I like it because I became so bored of the standard blog look. Whatever the platform, I find a sidebar and long list of entries really, really dull now and Hemingway allows me to break out of that and makes my blog stand out. It doesn’t support widgets but the blocks operate in a similar, indeed simpler way if you know HTML and PHP. A bottom bar gives me four short columns and I try to provide information in them that isn’t self-indulgent (no local weather plugins, for example) and provides useful stuff like recently updated and new entries, what’s being discussed in my members-only forums and a nice display of people’s avatars next to recent comments.
I have just two posts on the front page, side by side with all the other info below. I’ve continued to keep an eye out for other innovative, stand-out themes but frankly I’ve not seen any that come close to Hemingway. Being a bit of an eccentric myself, it suits me to have a very unconventional blog look and I only wish more variants were available as without change, the blogosphere really is starting to look quite samey… x
I prefer the 2 column layout. It looks cleaner, and is easier to read. 3 column designs look alright, if they are used properly to display content. Too many images or Ad content on these type of layouts distract the eye from the main content.
I prefer three column as it enables me to have more ad spaces. You still can have a cleaner, easier to read with 3 columns. I think most pro bloggers prefer 3 columns against 2 column.
I use a custom-made 1-column layout. Well, maybe 1.5 column. There’s a second column with related posts alongside the comments section. I like it a lot, but I wonder if more people would comment on the site if I had a “recent comments” lists somewhere on the frontpage.
I only make and use 2-columms themes, I like them uncluttered and easy to read.
I think most 3 col WordPress blogs are a little bit widget-happy.
Still, people are doing pretty good things with ‘extras’ in the increasingly large footers these days.
why would you submit in tech deals?!
There is no right or wrong answer here. For blogs we install for clients, we find that each situation is different. The key thing we design for is to make sure that all of the important functions, links and menu items are “above the fold”, as this is the all-important first impression hat hits your visitor’s eye. If they don’t find what they are looking for on that first page view, they’ll click away to another site: we need to make sure the attention grabs the eye without overloading it with a cluttered layout. Making good two- and three-column layouts is an art, and often, I’ve found whitespace to be almost nonexistent on some of them.
@ Canton Web: I think you’ve hit on an interesting point, but I do think too that there is a right and a wrong answer here. The right answer is don’t use two columns if one will suffice, don’t use three if two will suffice, and flat out, never use four ;).
I wonder if it is a fallacy that the more columns, the more clutter. Obviously one column is less cluttered than one or more, but if you have a number of items that need to be presented, perhaps spreading out horizontally is a way of reducing clutter.
I am torn between 2 and 3 column design.
2 columns are great for a page that is going to be long by the nature of its content [10 blogs per page is long].
3 columns are great for pages that are short [saves on scrolling]. The problem arises when you try and combine them both and have a intuitive and simple layout that is correct for each type of page.
You also have to take into account what is actually needed for the sidebar. I feel that a Home button [+ extra navigation] is a must along with the catagories featured and who could forget syndication [I am a ratings hore]. Admin links and archives are not as usefull but I keep them for my ease of use.
For now I will stick with 2 column since 90% or my pages are long. I will let the 10% remaining look silly for the time being, until I figure out php well enough for each page to modify itself for its content size.
Bit late into this, but I wanted to add my two cents.
I really don’t like most three column designs. To users using a theme with three columns, there are two things to consider: functionality and visual appeal. Then there is the balance of the two.
My current, and previous, design of my website uses two columns. I studied statistical data with my last design and found that a lot of the content I had in my sidebar was not being used. I was a little shocked to see how little category and archive links were being used (try single percentage points for my users!). So not only did my site not have enough legitimate content to justify a three column design, it’s two column design could be cut down a bit, and it was, in my new design this past January.
So I think in deciding what is right for your site, you should not just consider the visual appeal or what you think the functionality of a three column design offers. Far too often I see sites with three columns, and I perhaps use the links in one of the sidebars, but rarely in both, because most of the time it’s just superfluous stuff. (After noticing the lack of category and archive link usage on my own site, I started to notice my own lack of use of such links. It’s funny that the normal design assumes categories and archive lists are a must in one or more sidebars, as I now don’t believe the statistical reasoning can always back that up.)
Then there is an issue of readability. It’s common knowledge that reading a small paperback book, line by line, feels easier on your eyes that reading a large hardback book with the same print size, line by line. This is because your eyes have to scroll farther, left to right. With that in mind, I think the idea that spreading information out horizontally is a bit faulty. It doesn’t make the text any more scannable, if at all. It isn’t about screen size. It’s about user experience. So then if you want to accommodate that issue of scannability, you keep your three columns but don’t make the entire design very wide…which can look a bit awkward, I think many will agree.
I say two columns. And even as resolutions expand more than they already have, or as dual monitor setups gain popularity, whichever comes first, I think we should stick to two, or, at most, three column designs, because that enables people on such setups to multitask (e.g., your site open in one window on the left of the screen, another’s site open in another window on the right of the screen).
Here’s what I think:
1 column: Not a big fan of them. I guess that they’re good for “simple” blogs but it just seems a little too thin sometimes.
2 column: the default, very nice. But sometimes (as in the case of my site, netsua.com) it doesn’t accomodate everything
3 column: Only if used responsibly. I don’t like it when the 2 sidebars are next to each other, but when they’re seperated by the main content and paced out with widgets correctly,it can turn your blog into a website and make you have more stuff.
4 column: Yes, they SHOULD be illegal. That’s just too much.
On my blog I just have blog stuff (archives, categories, calendar, rss feeds) on the left sidebar, then the content, and then on the right sidebar I have other stuff (about me, latest posts, twitter, and blogroll)
The main advantage of 3 columns design is that you can put your adsense in a separate column, without interrupting the main navigation column and leave it clean looking and easy to use.
On the other hand, those who use small monitors (below 17″) often don’t get to see the right column, closest to the edge, because the small resolution “swallows” it, so if one wants to comply with 800*600 standard, most 3 columns layouts won’t suit him.
I personally prefer a 2 columns blog simply because they look less cluttered and more visual appealing.