Template designer

Q:  I can't seem to find a place where I can easily change the font style of my blog description. How?
A: To change font under Advanced tab in template designer, you have to specify exactly which text you wish the font to change. It is not possible to change the font for every text all at once. Select one of these: Page, blog title, blog description, tabs text, date header, post title, gadget tile, gadget text, etc

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The answer to your question

design>template designer>advanced>blog description>font

Pick a font style

Click [apply to blog] to save changes

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design>template designer>templates

The permutations are unlimited under the template designer. No one has been to every corner of the template designer yet. Also, not every choice of template has the same features offered. Some times you may need to change the whole template, just to get a special feature you want:

On Blogger, we have 27 different templates under design>>template designer

Simple              7
Picture window  3
Awesome inc    6
Watermark        4
Ethereal            3
Travel                4

You can change the background, layout, adjust widths, advanced, etc to give you a unique template, different from everyone else. To save all your changes, click "apply to blog". 

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Use a test blog

I would suggest starting a test blog and use that for finding your way around your blog:

On your dashboard, click [create a blog]. One Google account is good for 100 blogs

Here are my own test blogs: 

http://davidchin8888.blogspot.com/

http://davidchin88888.blogspot.com/

Blogging is really a personal journey of discovery. If we only have the help forum, the learning process will become too slow. We will be spending too much time asking questions and waiting for answers on the help forum. This is a slow way of learning. A quicker method is by using a test blog to try out ideas for ourselves. This is especially useful when we go into the the design tab to change the template in 1001 ways and we do not wish to screw up our main blog permanently. A test blog is very expendable. Please try using one or two test blogs. I know what I know now because I use test blogs, several of them.

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=306e5795ccec1201&hl=en&fid=306e5795ccec12010004a9dd23d18f2c

Free templates

Q: Where can I find free templates for download?
A: Many free templates are available here:
http://free-html-template-blogger.blogspot.com/

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=5986eb84b4b69888&hl=en

I want my old template back!

Q: I don't want the template designer. How do I go back to my old template?
A: Here is a thread with the answer:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=629d97a6955b84be&hl=en

Wider blog

Q: How do I make my blog wider?
A: You can make your post area wider if you are willing to move your side bars contents to the footer.

Click design. Drag and drop all your side bar gadgets to the footer.
Your requirement is to reduce the width of the side bars to zero and increase the width of the post area to maximum (1000 px) covering the whole monitor screen.

design>>template designer>>layout
Select a body layout with no side bar at all.
Select a footer with 2 compartments.
click "apply to blog" to save changes. 

Click design, drag and rearrange all your gadgets in the footer.

design>>template designer>>adjust widths
Slide the pointer to extreme right (1000px)
Click "apply to blog" to save changes.

You will have a blog which will look something like this:
http://davidchin8888.blogspot.com

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=781b5c90993c4df8&hl=en

Switch back to old Layout template

Q: Any way to switch back to the old templates instead of using the new designer?

A: Here is a link: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=77d3c9106dc01b85&hl=en

Adjusting wrapper widths

Q: I want to widen the outer and main wrapper a bit on my blog, but I can't find them in the html?

A: There is a simpler way to adjust your template without fiddling with codes.

design>>template designer>>adjust widths

Click [apply to blog] to save changes.

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?fid=715bd50c0890d19600049ab38f562130&hl=en

Designing a unique blog

Q: How do I make my blog look different from others?

A: On blogger, we have 27 different templates under design>>template designer

Simple              7
Picture window  3
Awesome inc    6
Watermark        4
Ethereal            3
Travel                4

You can change the background, layout, adjust widths, advanced, etc to give you a unique template different from everyone else. To save all your changes, click on "apply to blog". Blogging is really a personal journey of discovery. I would strongly suggest that you create a test blog to try using the features offered in the template designer. Here is a tutorial:
http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=176245

You can further add gadgets to your blog to make it look even more outstanding.

Add gadgets
Dashboard>>design>>add a gadget.
You will see all the gadgets listed under 4 categories:
Basics (23)
featured (15)
most popular (4)
more gadgets (1638) 

However, please remember that visitors are attracted to come back to your blog because of the quality and quantity of the posts, not so much because of its appearance.

Template designer

Q: Why is my template designer not working? It shows only a black screen.
A: Upgrade your Firefox browser to the latest version and it will work normally again.
use Firefox version: 3.6.13
Upgrade your browser to the latest version and it will work normally again.
These links may be helpful:
http://www.tweakmyblogger.com/2010/11/template-designer-wont-load-gray-screen.html

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=0c19ea8bab7739c4&fid=0c19ea8bab7739c4000496794998386b&hl=en

Source:

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=4ac151dcee782761&hl=en

Templates

Q: How do I design my own tremplate?
A: Please go to design>>template designer>>templates
Make your choice of 36 available templates.
Change the parameters: background, layout, advanced
To save changes, click "apply to blog"

More details on this thread: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?fid=24547e09946759d50004964e9a279fcc&hl=en

Templates

Q: How do I design my own template?
A: Please go to design>>template designer>>templates
Make your choice of 36 available templates.
Change the parameters: background, layout, advanced
Click "apply to blog"

source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=24547e09946759d5&hl=en&fid=24547e09946759d5000494a997d98f0a

Where can I find new templates?

Q: I've seen some folks blog pages that are tricked out with their own design that they may have created or a added touch of sparkle....things that aren't available through the blogger site. How do I do that?

A:
Try these templates:

http://www.deluxetemplates.net/
http://www.ourblogtemplates.com/

Be sure to save your present template codes before starting, so that if things go wrong, you can go back to your old template.
You go to layout/design, click on edit Html. Replace all the codes inside the large box with new codes.


source:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=144bdbde627cf88c&hl=en&fid=144bdbde627cf88c000472f3e7304bbb

Upgrade template

Q; How do I upgrade my blog from classic template to beta?

A: http://www.blogger.com/legacy-claim.g (valid until 1/8/2011)

Changing to layout tab

Q: I do not have a layout tab. How do I upgrade?

Sean has a way to change from template to layout tab: http://notjustajax.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-reset-your-blog.html

Roberto has a link:
http://www.blogging.robertosblogs.net/2008/06/upgrading-your-classic-template-to.html

Picking a template

Q: When you start your blog, how do you choose a template?

Go to dashboard. Click on:-
1. layout
2. pick new template (choose from 38 standard templates)
3. save template