If you write online, make sure that your blog serves your readers’ needs as well as yours, and lends appropriate weight to your well-chosen words.
Matt Gemmell makes some great recomendations about what you blog needs and more importantly what it doesn't.
When I redesigned my own blog this year my biggest consideration was to the reader. The words need to stand on there own legs and the blog needs to facilitate reading without distractions.
My own preference when reading a article on the web is it has to be easy to read. If the content isn't I will immediately send it to pocket or click a bookmarklet to remove all the cruft.
So when designing your next blog think about the reader and don't add crap that's not needed.