10 BEST Custom and Creative Developer Blogs in 2021

As a developer, creating your own blog is one of the best projects you can add to your portfolio. Potential employees have tangible evidence of your credibility with real-world topics, languages and frameworks.

📢 I wrote more about why I believe creating your own development blog is one of the best projects to show potential future employers. Check it out here!

In this article, I’m going to share the 10 best developer blogs that you should visit to inspire your creativity. This list isn’t in any particular order and was curated not based on the insightful content written by the authors, but rather by the eye candy, custom elements and overall experience as a reader.

Let’s dive in!

1: Josh Comeau

Whether an article is painted with custom components used to help visualize a certain CSS tip, or readers are presented with editable code blocks to test their knowledge on the subject, Josh has built a developer blog like no other.

He built his website and blog from scratch, allowing complete control over every aspect of his blog — and it really shows!

Make sure to check out his blog here!

2: Kent C. Dodds

If you aren’t familiar with Kent and his blog, you sure need to be. The creator of the React Testing Library frequently shares invaluable content related to React and testing your front-end code. His blog is powered with MDX, and while very straightforward, provides a distraction-free reading environment for readers to improve their React skills.

Make sure you visit Kent’s blog here!

3: Una Kravets

Una is a Web Developer Advocate at Google and has crafted a custom blog and injected styles that relate to her personality. Her articles often include custom call-out boxes and enticing layout choices. It’s really cool, super inspiring, and you need to check it out!

4: Monica Powell

Speaking of personality, Monica’s portfolio and blog has a wonderful style that speaks to the developer she is. From custom call-out boxes to code snippets, Monica has put a ton of work into her blog and it really shows.

This isn’t a blog you want to miss - make sure you visit!

5: Lee Rob

One of my favorite things about Lee’s portfolio and blog is the overall clean aesthetic, and the blurred navbar. With light and dark mode support, Lee provides a custom blog built with Next.js and powered with MDX.

Visit Lee’s blog here!

6: Telmo

Although his Twitter feed is filled with nonsensical musings, Telmo has created a beautiful technical blog. His custom code snippets and call-out boxes stand out from other blogs and provide a unique reading experience.

If you haven’t already, visit Telmo’s blog here!

7: Kyle Gill

It’s always interesting to see how each developer approaches their own slice of the internet. Kyle Gill is a Software Engineer who used to work at Gatsby and has developed a personal and technical blog with great personality. I particularly love the background pattern he’s chosen, along with the centered navbar.

Please make sure you check out Kyle’s blog here!

8: Sam Larsen-Disney

This one really stands out, and for good reason. Sam has constructed a beautiful portfolio that no doubt has complex aspects to it behind the scenes. With various themes and beautiful illustrations scattered throughout articles and pages, Sam posts insightful technical articles with some great eye candy to boot! Super cool!

Check it out here!

9: Jhey

CSS-wizard Jhey has brought his whimsical personality to his portfolio and blog, often using CodePen demos to help get his point across. If you’re wanting to improve your CSS skills, Jhey’s blog is the place to be! Oh - and - he’s also hidden several easter eggs throughout the website, so make sure you take the time to go hunting!

Check out Jhey’s blog here!

10: Dan Spratling

Sometimes it can be hard to narrow down what makes a design so great. Yes, user experience plays a major role in it, but often it’s the small things that make up a brilliant design. The attention to detail that Dan has put into his portfolio and blog is astounding. Utilizing big banners and large fonts when appropriate, Dan captures the reader’s attention and leads them through the article with ease.

Visit Dan’s blog here!

Conclusion

Creating a custom blog is a lot of work but provides complete creative freedom as a developer. I trust that the list I’ve compiled sparks some creativity as you build your own blog!

If nothing else, perhaps I’ve introduced you to a few new technical writers that will help you in your development journey.

What are some great developer blog you’ve found? Or do you want to shout-out your own blog?

Hit me up on Twitter and let me know!

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