Although content should be your number one priority, a nicely designed blog is import to keep readers clicking and exploring through your archives. A good design, especially if you constructed it from scratch should generate a lot of buzz and conversation.
If you dont have any design or coding experience, no problem. There are thousands of free themes available for WordPress. Check out this directory for hundreds of free themes, or alternatively here’s a few independent sites offering themes.
5ThirtyOne
5ThirtyOne is the online home of designer Derek Punsalan. He has three themes released for public consumption, 5ThirtyOne V2, October Special, and Foliage. There are some of the best quality themes I have found to date, and at this current time I’m using V2 (with some customization) for my blog.
ThemePorter
ThemePorter is one of the most extensive WordPress theme sites I have come across. They have dozens of themes up for download sutiable for any type of blog.
Good luck with finding a theme for your blog, remember, content is key, but a good design will help improve the “stickiness” of your blog and make it more enjoyable for readers to navigate.
Next up in the series, picking out plug-ins which are essential to install before you launch your blog.