You need both design and development for your blog theme. Frontend developers focus on code that runs in the user's browser, like HTML and CSS. Backend developers focus on code that runs on the web server. This can include databases and other complex systems like ecommerce integration.
There are many ways to design and build a blog theme. Some people hire a design firm. Design firms can provide very high quality design work. They usually have web developers on staff who provide development services. But design firms can be very expensive and you may find that the design price is out of your budget. If you decide to hire a firm, get creative quotes from three or four dfferent ones. You can compare the cost of hiring each firm with the services they provide.
Most people find that a freelance web designer can bring the best of both worlds together. They can provide a high quality design service at lower prices. One big challenge with hiring freelance web designers is finding the right one. There are many out there and picking the right one is often a difficult task. Another thing to keep in mind is not all freelance designers are capable of coding the sites they design.
If you decide to hire a freelancer, use similar strategies used to hire a firm and talk to more than one candidate. Get detailed quotes so that you can see the cost of hiring any of them. You should also talk to web developers so you can get a sense of how much development might cost.
Don't forget to ask them for a few examples of their work. You want to see the different types of websites they’ve designed. Watch for designers that only have one website or design in their portfolio. This suggests that they don't have a lot of experience. Finding designers with a more robust portfolio is definitely a good idea.
We've simplified this process on crowdspring. Instead of choosing from bids and proposals, you'll pick from actual designs.