May 13, 2012 1 Comment

WordPress Theme Frameworks – Beyond the Theme

Let me begin with a confession. I am a theme freak. Yep! Since I have started working with WordPress, I have seen tons of themes. Apparently, I am also a control freak, because I prefer versatile themes that allow me to setup the theme – and therefore the website – my way. No matter how flexible a theme is, sooner or later you might hit the boundaries of what is possible.

When that happens, you could decide to have the theme customized by the theme vendor or find a professional web designer to do so. However, based upon experiences with custom software that road usually implies reoccurring costs, lacking documentation, leading to even more costs. Not a pleasant picture.

Theme Frameworks

It is probably a natural process that after you have seen so many themes, you get interested in theme frameworks. What is a theme framework? For the sake of simplicity: a theme framework offers a foundation for creating a theme. As a non-geek, I would like to add the words “without the need to code” – although a little knowledge of especially CSS will come in handy.

Somewhere in the mid ’90s I have created my first website, so I know HTML and CSS, even some PHP, but I am neither a designer nor a coder. Let me clarify this. From my point of view, a web developer is someone who creates websites for a living – or a hobby. To me, a website is not the ultimate goal, but a mean. A website is a tool for business or pleasure.

No matter how versatile a theme is, it will always beat the dust in comparison with a theme framework when it comes to flexibility and power. As you might expect, there is a down side. A theme framework supplies you with bare bones, nuts and bolts. You will need to invest some time before you can actually use the theme.

On my research for WordPress theme frameworks I have stumbled into 38 different frameworks. Thirty-eight! All developed for the WordPress platform. However, while digging a little bit deeper I discovered that 20% of these projects had been discontinued and about the same percentage had not been updated for six or longer. Given this myriad of theme frameworks, what is the best theme framework for me?

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Themes, Webdesign, WordPress Tagged: , ,
May 1, 2012 Leave a Comment

StudioPress Streamline Customization

This site – wilwebs.com – runs on the Genesis Framework from StudioPress. As a StudioPress Pro Plus member, I have access to all Genesis child themes. That is all current and future child themes by StudioPress – 46 to date. Community themes and other third party child themes for the Genesis Framework are excluded from this arrangement.

Although StudioPress offers enough appealing themes, I wanted to create something unique and more personal. Fortunately the Genesis Framework makes this possible. Even more, StudioPress encourages customers and members to customize themes.

Even for a non-coder like me that is quite doable. The proof is this site. The design is based on StudioPress Streamline. The customized design has been created and executed by myself.

For the design of wilwebs.com I wanted to stay away from the usual blue and red – two colors I turn to too often already. The colors I have been considering were green, orange and purple. Eventually, I decided to go for green. Now that the job is done, I am quite content with it.

When Brian Gardner, the founder of StudioPress, told me he found the design an “Outstanding job on the customization of Streamline!” I was really very pleased as you will understand. After this heads up, I decided to submit my customization to the StudioPress Showcase.

Guess what? My submission of the Streamline customization has been accepted and is now on display at the StudioPress Showcase. You can find on this page.

Click to connect wtih @wilwebs on Twitter

 

Filed Under: Themes Tagged:
April 28, 2012 Leave a Comment

WordPress, Themes and the GPL

Last week I have published The Best and Safest Places for Free and Premium WordPress Themes. Initially, it was my intention to include a paragraph “WordPress, Themes and the GPL”. However, since the post had become a bit lengthy already without the text on GPL, I had decided to slash it.

The very same week, WordPress.org released version 3.2.2 of its popular content management system. The first time you start this version, you are greeted by a new “Welcome to WordPress 3.3.2″ screen. This screen serves three tabbed sections:

  • What’s New – informing you about the most important changes
  • Credits – WordPress.org’s own little face book followed by an extensive list of contributors
  • Freedoms – explaining what it means that WordPress is free and open source software

Especially this last item – Freedoms – is very interesting. As far as I have been able to verify, it is the first time that WordPress is touting its horn about being free software in this way. All-in-all, enough reasons for me to get back to the topic of WordPress, Themes and the GPL. What is the GPL? How does that affect WordPress? And why should I care?

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Themes, WordPress Tagged: , ,
April 20, 2012 1 Comment

The Best and Safest Places for Free and Premium WordPress Themes

When I started working with WordPress, I was initially so excited that I had a WordPress site up and running that I was very happy with the TwentyTen theme that came with WordPress. However, as soon as I got a little familiar with this wonderful content management system, I felt the urge to broaden my scope and explore other themes.

This indicates one of the advantages of using WordPress for your web endeavor above coding a website by hand from scratch: you can change the looks and logic of your site with a few mouse clicks. Simply by activating another theme.

Swapping themes is as easy as changing your coat. And just as you will have to reload the contents of your pockets, you might have to rearrange some widgets, but usually that is about it.

When you are a little bit like me, you will feel the desire to change the theme of your WordPress site someday. May be because you get tired of your existing theme. Or your requirements will evolve in a way that the current theme no longer satisfies your needs.

 

WordPress Theme Resources

Where to go for a WordPress theme? From the economic point of view, there are basically three categories of WordPress themes:

  • free
  • sponsored
  • premium

Let us examine these options one by one.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Themes, Webdesign, WordPress Tagged: , , ,
April 17, 2012 9 Comments

Taking Stock on WordPress Theme Frameworks, Update #1

Last week, I have published a post titled Taking Stock on WordPress Theme Frameworks. I promised to update the article whenever I learn about new frameworks. Well, here is the first update, since I have stumbled into three more. The newly discovered WordPress frameworks are: MultiToool, NHP Theme Options Framework, and Ultimatum Theme. A brief description of these frameworks follows here below, but has also been added to the initial post.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Webdesign, WordPress Tagged: , ,