Dec.12.2007
Gossip Theme Design Concept and Ramblings
- Filed under: Wpdesigner.com
Design Concept
Lately, I’ve been working on a blog design for gossip blogs. You can click on the thumbnail to the left for a larger view. The preview image is only a rough layout.
It’s supposed to be a grid-based four column theme, perfectly sized for BlogAds advertisements. But, I guess I’m experiencing designer’s block and can’t seem to move on from what you see in the preview. Its style is a mix of Subtraction, Virb, Apple, and the previous 5thirtyOne design.
Ramblings
- As theme authors strive to turn WordPress into a CMS, WordPress themes get more and more complicated. Are theme authors thinking about the users? How easy is it for someone to use and modify your theme? Can their established blogs, with many different types of content, adopt your theme?
- Although I prefer to read content from a three column layout with the main column centered because my eyes naturally gravitate toward the center of the monitor, I’m starting to see the usability advantage of a left-aligned main column.
- Justin Tadlock recently released one impressive Structure.
Looking forward to this theme !! actually, when I am excited, how it changes when you make it a 4 column theme.. well, making a wordpress int o a cms, without hurting its simplicity, isn’t it the challenge for all the theme authors out there !!!!
It’s funny that you mention the usability of having the content on the left side of the page. I just read an article yesterday on killing bad design layouts by Andy Rutledge where talks about the pros and cons of doing a sidebar-content-sidebar layout, and alternatives.
http://www.andyrutledge.com/bad-layout-conventions.php
Great article by Andy Rutledge. I agree with him, it is very tedious to scroll up and down to scan the page.
“When news main page sections are laid out in vertical columns of varying heights placed side-by-side it requires that a reader practice one of 2 irritating methods of content consumption: 1) scroll downward to scan a column’s or section’s content and then go back up to do the same with another column or section, or 2) scan horizontally across adjacent columns of differing contexts, then scroll down and repeat the process, etc… “
The We know rap Textpattern layout is pretty interesting: main post on top with further info following.
On Wordpress as a CMS, wp themes are the main thing holding things back and de-legitimizing wp. Theme development has been stuck on 3 years ago for a long time. Look at some of the great Joomla templates out there. They are far and away light years beyond current run of the mill “download my free wordpress theme I just developed because I hacked kubrick”.
As far as how easy is a theme for users to modify? With our theme Shifter, users can flip a switch and have virtually any variable, functional layout for a site. It doesn’t get easier than flipping a switch.
That brings me to… do you want people hacking your themes or do you want people using your themes? There is a difference. If designers make themes that are usable, hacking (read mutilating) a theme is not necessary and that’s better for all of us.
Looks a bit like a magazine theme.
But really nice though!
YAY I love it. I wanna use it NOW!! xD
I can’t wait to see it SP. It looks pretty cool. Also, thanks for throwing in a link back to my theme too.
Looks very nice so far.
i am liking the way this one is looking. maybe i’ll get off my lazy ass and create my own theme…or wait for someone to create one that i really like, that would be easier.
peace.
Hi I like all your theme you are only giving full freedom to the users to remove the footer link , I like Justin’s new theme http://www.vhxn.com
Cant wait untill the release. But why dont you have 2 sides to it?
1. Left col theme and just extend the width of the content area.
2. And your 4 col theme that you where thinking about.
Can you post an update if you’ve got any further?