Inspiration or Lack of Creativity
Article’s written by Jeff Chandler.
As I browsed the WordPress themes released for February 25th 2008, on WeblogToolsCollection.com, I came across a theme that had everybody raving. It was called Options and was created by Justin Tadlock, the same theme author who created Structure. As I browsed the theme, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities in terms of the icons that were being used, the navigational text/layout, the way the content was displayed, ect. It looked eerily similar to Brian Gardner’s Revolution Pro Media theme. Not only did I call Justin out on his release page, but I also sent an email to Brian asking him if he knew what was going on.
As it turns out, Options is a theme that was INSPIRED by many of the design elements found within the Revolution theme. It wasn’t a blatant copy, but it was close enough to stir up trouble. According to Brian Gardner, he contacted Justin off the record and asked him to make some changes to his theme and Justin has apparently gone ahead with the changes. Brian explains what happened:
I just want to briefly address this situation – when Options was originally released, the layout was MUCH different than it is now. It was quite obvious that at the time, the similarities were too obvious, which is why people notified me, and why I pursued conversation with Justin. He did have an “inspired†by note on his page, but at the time, I believe it was more than “inspired†by, which is why I got in touch with him. Since then, he has gracefully changed the design of his theme, which is why some of you think it’s not a replica of my site, as it originally “appeared†to be. I do appreciate all of those who contacted me regarding this, and understand that it’s easy to find inspiration in design elements.
Furthermore, I just want to point out that although the internet world is massive, it doesn’t take long for me (or other theme designers) to find out questionable things that other people do with our themes. I’m all for competition, themes “inspired byâ€, and so on, but there really wasn’t an issue on my side with Justin’s theme, since he took ownership of the situation and reacted by changing his look.
The bottom line is that whether people use free or premium themes on their site, WordPress is ultimately promoted. I know there have been a lot of “hot topics†related to premium themes, but we are all in the same community, and shouldn’t be throwing stones at each other. The only time I am bothered by what happens is when people blatantly or maliciously affect me and my business – something that Justin did not do.
The situation between the two appears to be resolved. But this Options theme raises a couple points that I would like to address.
Right now, the magazine style of WordPress themes is still in full swing. However, Small Potato made some excellent points within the conversation that took place on WLTC. The first point is:
- Options = Revolution = Premium News = Options = Revolution…
This clearly indicates the magazine style trend in one sentence. I believe it has gotten to the point where one magazine/newspaper theme looks like another with some minor differences. I realize that these types of themes appear to be what people want, but theme designers, try to think outside of the box instead of rehashing ideas.
Another point that Small Potato makes:
- As for adding more features to these magazine themes, there’s only so much you can add until you’re the only one who knows how to fully use it.
There is a whole lot of truth within that statement. In my travels across the internet, looking for a new WordPress theme, I noticed plenty of them that utilized things such as custom fields. I also noticed many themes that utilized custom coded plugins and some themes even came with a manual that explained how to use them. Why is it like this? Why are theme authors releasing themes that require a Masters Degree to use? Let’s get back to making things simple. Sure, most of those fancy features require more skill and more advanced coding, but after checking out themes such as Shifter, I believe these challenges can be overcome.
If you are a theme designer, please do me a favor. Do your research, then take a top-down look at the current state of WordPress themes. Then, do us all a favor and create something that has yet to be done before. I know that most ideas are rehashed, most ideas have already been worn out, but try to do something that doesn’t make us think about something else that has already accomplished the effect. For example, please end this stupid trend of having two dynamic sidebars smashed together on one side of the blog. Why not place widgetized areas in more places within the theme, giving the end user more freedom and flexibility without the need of having to touch the code. Another example is to build flexibility into the theme that can be accessed via the admin panel. Instead of giving the user instructions in the read me file that tells them how to change the number of pixels in the CSS file to change the overall width of the blog, make it a user configurable option in the themes admin panel. Do you see where I’m going with this?
Now here is where I ask you questions that I have no answers for. For instance, at what point does inspiration turn into ripping? If there is a theme that closely resembles a paid theme, at what point does that become unacceptable? The reason I raised hell about the Options theme is that, it closely resembled Brian Gardner’s theme so much that I thought it would end up taking money out of his pocket. Because we all know, if there is a free version of a theme that requires money, we are going to go for the free version first.
What do you think will be the next WordPress theme trend? Personally, I believe the next trend will focus around Widgets. I think the poster child for the future of WordPress themes revolves around the Shifter Theme system. Widgets give power back to the end user. As a theme author, you no longer have to provide detailed instructions on how to hard code a plugin or widget into the theme. Just make it a widget area, and the user can drag and drop the content element into an area that seems appropriate. I also believe there will be a trend towards themes offering an admin page which contains settings that control various aspects of the theme. This is a welcomed change if you ask me, since this doesn’t require editing the CSS file or any of the core theme files to make the changes.
Finally, what are your thoughts as to everything I’ve just stated? Does it have any merit, or is this just a bunch of hodge podge?
Like I said in the WLTC comment, one magazine theme simply equals another at this point. I was not shocked and didn’t think it was a rip-off, but did feel kind of bad for Brian.
Like you, I also thought of Pro Media when I first saw Options, mainly because of the double navigation menus.
However, Options is simply an advance version of Structure. And, there’s really nothing new about Options on the front end. If you put in the double nav menu then it looks like Pro Media. If you take out the double nav then it’s back to looking like Structure again.
It’s also important to note that Structure was released before some magazine themes out there and those magazine themes do look like Structure, which means they also look like Options and Pro Media.
As for your suggestion about making everything configurable through theme options, I can agree to that, but only to a certain extent. If I don’t need a detailed manual to install WordPress then I shouldn’t need one to install a theme. On the flip side, themes are becoming too bulky for their own good because theme authors are trying too hard to turn WordPress into something it isn’t.
Sure, WordPress can substitute for a nice and light CMS, but it’s blog platform first and foremost. To everyone: quit trying to do too much!
That’s not to say WordPress can’t be this or can’t be that. I just think the heavy modifications should be saved for custom projects, not for public use or even a select few.
I’ll be up front and just admit that I am a sucker for these complicated themes. Sure, they’d work best for clients with big budgets and precise customization … but the fact remains that with things like theme options, widgets, custom fields, etc., WordPress can be a down right mean little CMS. Is it a blogging platform? Sure, but I think that is the very reason why it could also be a successful CMS … because people know how to blog!
That said, I think that these themes are the future of WordPress. Themes authors are pushing the limits, and for whatever reason, it has take theme authors, not plugin developers or core developers, to publicize the possibilities.
But, I think the fascination with these premium themes from the users in the WP community comes from the fact that blogs are boring. They all look the same. Then you visit your favorite news site and pine for the kind of options they have. WordPress magazine themes have those options, and people love it. They want dropdown menus, tabs, category specific homepages, multiple layout options, dynamic sidebars, custom headers, feature posts, etc.
Like it or not, as long as they want it, there will be developers willing to give it to them.
I hear ya, but consider that most CMS systems have a high learning curve. I wish there were a way to make a theme with all the options the people want without having to write tutorials, but whenever you introduce a new feature or product, people have to learn how to use it. That’s life.
Thanks for the article Jeff, and thanks to all who responded with such support. As a theme designer, one thing I want to focus on in this comment is that SP is dead on with over customization. It’s one thing that I learned with the development with Pro Media – a theme that has borderlined “difficult” to work with, and anything I do in the future will back away from the complexity that the Pro Media theme conceptually may have presented. So the key really is to develop something unique, something user friendly and also something widely needed. (a fun challenge for us all).
And for the record, at the moment, my themes will begin to steer away from the whole magazine/news niche, as the ones I have available are more than enough in the Revolution brand. I already have some ideas/concepts in the works for more niche-oriented themes, that will still fall under the umbrella of Revolution, yet away from the magazine look.
Furthermore, people can expect more things that haven’t been done too much before, like the development and availability of free forum templates that match the style of each Revolution theme.
Like it or not, I have to agree. And like you, I also get excited to see new stuff in WordPress themes. But the problem with selling a theme (made for everyone) that comes with everything is that the user doesn’t know when to stop with the all the bells and whistles and the theme authors simply cave in to demands. In the end, drop down menus are pretty, but less usable; domtabs are cool, but not necessary and often uncalled for. And don’t get me started with slideshow video galleries. I hope a future theme out there will feature texts, videos, photos, social bookmarks, twitter, external feeds, and etc. all on the same front page to once and for all end this madness
. Oh wait, there’s netvibe.
(Engadget, TechCrunch, Perezhilton: no bells, no whistles, no eye candies, top blogs.)
Here’s my prediction: netvibe + wordpress themes = $$$$
Although where an easy-to-use-blog-platform ends and where a full CMS begins isn’t really clear, in my opinion, we should take WordPress for what it is. If you want more CMS like features, there’s always Joomla.
Another interesting read.
you really know how to write well structured posts!
Nounman – I didn’t write it. Jeff did.
Simply because I enjoy being contrary I’ll chime in and say the WordPress Premium theme market has approximately one year before it collapses entirely. Not the custom theme market mind you—that’ll continue as long as WordPress does—but the $80 per theme market.
Now I’m not trying to insult anyone currently making a living off selling premium themes. In fact, I’ve recommended iThemes to a potential client who couldn’t afford custom work. Essence is a beautiful theme, Brian. But with Options out there and free versions similar to WP-remix (multiple templates aren’t hard with Blueprint) and Shifter (this post is essentially a challenge to produce one), oh, maybe a month or two away, the end of the Premium theme market is inevitable.
And don’t think intense javascript madness will keep your themes premium. How long will it take someone to incorporate the jQuery UI into a cool WordPress theme and release it under the GPL?
Again, I don’t mean to come across as Mr. Negative—just contrary. Feel free to make an appointment in Google Calendar to throw this in my face a year from now.
I am inclined to agree with Ian, because there are a lot of talented people out there looking for exposure instead of money and who would be quite happy to replicate features for free, just to get noticed.
The problem with the whole issue of inspired vs rip-off is that the features in the news themes are not original; the code is, the fact that it is a theme is, the build quality is, but the idea isn’t, and that means it really is open for use by anyone who can hack together their own version.
Having said that I also think that there is a point were, if something is already done, there is little point rehashing it. I never even considered producing a magazine style theme for that very reason.
they all look alike lately. yet i still have no idea how to make one. LOL but yea they’re all getting the same. it’s a dying fad.
The web cannot depart from basic 1, 2 or 3 column layouts. It is a matter of viusal and organisational logic. Anything beyond is brushed aside as ‘experimental’. In its simplest form, Web design works as a variation of a finite number of structural patterns. The main bulk of the work resides in the layers of icing applied to the foundations. It is hardly surprising then that sooner or later we notice repetitions with types of theme. The magazine theme is an amalgamation of these three basic layouts. A variation on a theme. The trend will soon pass when the next variation comes along. But eventually we’ll run out of configurations and the ‘themes race’ will dwindle.
As for Brian Gardner’s response to Justin Tadlock, what strikes me most of all is just how high and mighty Mr Gardner has become. As if the past year, departing from a blog with free themes to a new ‘design’ business that pushes paid themes were any sort of rock to stand on! I suppose what’s most sad about all of this is that I now realise that B.G is no different to any of the other theme usurpers who have jumped on the WP theme band wagon to take the proverbial ride…and they’ve taken many of you with them it would seem.
Here’s another pattern for you: a ‘designer’ releases free WP themes for public consumption. He realises that free themes = free traffic and traffic = money. But nevertheless he maintains the air of a benevolent altruist, out to celebrate the Open Source wonder that is WordPress. But as traffic increases he reaches the crossroads: to monetise or not monetise. In most cases it’s the former. So he creates an Internet business turning altruism and Open Source into greed and financial exploitation.
By all means, go ahead and make some money from your design work, let it sustan life, but please, spare me the condesending facade of serving the ‘community’, of being some sort of benefactor. It’s callous and people can see through it.
The main reason why none of these premium theme designers want to throw stones, with the possible exception of SP because he’s just plain crazy
, is because the stones can be lethal when they come from members of the very ‘community’ they depend on.
@Jonathan Sparks – I can’t speak for others and neither can your path/story for the free-theme turned premium theme designer as I’m pretty sure everyone’s situation and motivation mixes and changes from time to time. Granted, most of it stems from money. It’s not a clear cut answer is what I’m trying to say.
In the beginning, I did it for the community and because I enjoyed learning about developing themes. After 30-40 themes, traffic did roll in and it was time to monetize or let it go to waste. So, I did monetize, through various methods. Currently, it’s the themes club.
Personally, I don’t pretend to do it for the community and don’t know any premium theme designer who would try to put up a front like that because it’s pretty easy to see through like you said.
If you know someone like that, I’d have to agree he’s/she’s full of it.
—
It’s ironic, but I have a bit of a problem with design teams that are simply jumping into the free themes niche to promote their services because their motivation and why I did it in the first place are different. Although, what I’m doing with the themes club is basically in the same category. I guess that’s kind of an elitist attitude. But still, it bugs me.
Everyone is struggling to stay on top of the pyramid. So, what is the negative of parallelism. One releases theme for money, the other makes it for fun, maybe self-pride. What do you think should Justin do? Release new version of Kubic-look wordpress theme.
@SP – yep you’re right, there are degrees of masquerade in this…er masquerade. Picture WordPress as a giant cow. Go on indulge me. We all know a cow has an udder. We all know that an udder has teets. And yes we all know that the number of teets for any one cow is limited. Imagine that Brian Garnder, Adii, Solostream, Magnus Jepson and every other godforsaken theme merchant is a calf sucking at the teets of this great big WordPress cow.
Now now despite the fact that this poor cow will be sapped of her lifeforce, my main question is this: do you really want to be part of the herd?
@KET – Justin should go ahead and re release the original version of the Options theme. The only reason B.G had a private little ‘word’ with him was not for design pride, integrity or whatever, it is because he knows that if a free equivalent of his paid theme gets released then he loses cash. In the end the Premium gang will not be able to compete with the fundamental fact that WordPress is an Open Source blogging platform and that 99% of its users love and use it for that reason.
My advice to all budding Premium sharks out there: do something original.
I only release my second WordPress theme a couple of weeks ago, and I’m already using options pages to allow the user to control various aspects. In this case, it was the width of the container DIV, header images, etc.
To be honest, I thought that was standard!! Now I find out I’m just ahead of the trend…
Good to know I’m on the right path though.
I do agree that it is much easier copying (or borrowing, being inspired by or just stealing) things online than it is in the real world. No doubt about it. But at the same time, I can get frustrated by this whole “this theme looks like that theme – all they did was change the color”
Let’s face it, a site is a media channel like any other, and if two sites (for example blogs) have the same job to do, it is not that weird if they look kind of similar in terms of elements, structure, navigation and so on.
Take a trip down to your nearest newsstand and look at the magazines there. Or the newspapers. They all look pretty much the same.
All magazines have their name big across the top of the page, a large picture in the middle, and the headlines down the front to each side of the main visual.
This is not because they are ripped off from each other, but because that is the best way to make a magazine cover.
You could make a magazine cover where you put the name of the mag in the bottom and all the headlines in the back, but then the name wouldn’t be visible in the stand, and people wouldn’t be able to tell what articles were in there.
The same goes for blogs, or news-sites, or porn sites … they look kind of similar to other sites of the same nature, because they have the same job to do.
Looks like I’m going to have to hide under a rock for awhile
C’mon guys, many of the latest and newest them bells and whistles are there because some of you set out to see if you could do some sort of particular function.
Can a theme be done that does X? Let’s find out! Then you did. After that, it gets picked up by others seeing if they can do it – like it’s a personal challenge, in many cases.
I highly agree with theme options being the next big things as standard. As WPMU gets more popular, there’s going to be even more of a demand for them as site owners look for themes that can be easily personalized for their users. (Yes, I’m always bringing the MU angle.
)
Just curious; what has a “premium” whatsoever paid theme to do with the WordPress community?
It’s a buyer/seller relationship in no way related to any community.
Speaking of any “premium” themes, I’d rather know where those socalled single/developer license were registered?
So far as I know, a license must be registered at court or as a patent, then where is this registered official license…
Speaking of similarities, if I use two tabbed navigation and some icons within a header, followed by some domtabs, then I do infringe some copyright? Or do I just use the available tech to create a website/theme?
Why have people got such a problem with premium theme authors getting paid for endless hours of designing and developing? And if it wasn’t for premium themes, most themes would be average at best.
Would you rather have no premium themes and average looking themes?
OR
The possibility to buy a premium theme or download a free theme that wouldn’t have existed if it wasnt for premium themes?
I can’t see the downfall with having premium themes… Everybody gains from it… those who claim to be in the community and those who just want good looking websites with extra functionality and good support.
“Just curious; what has a “premium†whatsoever paid theme to do with the WordPress community?
It’s a buyer/seller relationship in no way related to any community.”
This was my point precisely Milo when I stated
“By all means, go ahead and make some money from your design work, let it sustain life, but please, spare me the condesending facade of serving the ‘community’, of being some sort of benefactor. It’s callous and people can see through it.”
Speaking of any “premium†themes, I’d rather know where those socalled single/developer license were registered?
Yes a license needs to be registered. International copyright law extends to your own orginal works but that is not a specific license. If people are supplying unregistered corporate licenses with their work then they are in fact invalid.
@Jepson – the reason you don’t get it is the very cause of the problem. Open your eyes and think a little further than a $ sign.
Unwittingly you have answered your own question:
“And if it wasn’t for premium themes, most themes would be average at best.”
Who’s problem is it? Mine, yours or the community?
What is it that is so wrong with earning a buck by selling themes?
I don’t claim to be helping the community though. If I in some way do help it, great.
Forget it Jeppers, you’re out of your element.
You are probably right
@Jonathan – I see you’ve watched the movie, Someone Like You. Unfortunately for your analogy, the premium themes market isn’t that simple; the community isn’t that simple; this blog platform isn’t a cow; and WordPress designers aren’t simply calves.
In my early days, I was willing to do what I thought was best for the community simply because I found a neat little tool to use and I loved creating themes for it. Although naive as it may seem, I believe that same enthusiasm still exists. So despite the fact that some of us are starting to make a living off of what we love, there is some truth in it when one us feels like we’re doing it for the community because the genuine motivation that we started with simply doesn’t fall over and die like a cow.
And to determine whether someone’s genuine, just look into that particular designer/author/developer’s past.
—
Milo’s point is also very important. I’m currently looking into re-releasing my club themes under a registered license.
hehe, well looks like you beat me to the punch… I’ve got a draft article talking about this EXACT topic…
When do you draw the line between inspiration and out right copying another designer? That question pretty much applies to anyone in the design field rather than just WP.
After doing a little research and learning from my previous habits, alot of beginner web designers staring out in the field learning how to design curtain elements tend to just look after what’s hot and trendy and think that they can just out right copy another web designer’s layout and expect everything to be A-Okay.
Lets say they get alittle wiser and just copy parts of a layout from another web designer. Where do you draw the line? It’s pretty thin if you ask me, and possibly subjective too.
So How do could one make it so a beginning web designer compliments the layout s/he got inspiration from and not think that it was a rip off?
But wait, is pulling alot of design elements from multiple designers and mashing it up to create your own work of art wrong? Isn’t that how ideas are create? What’s your opinion on this?
It seems to me that all, or most, designers agree on one thing – “stealing” is not what we want. Inspiration is good, but as stated by Small Potato, there currently is a trend of “magazine styled” themes.
It has its limits and the wheel has now been invented. Just as it is in any toher business, the competitors align with the trend – what the people want.
The songs the we hear and like are often the ones that distinguish from others, and there are often ages between the next time a song is really caught by our ears.
I am certainly not saying it is okay to copy or even steal – on the contrary, but the trend sets the pace. When one of you gifted designers come up with a new idea which people think is awesome, then you must already now know that it will be an inspiration to others – that’s a fact.
Look at ANY media or newspaper website be it CNN, Financial Times, People Magazine, E!Online or whatever… the all look the same! Filled with bits and pieces, features, adds and other anoying stuff – but that is how they look – excatly the same as your favorite magazine or newspaper which is being delivered every morning or week.
Content – Ladies and Gentlemen – content should be the predominant factor. Readers want relevant content, easy to navigate, easy to read and easy to find again.
WPDesigner.com has got all that, and I am not trying to favour anyone, but it is not complicated to navigate and the CONTENT is absolutely relevant within this business (web design/development).
God bless
Reinar
and speaking of this whole “premium theme goodness” I thought I might add my own .02, just adding to the comments from my perspective.
I’ve read the whole debate going on above and I can’t seem to figure out what point your trying to prove Jonathan Sparks?
WP theme authors are suppling the community with higher quality themes (for the most part) that do more than your typical free theme authors are doing. (Not to downplay any free theme authors tho)
Yeah free themes are going to come out and challenge their premium counter parts which is only natrual. If I had to make the decision to download a free theme that does exactly what a premium theme could, then I’d go with it.
Its like a cat and mouse game. When free themes catch up with their premium counter parts in which, they eventually, then all that does is challenge those premium theme authors to provide more bang for the buck. This cycle repeat itself endlessly as more and more authors enter the market. (while its fairly new and there isn’t as much supply as there is demand so there is a market which you can’t avoid.)
One thing you didn’t bring up is that some of those premium theme authors STILL develop and provide free themes. Go take a look.
And another thing I’d like to add is when you download a free wp theme, was it guaranteed quality support? Did they have a support forums to help out others having problems with their themes? Hmm…
Think about that.. Premium theme authors have a right to make money off their work, and eventually, a free theme author is going to try and cash in for all the hours s/he put into their work, c’mon now. As much as they would like to create free themes you’ve got to remember they also have lives too. Rent, mortgage, bills, social life, school, etc. Need some more examples? Check out Matt, he’s thinking about creating a WP theme marketplace for wp.com users. Are you going to get mad and rant at him too?
You say your point was made when milo stated:
“It’s a buyer/seller relationship in no way related to any community.â€
but that statement seems to be alittle off as for some of those premium theme authors still provide free themes, still doing what they originally started out doing in the first place. Giving back to the community. There’s nothing wrong with authors getting feedback for their premium themes, ultimately, the bloggers benefiting out of it.
You just look at it by them trying to make some money off of their work, but in reality, listen to a few wp podcast, and read a few blogger’s blogs talking about this.. I haven’t heard anyone talking about “ohh, 80 dollars for a premium theme I can’t afford that.. I’m going to rant about it.” No. What I hear is bloggers asking theme authors to do more, create more original themes (which’ll eventually happen), create more niche themes so they can have a more professional look and feel. Bloggers WANT to pay for premium features, there’s no trickery going into selling premium themes.. And to tell you the truth, buying a premium theme is a steal.. but maybe your alittle narrow minded to even see that. Look outside the WordPress community.
You sound alittle too one sided not taking into account the full side of premium theme authors. Did you do a little background check before you said anything? Or were you too simply jealous about the fact that you didn’t/can’t create premium themes (or themes at all) to making money? Sounds alittle like the latter to me.
And if your point was that theme authors are copying one another, like clint stated above, you can only do soo much with a news/magazine layout.. wait for more niche themes to come out then maybe your point will be alittle more meaningful.
Again, just adding my opinion, try not to take it as offensive.
Very nice comment Ptah!
I share all your views and firmly believe that premium themes are a steal and are doing the WP community more good than bad.
We as a company have been building custom WP themes for clients for quite some time. More recently we decided it was time to release a GPL theme with some of the features we’ve built into client designs (you can try if you like : http://anvil.interconnectit.com ) and have enjoyed the process.
But more seriously – the codebase we have allows us to make those themes as easy to use and to customise as possible. I agree completely that things should be made easier for the user.
So as a consequence, we have some very cool stuff in the pipeline ;o)
In essence, you, our company, and Brian Gardner are rivals in this business – but we’re all on the same team really. We all want WordPress to do well. If one or another releases a theme that looks a bit like one or another then that’s just life – a theme is about code as well as how it looks and there could be a huge difference. A Revolution user recently asked us to customise Revolution, but with the feature set and ease of use that he wanted it was simpler to build our own variation. It looks a bit like Revolution, especially on the front page, but the code is 100% crafted by us. Similarly, if someone reproduces the look of our Blend theme then who are we to stop them so long as they haven’t ripped off the html, css or php?
I think david made a good statement:
“In essence, you, our company, and Brian Gardner are rivals in this business – but we’re all on the same team really.”
Have any of you thought about joining forces to create something even greater? “with our powers combined…” type deal?
[...] Lack of creativity or lack of inspiration? I share my thoughts on this question and provide my overview as to the state of WordPress themes as I challenge theme authors to keep it simple yet raise the bar at the same time. [...]
[...] Inspiration or Lack of Creativity? A guest post by Jeff Chandler discusses the issue of similarities between themes, sparked off by the similarities between an earlier version of Justin Tadlock’s Options theme and Brian Gardner’s Revolution Pro Media. [...]
Wether to buy a premium theme or send time developing one for a client is often a simple question of time economics. If I spend 4-5 hours hacking and developing a custom theme , when there’s one already available for $80 is economic madness. I simply buy the theme and save time and money. Time developing is not recompensable, only the finished product has any commercial value. in the end it’s a simple trade-off ; I give you my money to save my own time and money doing what you have already done. It’s a win-win thing.
The point is are the commercial themes actually better than the free offerings and do they therefore justify a premium cost? In some cases they are clearly not. However, I have to say that Brian Gardiners themes are not only very well designed visually, but under the hood, they are not only easy to administrate, but easy to run and maintain also. That’s an important issues when building for a client who is inexperienced. In the long run, the looks can easily be duplicated, as we have found, but only a skilled designer can make it run sweet in use and that can save a ton of money in after sales costs.
This is in response to Michael Jenkins’ comment and the line:
‘Have any of you thought about joining forces to create something even greater? “with our powers combined…” type deal?’
Well… no, at least not yet
I think it would be pretty difficult too. I’ve invested a huge amount of my money into the company already, and WordPress is just one part of it, but an increasingly important one. We never set out to release WP themes, it just sort of happened and then I realised there was commercial potential in it – albeit one that takes quite some significant investment in time and money in order to realise.
There’s also the question of working approach. Both myself and James at Interconnect IT are people who have escaped the corporate world to move into something less… soulless
But our years of development in those environments have had an impact. In a large corporate with 20,000 users, it’s economically sensible to spend a day writing code that saves 20,000 people a minute a day. Just reducing clicks can be very cost effective.
So in our themes we’ve taken the same attitude – it means there’s a lot more development effort, but remodelling our premium offerings is designed to be as easy and simple as possible. Most importantly, we believe that no user should ever ever be expected to touch code. They’re not developers, and it’ll also make future changes and patches something of a nightmare for the less skilled staff.
While our premium offerings are still in the pipeline, you can see some of our approach in our GPL theme at http://anvil.interconnectit.com
I’ve not tried any of WP Designer’s themes, but from what I’ve seen they’re based on visuals more than functionality. We’re designing for designers who want features for their clients, but don’t want to get involved in touching code.
[...] for the state of the WP premium market – YAWN. The constant debates, questioning, predictions, and bickering (see comments) is exhausting and serves no purpose. For a community who’s supposedly so [...]
It wold have helped your authority in design-related issues if you at least demonstrated the minimal expertise in avoiding this monstrosity – I’m.
Very nice comment Ptah!
I share all your views and firmly believe that premium themes are a steal and are doing the WP community more good than bad
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hide under a rock for awhile
gr8 article!!
its rocking!!
nice post!!
clever work!!
excellent dude