additional resource for wordpress templates
Submitted by lynntay on Thu, 05/22/2008 - 14:02.
Here is another place to check for professional looking wordpress themes/templates - some that don't even resemble your typical "blog" style site. Now these are not free templates, they will cost anywhere from $29.99 to $79.99 for a single site license.
This is where I found Brian Gardner's series of Revolution themes(http://www.revolutiontheme.com/) that I personally use and like. He has 8 different versions/styles to pick from. As others have posted as well... some things to keep in mind when shopping.. that I found to be true dealing with Brian Gardner is:
- Brian keeps his themes updated to work with new wordpress releases.
- There is a very active forum on his site, with tons of tips on how to customize/tweak the themes to do some really cool things.
- He also provides video tutorials, for those of us that are, shall we say, challenged by reading something extremely technical and then implementing it? ;-)
- Brian himself is very active in the forum as well, and readily shares his knowledge on what he has done in the form of customizations for other customers. If you see something you like and ask, he will usually tell you how he did it.
- He also provides phpBB3 forum templates that match his Revolution themes at no additional cost once you purchase the theme itself.
I'm not trying to advocate Brian's themes, it's just the one that I have experience with and can provide some feedback on what additional things/support features he offers in addition to the actual theme itself. Remember you are paying for a professional theme, so it's always nice to know it's not a fly by night thing, and the person is actually dedicated to providing a product and the support that goes with it.
Now you will have to either have to have a good knowledge of PHP, html and CSS, or be willing to pick them up quickly in order to customize these themes... but this will hold true for any Wordpress theme if you want to customize them.
So, anyway... check it out if you considering using Wordpress and are looking for another place for Professional looking wordpress themes to get you started.
All the best!
Cheers!
Lynn Rockwell
http://www.twitter/lynntay
I'm saving his site in my
I'm saving his site in my favorites... The fact that he offeres phpbb themes to match is a great selling tool in my opinion and I will definitely keep that in mind when I'm looking for another 1.
Brian Weaver - Affiliate Marketer in Training
@profwebs on twitter
Brian Weaver on Facebook
Magazine Themes
If you're looking for WP themes that don't look like blogs, try this site: http://wpmagthemes.com/
If you are interested in
If you are interested in learning how to make your own WordPress theme, here is a site with a really nice guide. Even if you don't want to build a theme, going through the guide really helps you understand how WordPress themes work, and how to tweak an existing theme if you need to.
http://urbangiraffe.com/themes/guides/
Enjoy!
-Carl
do you twitter? i do!
http://twitter.com/htxb
Is best to buy one-time or multi-use
These are great wordpress resources. What is your opinion regarding buying a one-time use vs. a multi-use theme?
Shirley "ShirleyPearl" Muhammad
I'm on twitter - http://twitter.com/shirleypearl
I guess it depends on your
I guess it depends on your site plans and how configurable the theme is. Do you want to set up several sites? Do they need to look different to each other? How complex do the sites need to be?
I have a problem with buying
I have a problem with buying wordpress themes. Kind of goes against everything wordpress is all about. Not only that, the bought themes are just not worth the cost. You can get the same thing for free. I would however pay for better plugins, something that will help you manage categories better.
So, just to play devils
So, just to play devils advocate here for a moment, you'd say it's OK for someone to earn money for writing plugins but it's not OK for someone to earn money for writing themes? Both activities take time but the plugin writers time is more valuable?
I actually think there's a place for both paid and free themes and plugins. You could look at it another way and say you're not paying for the theme but for the support you get from the author.
Personally, I've never bought a theme because there are thousands of free themes and plugins that work perfectly well. If you know CSS and a little PHP you can easily modify the themes anyway.
I agree, to some degree, with your comment about the bought themes not being worth the cost. Some obviously are worth every penny but others are just free themes that have been overhauled and re-branded to be sold.
My site is built on Brian
My site is built on Brian Gardiner theme, was worth the $79 I have found it easy to tweak as well. Brian is also great a getting back to you either personally or through the forum if you have questions related to the themes..
Follow me on twitter.com/littlenomads
looked at it as investment
When I purchased my theme, I was looking at it in a couple of ways...
1> yes, I wanted a theme that wasn't being used by 10,000's of other people(which who knows maybe it is, now ;-), and didn't look like a typical wordpress blog... but...
2> I also wanted to jump start my ability to build themes on my own and customize them... and I personally learn best by seeing and being able to tear apart, and tinker with an existing product. So I saw this purchase as in investment for me going forward... not just as a theme I was going to use once. I did as I usually do, I asked. "Do I have the money for it?/Can I afford it?" and "Is it a sound business decision/investment?" - I had to be assured I would be able to easily earn back the money I spent on the theme from the business I generated, and/or use it as an investment, as I did in this case for me to learn PHP and some unique methods of wordpress theme development.
As far as multiple use license versus single site license... I went with a single use for the time being... until I determine what I want to do going forward... he is always adding more themes, so I might find one I like better by the time I need another. ;-) Brian offers discounts to returning customers... so if you do decide to purchase the mulit-site license later, you can get the discount at least.
As far as free versus paid themes... well, I agree with kuproverto that with paid themes you are paying for the support, and "additional features" such as the forum software in Brian's case, that you get with a paid theme that you may not get with a free theme. I'm sure people are going to site horror stories to the contrary now, but my experience has been that you usually get far better support for something you are paying for, from someone who is treating it as a business, rather than something that is free and developed in some-ones spare time. Now with that said, there are many very good free themes out there, don't get me wrong... Paid themes are just another alternative if it is something you are interested in - like I was. Not everyone will be.
All the Best
Lynn Rockwell
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lynntay
One things someone pointed
One things someone pointed out to me was that the paid themes usually have forums to discuss and questions or challenges. The paid themes usually offer support and upgrades. The free themes often you are on your own if there are any bugs in the theme. Just something to consider.
I agree
I have used free themes and I have used paid themes and I can tell you the support on the paid themes makes them worth it. I think its best to invest in a theme, which from what I have experienced comes with better coding, .i.e they are well documented, hence easier to customize and support that guides you; as opposed to a free theme that you spend hours trying to fix.
Time is money!
http://twitter.com/Dezchamps
Excellent point. Sometimes
Excellent point. Sometimes paid templates/modules are better because the service level is higher.
Agree with Lyn 100% on two
Agree with Lyn 100% on two points raised, I have found the paid ones great as I have been able to lift the bonnet and tinker on it which is the best way to learn about the wordpress background, its well and good to post to your blog. But you will get 100% more satisfaction from being able to tweak here and there.
I have finally figured out how to create a landing page in Wordpress that look likes like a normal site, there is no way I would have been able to do this without rolling up the sleeves.
Would love to share the landing page, please PM so I can get some feedback to refine.
Traveling with your kids should be fun
Follow me on twitter.com/littlenomads