Written on July 7th, 2008 at 06:07 am by Darren Rowse
Best WordPress Template Designs
Every week I’m asked by readers to recommend a WordPress template.
I thought it’d make an interesting discussion - which WordPress templates are your favorites?
I know it always varies from blog to blog when you’re choosing the best template for the job but I’d love to see some of your favorites.
Feel free to nominate both Free and Paid ones.
134 Responses to “Best WordPress Template Designs”
The Masked Millionaire
July 7th, 2008 7:19 am
This really is perfect timing for me. I’ve been looking for a WP template and have not been able to find one that I like. I look forward to seeing what people put forward.
The Masked Millionaire
Adam Walker Cleaveland
July 7th, 2008 7:25 am
My own blog (pomomusings.com) runs off a tweaked version of a WordPress template I designed a year and a half ago: Cleaker.
http://pomomusings.com/design/
Since then, it’s been downloaded over 20,000 times and…well…that’s got to count for something. It’s a 3-col, clean, easily customizable design.
Jack Carlson
July 7th, 2008 7:28 am
I’ve grown to love the Simplicity theme (http://koch-werkstatt.de/2007/03/24/wordpress-theme-simplicity/) on my main blog (jebers.com). It’s clean, easy to modify and, I hope, easy to read.
Andrew
July 7th, 2008 7:33 am
Cutline. It’s awesome. Easily customizable and super super clean.
Mike Martin
July 7th, 2008 7:37 am
my site runs off a highly modified version of upstart blogger’s ub modicus 2c theme, its a really nice theme by default, and easily customizable
Jon - Ninja Blog Setup
July 7th, 2008 7:40 am
I just setup the Revolution magazine theme on one of my sites.
It’s got lots of great advanced features that I’m really happy with.
Aaron
July 7th, 2008 7:42 am
I like the Statement theme by http://www.blogohblog.com
it has a nice 3-column, simple, clean design
you can see it in use at my blog http://livingthedash.tv
David Airey
July 7th, 2008 7:42 am
No WordPress theme discussion is complete without mentioning Derek Punsalan. Definitely one of my favourite developers.
Sue @ TameBay
July 7th, 2008 7:43 am
We’re using Revolution News, which I absolutely love.
Dale Cruse
July 7th, 2008 7:44 am
I like the one I use. A lot.
Gabe Jacobs
July 7th, 2008 7:44 am
I love the freshnews theme by adii. I use is on my blog:
http://www.gabejacobsblog.com/
It was well worth the money. No other free theme feels this good to write on.
Steve Creek
July 7th, 2008 7:48 am
Options theme by Justin Tadlock : This is an amazing theme.
Derek Hail
July 7th, 2008 7:53 am
I’m going to have to recommend http://diythemes.com/thesis/ by Chris Pearson.
The options panel for the theme is by far the most comprehensive I have ever seen. In addition, it’s built with Search Engines and Typography standards in mind.
Shtikl
July 7th, 2008 7:54 am
After trying several free themes, I decided to buy “News” by Quommunication for Shtikl.com. Although my site is mostly ’bout cartoons, the News-theme feels good and is a suitable canvas for the content (that’s what a theme should be, I guess).
Andy Beard
July 7th, 2008 7:56 am
Sandbox and Blog.txt from http://www.plaintxt.org/
Thematic from http://themeshaper.com/thematic-for-wordpress/
Alister Cameron is meant to be porting his own Sandbox based upon Yahoo’s grid sometime….. there is an alpha available.
siam
July 7th, 2008 7:57 am
I’m currently creating my blog and I use the free magazine theme “Openbook“.
I must say i’m in love with it, it’s a really sophisticated theme but you don’t even have to manually edit theme files.
Rick
July 7th, 2008 7:58 am
I really like this one by Andreas Viklund: http://themes.wordpress.net/columns/3-columns/704/wp-andreas01-12/
It is the one I am using right now.
Mike Martin
July 7th, 2008 8:01 am
To everyone mentioning revolution, i really wish I could use it, it looks excellent, and if I had the money I would definitely purchase it, but I cannot justify spending $80 on a theme for a site that generates no income.
Carleenp
July 7th, 2008 8:01 am
I like all of the Revolution themes. I currently run Revolution Magazine in blog form on one site, and have plans for future site using the same theme in its magazine form. They are nice clean themes that are fairly easy to work with. They are not free, but worth the cost I think.
What I would really like though is a theme with a small right sidebar (say 120 size) and a larger left side that can accommodate 300×300 ads. I find that the left bar monetizes best for Google ads, while I have a need to run other ads in the 250 or 300 size in a top space as well.
Adam Walker Cleaveland
July 7th, 2008 8:05 am
Oh - this is another one I think is pretty brilliant.
WP-Magazine Theme: http://www.wp-magazine.com/
Lots of customizations possible with this one.
Wayne
July 7th, 2008 8:19 am
I love the ideal website:
http://informationarchitects.jp/the-ideal-website/
I found this great template while browsing this thread on smashingmagazine:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/05/29/applying-divine-proportion-to-web-design/
Basically its a theme that uses the divine ratio, or golden mean, i.e. sacred geometry, etc, etc.
Nice theme to start from.
:)
Andy Beard
July 7th, 2008 8:20 am
I should also mention this post that Dane Morgan mentioned in a tweet earlier today for those looking for a magazine look who don’t have design skills or cash available.
http://www.wpzoom.com/wordpress-themes-sets/45-free-premium-wordpress-themes-with-magazine-or-grid-layouts/
John Roach
July 7th, 2008 8:21 am
I really like Freshy2. Along with the customize plugin makes for a solid theme that’s really … well, customizable. The menu bar makes it good for brochure/CMS sites, in my opinion.
I’d like to see this survey done by Joe “non-Internet fanatic” Public. I’m willing to bet that there’s a big difference between what we like and what “he” likes.
B.T.
July 7th, 2008 8:26 am
My favorites:
IndoMagz Theme - you can see it on my blog: http://www.magicsenses.com/blog
Soveryn - you can also see it in action at: http://www.1HappyCorner.com
Both free.
Rebellious Arab Girl
July 7th, 2008 8:31 am
I like my own because I have this compulsive desire to control every detail in my site. I think wordpress templates are so easy to edit as long as you are a CSS guru.
Andrew
July 7th, 2008 8:44 am
I’ve been using K2 for a while now. http://www.getk2.com/
I’ve been thinking about switching to WP Remix. Has anyone been using that theme? http://www.wpremix.com/
Owen
July 7th, 2008 8:52 am
I love FreshPresh: http://freshpressthemes.com/blog/freshpress-theme/
It’s based on the WP 2.5 admin interface ;)
Adam Singer
July 7th, 2008 8:55 am
The theme on my blog is (imo) the nicest free template on the web. Click my name to see it - its from Daily Blog Tips.
Link to download is in the footer…sorry to take you on a treasure hunt. =)
Greg Wilker
July 7th, 2008 9:16 am
I’m currently using a free theme created by Chris Pirillo
My site : http://photograview.com
Download Link to Theme: http://chris.pirillo.com/2008/06/07/download-my-free-premium-wordpress-theme/
John Stewart
July 7th, 2008 9:22 am
I’m using the Pro Sense Grey theme, albeit a slightly modified version.
Currently dabbling in creating my own theme, may take some time before it’s finished though!
Anna Bright
July 7th, 2008 9:23 am
I use K2 - I love that I can make my site look exactly how I want, even with fairly rudimentary coding skills.
thesportsaffiliate.com
July 7th, 2008 9:47 am
For theme specific. I recommend Revolution Themes. Im using the sports themes. I know little about coding and I was able to modify their theme within hours and have a nice workable theme.
My site: http://thesportsaffiliate.com
Revolution Themes:
https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=68189&c=ib&aff=27041&ev=8697a002bc
kristarella
July 7th, 2008 10:00 am
I think any theme by Brian Gardner or Chris Pearson are excellent for,
simplicity
clean code
easily customised
SEO friendly
The free ones might have fewer features than the premium ones (I haven’t really investigated the differences), but there’s some good tutes around on customising and on building magazine layouts etc.
Darren Hoyt’s posts about making a magazine theme are especially good, and his Mimbo theme is good too.
Chris McCorkle
July 7th, 2008 10:10 am
The Morning After free WP Magazine Style Theme
URL: http://code.google.com/p/the-morning-after/
Great theme… I hacked the hell out of it for DormBuilder.com!
Alistair
July 7th, 2008 10:16 am
Currently my favourite design is the one I just developed using Kubrick. It looks like an old dos screen - green on black. Still got some tweaking to do. http://blog.whirledpeas.com.au
Chris M
July 7th, 2008 10:21 am
There are so many themes available these days, that it’s actually impossible to choose one, especially free ones. I think that spending a little money on a theme is a good idea, it helps avoid the continual duplication of themes!
Here’s a lovely collection of premium news themes: http://www.imod.co.za/adii.php
Ben Cope
July 7th, 2008 10:32 am
There are so many nice premium WordPress themes out there, but one of the nicest magazine style themes that I’ve seen (which includes phenomenal customer service and support is The WordPress Dream Theme!
Fern
July 7th, 2008 10:41 am
I tweaked Silouhette by Brian Gardner for my most recent project. I am pretty happy with it, although Brian didn’t respond to an email question even though he said in the readme file that he would support the theme via the email address I contacted. FYI for anyone who wants to use that theme, if you put a widget in the right column, it screws up the search box.
Leigh
July 7th, 2008 10:42 am
I like the look of Massive News myself
Fern
July 7th, 2008 10:42 am
Doh. Can’t spell. The theme is called Silhouette.
amirulcyber
July 7th, 2008 11:04 am
very valuable info to me.Thanks..
Bruce
July 7th, 2008 11:10 am
I can give a plus one on the Revolution Themes. I own the developer pack and recently( today) put the City Theme on a blog I’m building up at http://www.mytowntalks.com
Its not totally where I want it yet and I need some better images, but its coming along. At first I was intimidated by editing all the elements, but after I read a little and got into it, then it was not difficult at all. Over all these themes give you a lot of flexibility to change the way your posts are displayed.
Cool Raker
July 7th, 2008 11:19 am
We’re using the MasivePress theme by wpelements at our newly launched site Cool Raker. One of the best themes I’ve worked with for sure.
Premium Themes
July 7th, 2008 11:41 am
There are so many high quality free and paid WordPress themes around these days it can be difficult to decide on just one.
Here is a great gallery of the Best Premium WordPress Themes:
http://www.premiumwp.com/archive/2008/06/22/best-premium-wordpress-themes-collection/
Michael Aulia
July 7th, 2008 12:20 pm
I just changed my theme to another free theme called LightBreaker. I find it the best theme among my other themes so far.
I like the grayish-black look and it just looks sleek and elegant without being too colourful or complex.
Need some modifications though! There are really no themes out there that work for you out of the box. You still need to modify it to your liking and style!
Lyn Leckie-Matassa
July 7th, 2008 12:24 pm
I am currently using the wordpress lightbreaker theme as it is great for 125×125 ads and is the right format for me. I use it with the max blog banner rotator plugin and the max blog stripe advertising plugin.
Twanna /// FUNKY BROWN CHICK
July 7th, 2008 12:45 pm
I use an adapted version of Dosh Dosh’s prosense:
http://www.funkybrownchick.com
It’s great. :)
Syed Balkhi
July 7th, 2008 12:57 pm
Mostly the better wp themes are custom made, but if I have to pick a premium theme, then it will be the Revolution Magazine Theme.
I still recommend custom work…
www.StocksHaven.com
July 7th, 2008 1:05 pm
The one im using now for my blog @ http://www.StocksHaven.com - I’m using Zeke 1.0+Widgets. Great theme, easy to understand / update….highly recommend it!
promdiblogger
July 7th, 2008 1:06 pm
Mine’s Arthemia theme by http://www.michaeljubel.com it’s a magazine theme, easy to tweak with features you’d get from a premium theme and best of all its free.
Muhammad Siyab
July 7th, 2008 1:37 pm
I’m using a custom made magazine style template I designed myself from scratch… I know I’d been trying to reinvent the wheel by doing that, but the satisfaction of success was greater than the regret(if any). Check it out!
Dean
July 7th, 2008 1:40 pm
I use a theme I created myself using Small Potato (wpdesigner.com)’s tutorial. BTDubs, great timing, since the theme was only implemented on my blog about a week or so ago. If anyone could give me some feedback on the theme, that’d be great — http://www.deanlozarie.com’s the URL, don’t wear it out.
Doug
July 7th, 2008 2:13 pm
I use the K2 theme with some CSS modifications. It is easily customizable and has header photo options. Get it at http://getk2.com. See it in action at http://www.shopbiz101.com.
Eftu
July 7th, 2008 2:30 pm
Love the one I’m using at the moment.
theaffiliatesecret.com
July 7th, 2008 2:32 pm
personally i have my own full custom theme at http://www.theaffiliatesecret.com. Took awhile to iron out the kinks but its worth making your own theme to separate your site from the hordes of others using virtually identical templates.. you have to be individual IMO :) in saying that theres some nice themes listed above, i especially like the revolution news theme. good work.. cheers Jared.
Riayn
July 7th, 2008 3:38 pm
I have just implemented Statement from BlogOhBlog (http://www.blogohblog.com/), that I am really happy with. It is a really nice professional feel about it.
garaughty, The Blog Artist
July 7th, 2008 3:41 pm
Hi Darren, I could list dozens but from a pure design point of view, I absolutely the classic Wordpress theme “Kubrick”, quick & easy to modify and turn into a zillion different looks.
For an end user looking for something right out of the box, I’d also recommend “Massive News”. A powerful, flexible and easy to modify theme.
Sue @ TameBay
July 7th, 2008 4:51 pm
@Mike Martin (way up-thread, sorry!), have a look at some of Brian Gardener’s free themes,
http://www.briangardner.com/themes
perhaps specifically Revolution Blog.
David Bradley
July 7th, 2008 5:34 pm
I created a minimalist Wordpress theme entirely by accident, because there was a glitch in the FTP’ing of images and so the floral background, finials, and vignettes never appeared. I quite liked the stark results I obtained and stuck with it on Sciencebase.
Prem
July 7th, 2008 5:44 pm
I think the arthemia and linoluna FREE theme by Michel(http://www.michaeljubel.com/) is the best Magazine theme ever. Hes an indonesian, because of which he hasnt made his presence felt on the net, but when he does, no other Wordpress PREMIUM theme designer will stand a chance…..
Check out a modified version of the Linoluna theme at my new music site at http://pitchhaze.com
Ben
July 7th, 2008 5:56 pm
Personally I am a fan of Mimbo Pro, it’s more of a complete site (less plain) than many other premium themes and is designed to work out of the box with little to no modification.
Fadli Wilihandarwo
July 7th, 2008 6:05 pm
Of course my own blog design…
http://www.wilihandarwo.com
Evert de Ruiter
July 7th, 2008 6:36 pm
I think my theme is pretty awesome. It’s designed by Speckyboy (www.speckyboy.com). It’s simple and clean.
Anthony
July 7th, 2008 6:54 pm
As far as I’m concerned, I used for a long time pattern-10 as my theme, but I’m now using homemade themes.
The last I made is changing according to the time of the day you’re visiting my blog.
Todor Christov
July 7th, 2008 6:54 pm
To me, the best free themes are Cutline (by Chris Pearson), Prosense (Dosh Dosh) and Mysty Look.
All three themes are very clean, very easily customized and depending on what your blog goals are, they can give you really good results.
Also, all those themes are SEO friendly, with little tweaks.
Scott Purdie
July 7th, 2008 6:58 pm
Jide has some cool themes here http://www.jide.fr/english/downloads/freshy2/
Carol Ferndale
July 7th, 2008 7:34 pm
I am using Chris Pearson’s Cutline. I think it has a very clean, simple, uncluttered look, which is what I am going for with my travel blog.
However, much as I like Cutline, I am not convinced that I am using the right CMS for my site, and the type of material I am presenting. Some of my material is fairly current and time critical, such as recommendation of current holiday deals, while other bits, such as a run down of must-see sights of Paris, are relevant over the long term.
Team Nirvana
July 7th, 2008 8:10 pm
This is awesome.
So many blog designs and a lot to choose from.
I am using Cleaker2.1_Widgetized theme on my blog.
Looks good. Some customizations yet required.
Thanks for sharing this.
Chris
July 7th, 2008 8:13 pm
It’s been nominated already, but I might as well add my voice to those supporting it. I particularly like The Morning After: http://code.google.com/p/the-morning-after/
Make Money Talks
July 7th, 2008 9:14 pm
This guy have some great free templates, check it out: http://ericulous.com/
Emilie
July 7th, 2008 9:41 pm
I like clean, white, minimalist themes. For my blog I’m using Scott Wallick’s wonderful blog.txt theme.
But my book-in-progress I’m using Antbag’s Darkwater theme. It’s minimalist as well, with a no scroll background you can customize if you want.
Alex
July 7th, 2008 9:47 pm
http://www.briangardner.com/ - great themes. I’ve just upgraded to his latest Revolution theme, although I’ve hacked a little it to do what I want:
Here’s the Gardner theme:http://www.revolutiontheme.com/blog/
and here’s my ‘modded’ version:
http://www.blogfromitaly.com/
Now my blog is a ‘magazine’ / traditional blog hybrid!
If anyone would like a copy of the modified theme, let me know - as long as Mr Gardner does not object.
Alex
Sandier Pastures
July 7th, 2008 9:51 pm
I like the Zeke theme layout. I only customized the banner to suit my blog.
Juha Ylitalo
July 7th, 2008 10:20 pm
All my current blogs are originally based on Sadish Bala’s free MistyLook template that can be found from http://wpthemes.info/
I’ve been swapping sidebars from right to left, added footer, removing header images, etc., but I still lot of original stuff in there as well.
Geek's Dream Girl
July 7th, 2008 10:23 pm
I run a modified version of Justin Tadlock’s Structure theme. You can see it at http://geeksdreamgirl.com/. I love my web design/graphic art girl - she is so good!
Giorgio @ Technico Blog
July 7th, 2008 10:37 pm
I think the best template is Blue Weed by Blog oh Blog.
You can see it in action, with some ads modding here http://www.technicoblog.com
American girl
July 7th, 2008 10:39 pm
I love K2 with a beautiful skin and I think it’s one of the best for seo.
Marios
July 7th, 2008 10:49 pm
I think premium news theme has the best templates out there and the forum support is great
http://www.premiumnewstheme.com/
Justin
July 7th, 2008 10:55 pm
Re-styled modicus theme, a few colours make a lot of difference. Cool writing as well
http://luckysocks.net/
Veronica Lynne
July 7th, 2008 11:12 pm
I like Simpla by Phu. I use it on chromaticsoul.wordpress.com mostly because it’s clean and easy on the eyes. Also, it’s free. I’ve seen some others I like out there but my main focus is clean and simple. If I hosted a site, I’d probably use the one that Open Education (http://openeducation.net) uses.
Asyan@Paws Awhile
July 7th, 2008 11:14 pm
I use Options by Justin Tadlock(http://www.justintadlock.com). It is a great theme. Also good themes are Brightness by Daily WP(www.dailywp.com/brightness-wordpress-theme/), and Gablog theme by Gabfire (http://www.gabfire.com).
Syed Balkhi
July 7th, 2008 11:30 pm
Darren, In my previous comment, I wrote a very small comment, but after writing that I thought about it more and decided to write a new post on this subject on my blog.
So I have made a list of good free and premium themes that I will recommend users to use:
http://www.balkhis.com/web-designs-resources/excellent-free-and-premium-wordpress-themes/
lady coveted
July 7th, 2008 11:53 pm
i second the morning after!
The Happy Rock
July 8th, 2008 12:18 am
I nominate the Essence iTheme which is a very professional configurable theme that can be easily used for businesses not just blogs.
Here is a simple site I created for a small construction company client - Wheeler Brother’s Construction if you want to see it in action.
My Camera World
July 8th, 2008 12:19 am
There are 2 themes that I have slected to experminet with until I make my final selection, that I really enjoy.
Fallseason and
Cutline 3 col-split.
While I am not a programmer I found it easy to make a few changes to the fallseason theme.
http://nielsp.ca/cameraworld/
The other theme Cutline 3 col look very rich in features but it is a little harder to figure to make a few changes.
http://nielsp.ca/lightandcolour/
These are both experimental as I try to figure out which will be the new theme once I have tweaked it correctly and then migrate it up a level in url address.
Niels Henriksen
Samantha
July 8th, 2008 12:21 am
Interesting question. I am actually considering moving from Drupal to Wordpress, so this will be helpful. My overall preference is for three-column themes. I really like the magazine layouts quite a bit, but I think that they can be too impersonal for more personal/friendly blogs. I think that Smashing Magazine has found a good assortment:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/08/100-excellent-free-high-quality-wordpress-themes/
In this list I like Gridline Lite pretty well.
Corey Freeman
July 8th, 2008 12:53 am
I use a modified (read: changed beyond all recognition and original coding…) version of “compact” from Themes Lab.
http://www.themelab.com/free-wordpress-themes/
I use it basically as a bare-bones template for creating my own.
Star Smash
July 8th, 2008 1:03 am
As a designer and a marketer I usually find both sides competing when it comes to WordPress templates.
The design side says make it “Pretty” & Memorable
The marketing side says make it functional, forget creativity, get those clicks/sales/etc.
That said, I waded through a ton of crappy themes before finally settling on two choices:
Prosense & Cutline
As you can see from my janky (1st) blog http://www.w00tpwnage.com where I run a lot of my usability experiments, I went with prosense. (After I screwed around with placement and slapped on my own logo naturally.)
It is a really great theme if you want to customize & get a HIGH click through rate. It’s also SEO friendly, but I haven’t really done much with that.
However, I think in the long run Prosense is too generic and simplistic.
Other “templates” I like:
problogger.net
ShoeMoney has a nice set up
weblogtoolscollection.com/
dailyblogtips.com
Revolution
StudioPress
It really just comes down to a combination of a few things:
1. A nice strong logo that will fit nicely in the “not too big” header area (mind the fold) with horizontal page navigation
2. An overall clean look with quick load time (Clean code, optimized graphics, SEO friendly, Ad/Adsense friendly, etc.)
3. The proper mix of sidebar(s) to content with appealing sign-up/email/rss and search area near the top
4. Flexibility. If you’re the next Darren or John the look of your blog is going to have to go through several major overhauls. Not to mention you’re going to want to customize a bit to make the template “your own”
Currently I’m experimenting with magazine style WordPress Themes & Horizontal sidebars.
That’s about it.
Nimic
July 8th, 2008 2:03 am
I used Options by Justin Adlock, http://justintadlock.com/archives/2008/02/24/options-wordpress-theme on my site http://thegreenroutine.net.
I haven’t hired an artist yet to skin my site, but once Options is skinned it looks really sweet. It’s free, and has more back-end features then any other free theme I downloaded.
Here is a post showing the best skinned versions of the theme:
http://justintadlock.com/archives/2008/06/15/showcasing-another-10-great-options-theme-mods
Chris (Amateur Traveler)
July 8th, 2008 2:09 am
I like the iTheme template which you can find here: http://www.ndesign-studio.com/resources/wp-themes/
vanae
July 8th, 2008 2:09 am
interesting that you mention this, because i was hunting for the right wp theme. i just revamped my blog with NT- Pink flowers by Awinsjclarke.
http://www.vanae.com
i like the theme because:
- great skin (clean & vibrant colors)
- customizable
Hilary Green
July 8th, 2008 2:13 am
I’m a big fan of templates that are very clean and use white space well, I think the default wordpress template is HORRIBLE and REALLY needs to be updated to today standards. - http://www.carsforgirls.com
Ben Moreno
July 8th, 2008 2:40 am
I think John Chow’s Theme is awesome. Omni theme is pretty good as well. http://www.omnitheme.com/ I think I may pay to use this theme someday. Right now I use a modified version of prosense but I think it doesn’t look that professional.
John Hoff - eVentureBiz
July 8th, 2008 2:54 am
My site is based on the simplistic designs of Sadish.
Simple, clean, and easy to edit. I agree also the Revolution theme is nice, but I am starting to see it pop up all over.
Like Darren said, it really depends on what you’re doing.
felix
July 8th, 2008 3:18 am
It’s already been mentioned above, but I use “News” by http://www.Quommunication.com for my site: http://www.AppleSlut.com
The template is extremely fast loading (due to some fancy php code) and it looks fantastic- IF you can stick with the formatting. I only blog a few times a week so it’s perfect to have the “featured” post at the top.
A couple of “quirks” I’ve learned about this theme:
+ looks best with a 280×280 pixel image in the featured post
+ Need to write about 3 paragraphs before using the “more” link in the featured post - to fill up the space.
If I follow those two tips, it always looks great!
All templates have these types of “quirks” about them. Instead of simply picking the best looking template, think about it’s “quirks” and decide if you’re willing to fit your posts into the style of the template.
bluxed
July 8th, 2008 6:30 am
Very simple but i like http://www.bttfblog.com wordpress layout.
KushMoney
July 8th, 2008 6:36 am
My favorite theme is custom made. TylerCruz
I always like the content to be in the middle while there are 2 sidebars. 1 on each side. Nice amount of ad space.
Mike Nichols
July 8th, 2008 6:42 am
I’m using Wucoco by Mike Lococo for one blog, Prosumer by Nuradin Jauhari for another, and Seashore by Sadish Bala for yet another, all free and obtained on the WordPress Theme Viewer. These all have been modified some and are due for more modifications soon. I use WordPress.org software on a hosted server.
All are 3-column themes with a banner picture at the top. They are simple, clean and modifiable. These characteristics fit into the nature of my blogs well. I like 3-column designs because you can put ads and navigation above the fold.
One thing to watch out for when searching for WordPress themes: They are not all suitable for both WordPress.com and WordPress.org, particularly the navigation tabs. Since the two WordPress’ have different file setups, those themes that have hardcoded and difficult-to-change file access conventions are not usable for both without a lot of work.
Andy T
July 8th, 2008 7:44 am
I use Ads Theme from bloging-secret.com. It’s a free wordpress templete. Three columns layout. Simple and clean cut. Netural color schelude. I use it as a notenook or journal for a home maintenance contractor [my job]. So far, I’m happy with the templete.
Sue
July 8th, 2008 8:00 am
I’m using a heavily modified Suhweet by Solostream. I downloaded it back before it went premium, and have been perfectly happy with it.
Anything by Justin Tadlock is great (several already mentioned above). As is Darren Hoyt’s work.
I also subscribe to Themelab. They are turning out theme after theme. Most of theirs are ports of open source designs to WordPress, but if you want a combination static site with a blog, you will probably find the combo there.
There are some excellent themes out there now, and I must confess, I’m a theme junkie. I have multiple WordPress installs on my local machine, just to check out the latest themes. If I didn’t do that, I’d be starting a new blog every day just to take advantage of all the wonderful designs that have come out.
Mike D.
July 8th, 2008 8:08 am
I am using the UBDMoneyMaker theme from http://www.uniqueblogdesigns.com. I know there’s been a bit of a backlash against these guys for their “not so unique” designs but I still think this free theme looks great. I’ve still got some tweaking and modding to do, but I really like how it’s coming together.
Jenn Mattern
July 8th, 2008 8:22 am
I’ll second cleaker. I’m using it on my book marketing blog, and when I set it up, I received a ridiculous number of compliments on choosing that theme. Readers really love it for some reason.
redwall_hp
July 8th, 2008 8:28 am
If you don’t mind me linking to my own post, I have previously put together a roundup of “professional” themes.
http://www.webmaster-source.com/2008/03/24/31-professional-wordpress-themes/
Karen (karooch from Scraps of mind)
July 8th, 2008 8:38 am
I use the Emerald theme and have it tweaked/customised for my site. But I’m going through my annual theme update phase so I’ll be looking for another in the next few weeks. This post is very timely, so thanks for all the suggestions.
The thing I like about Wordpress themes is that there are so many to choose from and they’re very customisable.
Jauhari
July 8th, 2008 10:32 am
My Favourite is 30April, Grid, Simple and elegant for me ;)
Glenn Abel
July 8th, 2008 11:19 am
Revolution rocks, but yeah they’re getting overused.
check out Revolution Biz used for a site/blog on cell phones and driving:
http://handsfreeinfo.com/
Susan
July 8th, 2008 12:50 pm
Arthemia is a very good theme: New Wordpress Themes Arthemia
Ganesh
July 8th, 2008 1:39 pm
I love the Copyblogger theme by Chris Pearson. It looks very flexible. I just like the custom-designed themes used by big blogs like John Chow, the Net Fool and the University Kid.
Lenin Nair
July 9th, 2008 12:16 am
I used the WordPress Premium Brown template for sometime (with some slight tweaks I did, including three tabs, the last for archives) but that was not a success. I found the visitors dipping in number and got so many bounces. So, decided to drop the cool template after all.
Lenin
Jennae @ Green Your Decor
July 9th, 2008 12:56 am
I’m going to recommend the Thesis theme by Chris Pearson: http://www.diythemes.com/thesis
It is great for SEO, and even though the template is very basic in terms of looks, it offers endless options for customization. Look at my blog for a good example. It was worth every penny of the $87 I paid for it. Of course, it helps that I’m a graphic designer and was able to do all of the customization myself :)
Rob
July 9th, 2008 7:27 am
I’m using a theme by Sadish called Glorious Future. I’ve tweaked it beyond recognition.
I’m enjoying clicking on the links to see what people find pleasing and what they’re using themselves - not always the same thing at all, which to me is quite interesting.
My readers want me to keep the picture at the top of my blog, and I like the minimalist functionality of 2 columns and low color, so I don’t have many options, even among the great ones peope have posted. If anyone has any suggestions as to another theme I could use, I’d love to hear them.
Jake
July 9th, 2008 9:56 am
My site, themoviespace.com, uses the Chimera Pro theme from themespinner.com, and it has worked very well for me. It comes with some great pre-loaded plugins and is easy to manage for me.
Stefan Lundberg
July 9th, 2008 10:43 am
Many great tips here! My personal favorite is the diamond of simplliticy: the 1024px theme by Andreas Viklund. It have the Swedish version of the theme, and it is just everything I want a theme to be. Google “1024px theme for wordpress” and you’ll find it.
Carol
July 9th, 2008 5:42 pm
I would recommend Wordpress Themes of ChiQ Montes at http://www.wpthemedesigner.com
I really love all the themes, specially with the banner ads and sometimes magazine style yet very modern! recommended!!
John Richardson
July 9th, 2008 8:16 pm
Lot’s of interesting comments. My experience in using WP themes is that what I like changes depending on what I’m trying to accomplish. Like a number of other commenters, I like Revolution’s themes - http://www.revolutiontheme.com/
Also, I have used themes by http://www.solostream.com/ . Several of these themes have a nice three-column layout, which is my prefered layout at the moment.
I just recently revamped my blog and am using the ad-clerum template (a 3-col), which can be found on the themes.wordpress.net site. There are hundreds of free themes here.
Using ad-clerum, I’ve developed my site at http://www.globalinvestmentwatch.com.
River Girl
July 10th, 2008 12:47 am
I have to agree with Gabe. I am using Fresh News by Adii and Magnus Jepson on my new blog:
http://www.asktheboater.com/
It allows a great deal of customization, and they offer great support for non techies.
Hning
July 10th, 2008 7:30 am
I though, Mimbo Pro. Easy to be customized, readable enough… Comes later is Live Wire, Compact design…
Good day Darren!
Stephen
July 10th, 2008 8:08 am
I have decided to use the Revolution Pro theme which is great for my artwork.
Slick, easy to use, loads of features and Brian Gardner was very responsive to my emails.
My site: http://www.stephenhedger.com
Alex -S-
July 10th, 2008 8:16 am
Two i’m really liking just now:
http://www.wpelements.com/2008/05/08/introducing-the-tvelements-wordpress-theme/ - Toying with the idea of adding this to my family blog to showcase the stunning family home movies!!!
And the twitter clone, which i forget the name of!! :)
Eli
July 10th, 2008 1:00 pm
I’m going to have to go with Brian Gardner’s Revolution Theme Series.
I’ve used many themes over the last couple of years but here’s why I’ve leaned more towards Revolution.
1. They have a pretty good mix of themes. So, whether you want to do a formal newspaper type layout, or something more personal, it’s possible to find a decent fit.
2. I’m not a coder so going into some of these themes and trying to change a picture or make some other minor adjustment can be dangerous to say the least. In other words, the html code is disorganized and it’s almost impossible to figure out what goes where. Brian has done a great job in making things easy to read and it definitely makes life easier.
3. They also offer good support and a nice forum. Some of the themes that are offered around the web were borrowed from other sites and they don’t really offer and help when it comes to problems that pop up from time to time.
You can see a live version of Revolution’s Magazine theme on http://www.BabyBoomerAdvisorClub.com .
clem
July 10th, 2008 8:46 pm
I use Branford Magazine for my website http://www.quitsmoking-review.com . I think it is one of the better templates out there because it is customizable and the front tabs are a nice touch
Toblerone @ Simple Mom
July 10th, 2008 11:44 pm
My theme is Thesis by Chris Pearson, and I get compliments on it daily. I highly recommend it! http://pearsonified.com
Burt
July 11th, 2008 1:37 am
I use a customized version of Ad-Clerum for a Big Brothers Big Sisters blog. See it at http://www.MyLittleAndI.comhttp://MyLittleAndI.com
Ameeluv
July 11th, 2008 9:11 am
Options by Justin Adlock,
i like this template… it is current what is in use on my wordpress blog.. tho I use blogger more lately
River Girl
July 11th, 2008 10:42 pm
To update my previous post, Fresh News, a Premium News Theme which I use on
http://www.asktheboater.com/
is now part of Woo Themes. They just released this new company which has a themes club.
Soccer Dad
July 11th, 2008 10:46 pm
I use a port of Refresh for my extremely neglected plugins site (oh to find more time to code..). It’s fun because I was able to port it to bbPress so the forums integrate very well.
My main site is getting uglier by the day - just been putting off a theme upgrade for a long time. Not sure I can much longer.
Foodguy
July 12th, 2008 2:59 am
I’m using the “Structure” theme by Justin Tadlock. It has many customizable widgets that are all drag-drop. You can see it in action here: http://blog.mygourmetonline.com
Serge
July 16th, 2008 12:42 am
For me K2 rocks!
Kevin
July 17th, 2008 6:03 am
I would definitely have to go with Chris Pearson’s premium Thesis theme. I bought it, am using it, and absolutely love the slickness and functionalities Thesis provides.
It’s obvious Chris has put a lot of thought into his design. A definite winner in my book.
Adrian | Rubiqube
July 17th, 2008 11:39 pm
When it comes to Wordpress themes, I always like to design my own custom theme. And I have the annoying habit of redesigning my blog once a couple of months.
My advice to every blogger out there: get a custom theme! Even if it’s a free theme with a couple of tweaks and color changes, it’s better than being just a another WP blog. Personalize!
But if I were to choose a free theme, I would go for a white background, clean, widget ready theme. You know what they say… less is more. Look at Apple!
Chris
July 18th, 2008 5:54 am
I’ll second the earlier vote for Derek Punsalan’s work. I’m using his wonderful Grid Focus design on several personal blogs, including The Half Man Half Biscuit Lyrics Project.
River Girl
July 31st, 2008 8:43 pm
People may be interested in the theme club that WOO Themes has so they could have the ability to have multiple themes to choose from. Their technical support is excellent so that you can customize.
Matt
August 4th, 2008 9:08 am
Mine http://www.flashessential.com
is a re-design of http://5thirtyone.com/the-unstandard which you can download for free.
Keral Patel
August 12th, 2008 2:51 am
Mine is freshy 2.0
I am using that with bit of modifications on my own blog at http://www.keralpatel.com
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