I am new to this whole wordpress thing, i am using wordpress.org to run my companies blog i was wondering if anyone has any insights as to what i should be looking for with regards to the themes?
I looked at all 800+/- that they have on wordpress and another few hundred on other sites. I do not mind paying for a theme but i need one that i can work with.
My requirements are simple it needs to be a clean cut blog, with the ability to play around with the colors (hence the CSS) and the ability to either get my logo on the top of the page as part of the theme or be able to play around enough with the HTML to create a box (or something) at the top of the page in order to put my logo there…
I already have a designer to do all the CSS and or HTML stuff that needs to be done…
You can make your own theme if you like, for example, by taking the default theme and manipulating it. In that sense, you can create any design you want. As you know, there are many, many predesigned themes you can use, too, so it’s up to you which way you go. But you are normally able to change the logo, colors etc, of these themes via the WordPress control panel.
My dislike of off-the-shelf themes is based on the idea that the design should be made to fit the content (the important bit!) rather than the other way around, so be careful of that. A pretty design that doesn’t fit the content isn’t much use.
I know that I am going to be “yelled at” for suggesting this, but I have been using this program since it came out in 2008 and have had no issues with it until just recently when they went and “mucked it up” as per the latest Release Candidate. If the final release is like the RC, then I’m done. That program is Artisteer. Version 4.1 has been working well for me. I have the latest “pro” version of TemplateToaster and that one has taken leaps and bound lately and they are actively updating it.
Say what you want about this type of program, but they get the job done quickly for me and the results are exactly what I intended. As for “bloat” and validation, well, WordPress’ own default themes aren’t all that “svelte” and don’t validate either
I’m not going to yell
But I certainly would recommend to ~not~ use Artisteer. I’ve seen too many posts in this forum about problems with Artisteer. And more than one Artisteer SPAM post - any product that needs to SPAM to get word out is suspect to me.
Nothing personal, but if you’ve looked at ~800 themes and didn’t see any you liked, I doubt if any members that don’t know your tastes are going to be able to help you find something that you do like.
As ralph.m mentioned, most if not all themes will allow you to modify the colors and add a logo.
And as ralph.m suggested, creating your own “clean cut” theme is probably the way to go, especially since you “already have a designer to do all the CSS and or HTML stuff that needs to be done”. IMHO if he can’t code up a theme for you, you probably don’t want him coding for you.
I like the 2010 Theme myself and have used it several times. It has very nice clean lines and I believe you can make the customizations you require.
For specific niches, like Beauty Salons, I would search google for “free wordpress themes”.
The free themes on WordPress.org will probably provide you with a theme that will suit your needs. Lots of good ones on there recently. If not then you wouldn’t have to pay much more than a few bucks to geta really good theme.
