15 Incredible WordPress Theme Customizations
Posted December 18, 2008 in Web Design 73 Comments »
Given the quality of WordPress, it’s no surprise that it’s become the platform of choice for many web professionals.
Due to its incredible popularity, though, the majority of WordPress sites look very similar. It can be hard to find a site without the same-old header, footer, and sidebar that is seen on the majority of themes.
But those sites do exist. If you look hard enough, you can find the incredibly talented designers that take WordPress to an entirely different level. By combining an eye for design, technical know-how, and a sense of “outside-of-the-box” thinking, these designers create customizations that make you wonder how you lived without Wordpress as your CMS.
Check out the sites below for 15 of these impressive theme customizations, and see what can happen when you take the standard function of WordPress and step it up a notch.
The Alamo Basement
The Alamo Basement
The Alamo Basement is the portfolio site of Illustrator, Kelly K. You should visit this site during different times of the day, as it “knows” whether to display the daytime scene pictured above, or a nighttime version, instead. The header graphic is a creative flash animation, with thumbnail graphics of Kelly’s illustrations below. The home page takes on a very narrow content area, void of the typical sidebar that most WordPress driven sites utilize. The site also features voting hearts you can use to “love” a particular piece. This is a twist on the common voting stars typically found on the CSS design inspiration galleries.
BubblesSOC
BubblesSOC
BubblesSOC is the personal web site of Computer Science and Mathematics student, Sidney Collins. Sidney’s blog has a light and feminine design to it that puts a twist on the standard WordPress blog elements. Everything is there as with your typical blog, but the layout is anything but average. I was particularly drawn to the sites primary navigation links. Most sites will display it’s main links either across the top of the page, or in list format in the sidebar. However Sidney has chosen to rotate her links going up across the top side of the page making them pop.
Carolina Jesus
Carolina Jesus
One of my favorite sites on this list is the portfolio site of Video Game Environment Artist, Carolina Jesus. You actually have to be fairly attentive to see the screen above, as it quickly scrolls down to the teaser About content (you’ll want to click for more to view this part of the page). This is essentially a one page web site with different sections, utilizing jQuery (a JavaScript library) for the primary navigation. Rather than clicking on links that load a new page, the navigation links on the site will automatically scroll the content from one area to another. It’s a creative technique that I’ve seen used on other web sites, however this is the first time I’ve seen it utilized with WordPress.
Casimir Lancaster
Casimir Lancaster
Casimir Lancaster is an Interactive Marketing Firm whose web site takes on a non-traditional WordPress theme design. When looking at the content pages of the site, it is difficult to tell that it is even run on WordPress. This is another site that does not utilize the typical sidebar, and is a classic example of WordPress as a CMS, as it is strictly a brochure and portfolio type web site, without a blog.
GoMediaZine
GoMediaZine
GoMediaZine is a tutorial site for Graphic Designers. While this blog utilizes most of the common WordPress layout items, it’s grunge style gives it an unique look and feel. One element that is not common with your average WordPress theme is the use of small blocks with content teasers on the home page. Most often used on magazine style themes, the GoMediaZine site displays the three most recent posts in a single column format with full sized images for emphasis, followed by additional post excerpts in a smaller two column layout with thumbnail images. Most sites display either full content or excerpts in a strictly single column format in the content area. Seeing the multi-column teaser blocks is a refreshing change.
The Horizontal Way
The Horizontal Way
The Horizontal Way is a showcase of web sites that display content from left to right with horizontal scrolling, rather than traditional vertical scrolling. This technique can be controversial, but if done well, is a nice change of pace and an interesting technique to explore — particularly for sites that want to showcase photos or other images. The horizontal format is one that I’ve seen on several web sites in the past, but is certainly not something I would associate with WordPress. The site also offers a free download of the basic horizontal WordPress theme, that you can further customize for your own needs.
The Idiot Behind the Iron Mask
The Idiot Behind the Iron Mask
The Idiot Behind the Iron Mask is the personal blog of Wan Zafran. While Wan’s site does indeed utilize many typical WordPress blog elements, the individual pieces are not positioned where you would expect to find them. Some customizations include placement of the post excerpt and metatdata (such as date, category, etc.) into the sidebar. Something particularly unique is the location of the comment form in the sidebar, as opposed to being placed in the main content area. What caught my eye the most on this site is the Archive page, which places the month and category links in a style that is visually similar to that of Magnetic Poetry.
Łukasz Adamczak
Łukasz Adamczak
Łukasz Adamczak is a Web Designer / Developer whose web site serves as both a portfolio and blog. You’ll find that most WordPress driven web sites use one header, footer and sidebar throughout the entire site. What’s unique about Łukasz’s (non-English) site is that it uses unique headers on each of the main sections, featuring a different graphic and text to portray that particular section. My own portfolio site uses this technique as well. By giving each page it’s own unique header graphic, Łukasz is able to maintain the same look and feel of the site, but give it a bit of a twist since most WordPress driven sites don’t take this extra step.
Monofactor
Monofactor
Monofactor is the portfolio and blog of Art Director / Designer, Onur Oztaskiran. This site is another of my favorites on the list for it’s very clean yet detailed design (ie. highlights and shading). Onur’s site also makes use of unique headers and sidebars to take the default WordPress setup to the next level. What’s particularly impressive about this theme is the use of JavaScript effects on the home page to highlight some Onur’s equally impressive portfolio pieces. This isn’t something you’ll find on one of the free WordPress themes — you’ll need to know what you’re doing (or hire a professional Web Designer to do it for you), but with similar customizations, it’s easy to see just how versatile WordPress can be.
Natalia Devalle
Natalia Devalle
Perhaps my favorite site on this list, is the personal web site of freelance Web Designer, Natalia Devalle. Utilizing a dark and grey-scale version of the current trend of wood texture backgrounds, Natalia brings a unique home page design to her WordPress driven site. The site’s primary navigation is incredibly creative — far from the standard row or list of links found on most web sites. Better yet, the navigation “collage” remains constant on the screen, regardless of scrolling. Of particular interest is the lifestream page, which shows recent highlights of Natalia’s activities on Twitter, Last.fm, Flickr and other popular social media web sites. Lifestreams are another emerging trend, with the increasing popularity of social media (something I’d eventually like to incorporate into my own site as well!)
SofaSurfer
SofaSurfer
SofaSurfer is a freelance Web Designer portfolio that also follows the design trend of using a grey-scale wood textured background. What’s unique about this WordPress driven web site is that on the surface it appears to be nothing more than a one page portfolio site that utilizes a Lightbox JavaScript plugin to create the enlarge image effect. Checking the source code, however, will show you that each of the portfolio pieces are actually individual blog posts. As the individual projects are not linked to separate posts you would never know the difference, thinking they were all coded onto a static home page.
Studio Racket
Studio Racket
Studio Racket is the design studio of Multimedia Artists, Paul Mosig and Rachel Peachey. Serving as both a portfolio and blog, the site features a unique header navigation which is a flowchart-like illustration linking to the various areas of the site. This is one of the more creative navigation menus that I’ve come across. I’ve of course seen many image based links, but the illustrative flowchart is a nice touch. This site utilizes a few different sidebars, most notably one setup for the home page vs a different one for the interior content pages. A fairly simple customization in WordPress that can make all the difference.
Thomas Haemmerli
Thomas Haemmerli
Thomas Haemmerli is a Swiss Author whose (non-English) web site features an incredibly crisp, clean and bright design. I can’t say anything for the content which appears to be written in German, however the design does not follow the traditional WordPress blog layout. There is a nice CSS design to the comment form fields, but otherwise you wouldn’t specifically know that the web site is primarily a blog (other than the dated posts). This is another site without the typical blog sidebars and widgets, etc. The ample white space helps give the site a professional yet fresh feel, that does not scream WordPress.
Twiistup
Twiistup
Twiistup is a California based web site working to “connect people from technology, media and entertainment.” The site features a fresh and colorful design with seemingly floating content boxes, some of which incorporate elements from other social media (such as Flickr and Twitter). The site also utilizes individual page templates in order to incorporate separeate header and sidebar files, depending on which page the user is on.
Web Designer Wall
Web Designer Wall
Web Designer Wall is a tutorial site for Web Designers. The blog, designed and maintained by Illustrator / Web Designer, Nick La, is perhaps the most traditional WordPress site on this list. However the design itself is unique enough that I felt it was more than worthy of a mention. Web Designer Wall has a very light and airy design to it and is far from average. What’s most unique about this site is the use of hand created elements in the form of hand written fonts, custom illustrations, torn paper, etc. With this being a post about WordPress theme customization, Web Designer Wall is the perfect compliment, as there are MANY helpful posts with inspriation, trends and tutorials explaining how to create and customize WordPress themes. It’s a resource that I use on a regular basis, and one you might find to be very helpful as well!
Finding Inspiration
I personally find the web sites above to be incredibly inspiring — so much, so that I’m thinking it’s about time for a re-design of my own site in the near future. The inevitable curse of any Web Designer is the borderline obsessive/compulsive desire to re-create our own web sites on an all too frequent basis!
As inspiration for this post I was fortunate enough to come across 10 Excellent Sources for WordPress Design Inspiration on Vandelay Design. As far as general design goes, there are many CSS design galleries where you can get your fix of web design eye-candy. This article on Vandelay Design, however, pointed me straight to incredible WordPress specific inspiration. All of the web sites featured in this post came from one or more of the sources in the Vandelay Design article.
More Web Design Resources from FreelanceFolder
If you like this list of WordPress theme customizations, you might also enjoy these other web design posts from FreelanceFolder:
- 15 Key Elements All Top Web Sites Should Have
- 30+ Examples of Big, Bold, and Beautiful Website Navigation Menus
- 10 SEO Techniques All Top Web Sites Should Use
- 10 Essential Plugins Every Modern Wordpress Site Should Have
- Top 10 Biggest Website Redesigns of All Time
What Inspires You?
Do any of the sites featured above particularly “speak” to you?
Have you seen other truly amazing WordPress driven web sites that, well… don’t look like a WordPress driven site?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below – I’m sure we’d all love to find new ways to customize WordPress!
About the author: Selene M. Bowlby is a web designer and front-end web developer with over 10 years of professional experience in the design industry. After taking the "freelance plunge" in 2008, she runs her company, iDesign Studios full time, where she specializes in creating custom web sites for other businesses.
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73 Comments
Pavel Ciorici
December 18th, 2008 at 3:33 pmReally incredible designs :) I can’t believe some of them are wordpress based :)
Stiennon
December 18th, 2008 at 3:41 pmNice stuff. Thank you for collecting these. Gives me some ideas. What I like most about WordPress is the large community of designers/developers that support it!
-Richard
Jeremy
December 18th, 2008 at 3:49 pmWow, excellent list, I love seeing people push Wordpress design to a new level. Big fan of Monofactor, I really dig that design and of course WebDesignerWall.com. They’re all nice, thanks for sharing these. I am quite sure yours could find it’s way onto the list as well.
Luiz Lopes
December 18th, 2008 at 3:50 pmAwesome,
I really liked Natalia Devalle’s design, and according to her site I’m not the only one… (http://tinyurl.com/5y52sm)
Great stuff Selene.
Tony
December 18th, 2008 at 4:07 pmHello Selene!
I would like to add another website to the list of “Incredible WordPress Theme Customizations” ..
Here is an example of a Blog posts listing:
http://www.antongigov.com/category/t-shirts/
And here is how the actual blog post looks like:
http://www.antongigov.com/t-shirts/the-mighty-twitter/
Hope you like it!
Renkai
December 18th, 2008 at 4:34 pmThey’re all excellent. i have to say I particularly love the Carolina Jesus site
Franklin Bishop
December 18th, 2008 at 5:06 pmAwesome list!
Morten
December 18th, 2008 at 6:09 pmI stumbled across this one yesterday. It should definitely be on your list: clean, well designed, lots of interactivity and nothing like the standard WP blogs we all love to hate:
http://wp.therubicon.org/
Ukion
December 18th, 2008 at 6:21 pmHi,
I like to switch my blog platform from Blogger to Wordpress. For sure I can choose one of these themes. Does anyone knows how to keep my pagerank if I switch to wordpress?
Ukion
Jon Phillips
December 18th, 2008 at 7:16 pmYup, WordPress is simply a content management system. I don’t see WP as a blogging platform, even though that’s what most people use it for, it can do so much more than output a list of posts in reverse chronological order :)
Robert "Butch" Greenawalt
December 18th, 2008 at 8:24 pmAs someone who doesn’t design, I think I perhaps have a greater appreciation of what can be done if it is put into the right hands. If I may be so bold as to offer a couple more names to your list I personally also like the themes from
http://www.jdidit.com/
http://www.revolutiontwo.com/
The designer of this particular site from China was unfortunately unreachable, but I thought she did a remarkable job combining a zencart shopping cart solution and blog page together. Her name was Winnie Lim and the site was
http://fabrikade.sg/index.php
It would be really nice to see a list of designers who have integrated WP into ecommerce solutions as CMS as that is my current goal.
Thank you agin for the excellent post it was indeed inspirational.
Cheers,
Honour Chick
December 18th, 2008 at 8:46 pmwow… very beautiful customizations :)
Janet Martin
December 18th, 2008 at 9:40 pmThanks! These are very inspirational.
James Chartrand - Men with Pens
December 18th, 2008 at 9:58 pmLove Carolina Jesus’ site – the temple in her portfolio is stunning.
These were really nice choices, Selene. Thanks!
Ray Hernandez
December 19th, 2008 at 1:01 amI really hope I’m not gloating, but MyBabyOurBaby.com is powered by wordpress mu. And I personally don’t think it looks like it’s wordpress at all.
http://www.mybabyourbaby.com
Ivan Blatter
December 19th, 2008 at 5:20 amCool list!
BTW: Thomas Haemmerli is a Swiss blogger not a Swedish one. But that’s no problem, a lot of people mix up Sweden and Switzerland. But these are two different countries. I have to know it, I am Swiss. :-)
Oh, and yes, the blog of Haemmerli is in German.
Jobs Portal
December 19th, 2008 at 6:30 amthats a great list selen i really like the monofactor site that’s my favorite i cant believe that some of them are wordpress
WebGlad
December 19th, 2008 at 3:53 pmIt’s not nearly as un-WP as your killer examples; but, I think we did an okay job bending WP a little out of its typical groove with this site:
http://www.iboughtapogo.com/
thanks… nice feature!
DKumar M.
December 20th, 2008 at 7:46 amNice collection !! Some of the my Inspiration too…
DKumar M.
John Dawson Photography
December 21st, 2008 at 1:29 pmVery good… I always like seeing how far people are able to push Wordpress…
David
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:44 amThank you so much for these great Wordpress sites that think ‘outisde the box’! Many of them are very inspiring! ^_^
Kepri
December 28th, 2008 at 2:31 amExcellence design. Very useful for me to find new idea.
Tracey Grady
December 30th, 2008 at 7:20 amSelene, well done on getting together this collection. It’s easily one of the most inspiring blog articles I’ve read this year. I will be redesigning my site in 2009 and I now have several new sources of inspiration thanks to these sites. I especially like The Alamo Basement and Studio Racket.
Srecko Bradic
December 31st, 2008 at 11:30 amVery interesting list!!!
Selene M. Bowlby
January 5th, 2009 at 12:42 pmThanks for all the great comments, everyone! I’m glad you like the sites featured in the post. With 2009 upon us, I know I’ll be checking back on many of these sites for inspiration as I update my own site, as well!
Claire
January 12th, 2009 at 12:41 pmUnfortunately the design I would really love to use does not come in a WordPress ready template. I love The Horizontal Way, but it does not come in WP, unless I missed something. I really wish it did.
I am only a novice, but I found an article and I may take a shot at making it WordPress ready. It’s for a cartoon blog, and the layout would conducive to the drawings and the display of one week’s worth at a time. It’s a very innovative use of css!
Selene M. Bowlby
January 12th, 2009 at 1:40 pmHi Claire,
You’re in luck! The Horizontal Way does actually have a template file available for download (you can find it on the “What’s This / About” link). I haven’t downloaded it so I’m not sure what is included (it might be a pared down design for example) but it’ll surely include the horizontal scrolling format.
I believe all of the others are custom designs, this might be the only one that actually gives you a template file for download.
Claire
January 12th, 2009 at 4:38 pmThank you so much for the reply! I did see the template and I downloaded it. It’s a very “bare bones” starter template. I know enough to customize the template for a website, and I know how to work with WordPress — it’s translating a regular template into a WP template that I have never attempted before. I am rolling up the sleeves though. I am sure it will be a learning experience.
You have a very informative website!
Selene M. Bowlby
January 13th, 2009 at 7:40 amBest of luck to you, Claire! There’s definitely a lot involved, but if you are familiar with each, it won’t be too long before you can put the two together! And at that point, the possibilities will be endless!
serhat
January 27th, 2009 at 1:28 pmthese are wonderful
Mike
February 25th, 2009 at 10:24 pmThe pages of Monofactor and Natalia Devalle really “got” me! These sites are all pretty amazing, but these two just .. they are just really nice!
Bjarni
March 8th, 2009 at 10:58 pmloving the http://studioracket.org/ website, nice detail in the floorboards, actually nice detail everywhere.
David S
March 10th, 2009 at 11:59 pmThe Idiot Behind the Iron Mask is not wordpress, it’s Blogger.
spellathon
March 11th, 2009 at 10:57 amThe Web Designer Wall customization has just touched my heart… its really cool
Steen Seo Öhman
March 11th, 2009 at 1:55 pmGreat collection
As a Wordpress user/developer I’m impressed by the creativity shown by all the Wordpress bloggers and developers. You can always find inspiration, help and a good idea from a fellow Wordpresser.
shoaib2k2
March 12th, 2009 at 5:31 pmNice collection
RaiulBaztepo
March 28th, 2009 at 7:42 pmHello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language ;)
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo
PiterKokoniz
April 7th, 2009 at 7:52 pmHi !! ;)
I am Piter Kokoniz. oOnly want to tell, that I’v found your blog very interesting
And want to ask you: what was the reasson for you to start this blog?
Sorry for my bad english:)
Thank you!
Piter.
Tom Hermans
April 24th, 2009 at 5:15 pmA project I’ve been involved into (in Dutch) is a video-site for business people in Belgium. Also completely wordpress based with a custom video player. http://www.manager-tv.be
BestHelen
June 5th, 2009 at 7:59 pmI have found what i was looking for !!! thx )
Olive White
August 18th, 2009 at 11:59 amReally useful and interesting page, thanks!
freelance trainer
October 18th, 2009 at 5:58 pmhi, i am a freelance trainer in bangladesh. i am eager to exchange views with you. this is just to start the discussion. hope to hear from you. tks, yakub
Hans
November 9th, 2009 at 1:52 amI like design at Thomas Haemmerli website… I really want to know how make his foto in home like that… nice info, I still reading…
BED-boy
Search Job
January 25th, 2010 at 4:04 pmI must say this is a great article i enjoyed reading it keep the good work
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