A Week of Responsive Themes
Posted by download in Software on 08-01-2013
A new year. A new beginning. A new theme?
This week, we’ll highlight our responsive themes on WordPress.com. Maybe you’ll find a new design that’s perfect for your site in 2013.
Of 220+ themes in the WordPress.com Theme Showcase, over 50 themes are responsive: they provide a tailored layout depending on the device you’re using. In other words, sites using our responsive themes will look their best not only on desktop browsers, but also on devices with smaller screens, such as the iPad and iPhone. In our Theme Showcase, you can sort through these themes by selecting the “responsive width” feature.
Today, tomorrow, and Thursday, we’ll highlight some of our responsive themes and share how WordPressers showcase their work with these layouts. On Friday, we’ll unveil a new theme which — like many of our new themes — is responsive.
First up: Ever After and Sight.
Ever After
Nat, the bookbinder behind The Smallest Forest, has more than just another arts and crafts blog. Sifting through her posts is very much like turning the delicate pages of a beautifully crafted, handmade book.
The Smallest Forest
Her post series on Designing a Creative Travel Journal is worth a look — she approaches her craft projects with both meticulousness and love. Ever After is a wonderful theme for this blog — its wide one-column layout shows off her colorful creations, close-up shots, and how-to images. If you activate Ever After on your site, your content and photographs will look their best on the smaller screens of iPads, iPhones, and other mobile devices as well.
Another blog using this theme, Sandy Anger Studios, publishes an assortment of lovely wedding photographs and family and couple portraits. Take a peek at snapshots of a backyard wedding in St. Thomas, Ontario, and an elegant fall event in Morriston, Ontario, to see more examples of this responsive theme.
Sight
Jessica, an architecture student in New York, explores a number of topics on her blog, Architessica. In addition to architecture and urban design, Jessica writes about the environment, historic preservation, and the history and development of New York City (and beyond). Her blog’s name is boldly displayed at the top — an immediate way the Sight theme grabs a reader’s attention.
Architessica
Simple yet elegant, Sight works for a personal blog like Architessica. The featured slider on the home page allows her to highlight specific content with a prominent featured image — which is perfect given her array of interests. Sight is also appropriate for other types of sites, such as online magazines. The theme has numerous customizable features — menus, a header and background, and more — and the layout looks great on all devices.
Check out Sight in action on another notable blog, Everyday Ambassador. A collaborative site, Everyday Ambassador supports the movement for responsible global citizenship in a digital world, focusing on individual public service and grassroots diplomacy. Posts are published by multiple authors, and the theme presents their content in an accessible way. Versatile and responsive, Sight is a great choice.
Go Mobile
We’ve just highlighted themes that look their best on all screen sizes, including mobile devices. You can enable a mobile theme on your own site in your dashboard by going to Appearance » Mobile. Check “yes” next to “Enable mobile theme” and click “Update.”
And if you haven’t browsed WordPress on your mobile device, learn more about our apps:
Tomorrow, we’ll highlight two more responsive themes: Oxygen and Confit (which we recently launched at the end of November).
