Customization on Wordpress.org - Getting Started (Guide Series Part 2)

Why is my blog so BLAH?

When you start off at Wordpress.org, your blog defaults to their “Kubrick” theme, a very basic blue and white two-column setup. It’s not bad, but it’s not very exciting – and if you’ve been in the blogosphere for awhile, you know how fun (and important) it is to make your blog scream “me me me!”

Wordpress.org only comes with two themes pre-loaded, Kubrick and another boring one. However, since you mastered FTP in my last guide (Self-Hosting on Wordpress – Getting Started), you are fully prepared to take advantage of the hundreds of free themes out there that are made specifically for Wordpress.org blogs. The options will make your head spin. In a good way.

Let’s have a look.

Where do I start?

You need a theme!

Wordpress itself offers tons of themes to choose from, right there on its site. At http://themes.wordpress.net you can search through hundreds of themes and filter them based on what you want – by color, number of columns, custom headers, widgets, CSS, ad-ready, and so many other options. Just flip through the pages for awhile if you’re not entirely sure what you want… something will strike you.

These themes have installation FAQs, download statistics, installation information (for your handy-dandy FTP) and previews.

I use a theme called Mandigo, and I got it off themes.wordpress.net. It lets me customize my header graphic, my color scheme, my number of columns, how I want posts and dates to appear… and I can do it all without using any code. Some themes do require you to use code if you want to make changes, but Mandigo was a great choice for me because it’s really just a fill-in-the-blank sort of thing. Once I got a little braver, I learned how to load a background graphic instead of just using a plain color, and load a new header instead of using the ones on there. Mandigo has a user-supported wiki for forums and tip-sharing among users.

Why not try and do it yourself?

The worst you can do is screw up some pictures and use a different theme, right?

I found an image online that I just loved. It cost me $35 from iStockphoto and I built my own header with that image in Adobe InDesign. Now I am really NOT good at InDesign and all I did were some basic things like adding a background and a title, but now I have a custom header! Since Mandigo allows custom headers, I just followed the FTP instructions and dropped it in.

I also made my own background file. For this, I just copied a bunch of text from my old posts and saved it as a graphic (also in InDesign). Again, there were FTP instructions about where to put the file, and then BOOM! New, custom background. You can use these tricks even if you don’t make the images yourself.

And like I said, if you screw it up, just go back to the premades. No harm done.

But I didn't see anything I like on the Wordpress site...

There are so many more places to go! Free Wordpress themes are everywhere. Just Google the term “free wordpress theme” and you’ll get almost 19 million results. I’m sure they’re not all entirely applicable, but suffice to say, you’ve got choices.

Here are a few places I checked out before choosing my Mandigo theme:

But I'm STILL not finding what I want.

I have this vision in my head of what I want my site to look like, but none of these themes are right! And what’s with all this extra cash in my pocket?

Custom Designs

If you have a vision in your head of exactly how you want your blog to look, a custom design may be right for you. Web design services offer everything from pre-made headers where they just fill in your site name, to full-blown makeovers. Some will even do all the installation for you, so you don’t have to worry about a thing!

Check out designers’ portfolios to find a designer who has done work similar to what you prefer. If the designer’s work is mostly cute and flowery and you want a gritty, tough look, you may not be a match. Find someone with experience in the type of art you prefer.

Make sure you and your designer can communicate openly. You’re paying after all, so your wishes should be respected – but remember, your designer knows more about this than you do. He or she can tell you what is or is not possible, what will or will not look good, etc.

Prices for custom work can range from $10 for a simple pre-made header to many hundreds of dollars. Up-and-coming designers are great for bloggers on a budget because you can often get lower prices as those designers try to build up their portfolios and their client bases.