One of the most important aspects of my project is finding the correct theme. I scoured the internet and download all the ones that caught my eye, then FTP’d them into my WordPress. I previewed each of them, took screenshots, and made notes of what I did and didn’t like in each theme.
I made an Imgur album with each of my screenshots, which can be found here.
To organize my thoughts, I am going to write some of my thoughts on each theme, in the same order as they appear in my Imgur album (other than that, they’re in no particular order).
1. F8 Lite
My favorite aspect of F8 is the featured image. I think this may be essential for my blog. I also like how clean and simple it is. The type is nice, the menus are unobtrusive, and there seems to be plenty of options for this theme. This one is definitely at the top of my list and contains many of the things I want in my blog.
2. Grain
I also like this one for the featured image. I also like it for the dark black and gray design. I don’t like the textured background as much, or the chunky headline text, but perhaps that is editable with a little work.
3. iq2
This theme looked great in the preview; the background is dark and it’s simple. However, when I activated this theme I found it very hard and confusing to navigate.
4. Linquist
Probably my least favorite. It’s simple enough, but there’s no featured image, and I dislike the background color and helvetica headline and reflection. There is nothing especially nice or appealing in this theme.
5. Sharpfolio
This theme seems to be similar to grain, but lacking the featured image.
6. Viewport
I really like how the caption and photo name are highlighted by being blocked off, but it’s unfortunate that they cover the photo — in my opinion that’s unacceptable for a photo blog.
7. Vinica
The design of this one really appeals to me. It’s simple, displays the photos nicely, and has an awesome sidebar, including links to Twitter/Facebook/etc. That’s important to me because I’d like to follow Derek O’Brien’s (Appicture) example and make corresponding Twitter/Facebook/etc pages for my blog.
What I’ve learned
In my blog, I’d most like the option of featured image (as seen in F8 Lite), but the option of a header image is OK as well. I’ve also learned that I prefer a more “minimalist” type of design that still contains the essentials, like the great sidebar in Vinica. I’ve also come across some beautiful paid themes, but I’m not sure if paying upwards of $90 for a theme is an option for me.