templater

Posted at 27 Dec 5:59 pm. 0 comments

Finding a new Wordpress template is such a pain in the arse.

Not because of lack of variety – there are thousands out there on Google.

Not because I favor only a particular look – I appreciate minimalism, adore complicated, bandwidth-intense graphics, have a soft spot for grunge.

I’m just picky. Each layout must adhere to a list of guidelines I’ve built over the years:

• Layouts should have ample space for text without the reader having to scroll down multiple times to finish a post. The two-column layout most often fits this criteria and the next, with some tweaking to expand the writable space.
• There should be space for links on the same page. Not necessarily tag clouds and calendars and the whole hoopla, but at least categories and a list of links out. The important things users might click.
• My posts contain a lot of text. Text is easier to read on a white background, even though I have a secret fetish for their black or dark counterparts. Backgrounds must therefore be white or very light.
• I have a strange dislike for Times New Roman used for headers. I think it makes things look very unprofessional, rather childish. I’m not averse to the occasional use of Arial, but strongly prefer Verdana. It’s very neat.
• I have a soft spot for user-configurable layouts. Readers can pick their preferred background image? Brilliant. Something to keep them at my page when the mundane details of my life bore them.
• I really hate it when the header graphic takes up most of my screen when I load the page. I immediately dismiss the layout from consideration. The picture is not the focus of this blog. My writing is. Attention! Attention! Attention! Me, me, me!