{"id":1537,"date":"2016-08-07T20:47:25","date_gmt":"2016-08-08T03:47:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2016.phoenix.wordcamp.org\/?post_type=wcb_session&p=1537"},"modified":"2016-09-29T20:12:43","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T03:12:43","slug":"you-can-make-templates-look-good","status":"publish","type":"wcb_session","link":"https:\/\/phoenix.wordcamp.org\/2016\/session\/you-can-make-templates-look-good\/","title":{"rendered":"You Can Make Templates Look Good"},"content":{"rendered":"

John Gough<\/a><\/h4>\n

Here\u2019s the tl;dr version: you can make an off-the-shelf theme look as good as a fully custom design if you know what you\u2019re doing. We can safely say that most people who use WordPress have used a consumer template at some point. Some use them build a personal site, make a few modifications, and never touch it again. Freelancers and agencies set new templates up on a monthly or weekly basis for clients. There are WordPress developers whose main source of income is from templates they\u2019ve developed and sold through sites like ThemeForest or Template Monster. Using a prebuilt theme has huge advantages: time savings for developers by using prebuilt CMS features, client confidence from knowing beforehand how a site will look and behave, and user-friendly interfaces that have often been tested and improved over multiple versions. But despite their ubiquity, there is plenty of resistance to using templates. Many clients and designers think that a site that \u201clooks like a template\u201d is cheap, unrefined, and should be inexpensive – regardless of how much time was invested into feature development or customizations. So how do you get the benefits of using a theme, and still satisfy your freelance clients and website\u2019s visitors with a unique, fresh design? In this talk we\u2019ll go through the major hurdles and show you how to overcome them with confidence: – What does a \u201ctemplate-y\u201d site even look like? We\u2019ve heard that feedback before. We may have even said it as we surfed the web. But what styles, elements, fonts, colors, or UI patterns are distinctly \u201ctemplate-y\u201d? Knowing is half the battle. – How to choose the \u201cbest\u201d template for your project Most people browse template sites looking for something that looks like the site they want to build, but that\u2019s the wrong approach. A prebuilt theme is a tool, first and foremost, and you wouldn\u2019t buy a saw based on the color of the blade. You pick the right tool for the job. – The right kind of planning \u201cWell begun is half done\u201d Aristotle famously said. Once you\u2019ve picked a theme and are familiar with its capabilities and limitations, you can plan based on what\u2019s possible, rather than trying to make a site that fits into the demo layout. Let\u2019s talk about how to do that in a modular, time-saving way. – Let\u2019s talk specifics We\u2019ve talked about what not to do, and how to get started off on the right foot. Now we\u2019ll go through side-by-side comparisons using real templates to show you how common components can be used to deliver outstanding results. By the end of the talk, you\u2019ll be able to sit confidently down in front of your next project with a better approach to planning and design, and produce a better website. Wow your clients! Impress your friends! And keep all the time-saving benefits of an excellent prebuilt theme, but don\u2019t sacrifice how it looks or performs.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u00a011:15\u00a0AM<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John Gough Here\u2019s the tl;dr version: you can make an off-the-shelf theme look as good as a fully custom design if you know what you\u2019re doing. We can safely say that most people who use WordPress have used a consumer template at some point. Some use them build a personal site, make a few modifications, … Continue reading You Can Make Templates Look Good<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15084569,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_wcpt_session_time":1475345700,"_wcpt_session_duration":3000,"_wcpt_session_type":"session","_wcpt_session_slides":"","_wcpt_session_video":"","_wcpt_speaker_id":[1495],"footnotes":""},"session_track":[174742],"session_category":[],"class_list":["post-1537","wcb_session","type-wcb_session","status-publish","hentry","wcb_track-room-2"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6gwEn-oN","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"session_date_time":{"date":"October 1, 2016","time":"11:15 AM"},"session_speakers":[{"id":"1495","slug":"john-gough","name":"John Gough","link":"https:\/\/phoenix.wordcamp.org\/2016\/speaker\/john-gough\/"}],"session_cats_rendered":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoenix.wordcamp.org\/2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sessions\/1537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoenix.wordcamp.org\/2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sessions"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoenix.wordcamp.org\/2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wcb_session"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/phoenix.wordcamp.org\/2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sessions\/1537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2937,"href":"https:\/\/phoenix.wordcamp.org\/2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sessions\/1537\/revisions\/2937"}],"speakers":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoenix.wordcamp.org\/2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/speakers\/1495"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoenix.wordcamp.org\/2016\/wp-json\/wporg\/v1\/users\/johngough"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoenix.wordcamp.org\/2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wcb_track","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoenix.wordcamp.org\/2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/session_track?post=1537"},{"taxonomy":"wcb_session_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoenix.wordcamp.org\/2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/session_category?post=1537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}