A New Cleaner Look
The latest version of Fathom the Unknown is the result of wanting something even more simple and cleaner looking. Some of the best blogs I have read are also the most basic with no fancy themes to draw your attention away from the content. Although, some of the newer themes popping up around the web are appealing. They boast elaborate collage-like backgrounds and hand drawn accents that make it look like you’re viewing some sort of scrapbook. I know I’m not ready for that yet so I went with basic for my approach.
The first thing I did was upgrade to WordPress 2.5.1 and strip it down to the basic installation. Then, I wrote the basic templates using minimal css. Essentially, I created a simple sandbox theme. I started playing around with the code and css then added some of the things that I liked from previous themes. What I ended up with was a patchwork of white background with black and blue text that loaded in the blink of an eye. With the header being a vital part of any website, the basic text version just wasn’t enough. I created an image header that was simple yet enough to provide a small touch of professionalism. There are only three images in the entire theme, one for the header and two for the background of the sidebar menus. Once I found the look I wanted, I installed the desired plugins and edited them to fit into the new theme.
The final product is a theme that I couldn’t be happier with using on this website. It was much easier than I thought it would be thanks to an article I found on Deziner Folio about developing a WordPress theme from scratch. It really simplified everything and allowed me to do it the way I wanted. I hope everyone likes the new cleaner look.
Keeping It Clean and Simple
After months of debating whether or not I was happy with the website, I finally came to the conclusion that it just didn’t look right. I tried many different themes but none seemed to give me the look I wanted. I was trying for a clean and simple look for my personal website. Just when I was about to give up and try a modified sandbox theme, I found Tapestry by Brian Gardner. It gives me the clean and simple look I was shooting for and, after a few minor modifications and upgrading to WordPress version 2.3.1, I’m pretty excited about the end results. Clean and simple really works for me.
Upgrading WordPress was a fairly simple task. As with any version upgrade, several of the plugins I was using stopped working. I wasn’t really all that concerned since I planned on doing a total overhaul. Simplifying the website was a priority but proved more difficult than expected. I spent hours searching for and testing different themes before stumbling upon Brian Gardner’s website. As soon as I saw the Tapestry theme, I knew it was what I wanted. I only made a few minor css and template modifications then added a header icon and it was done. The last thing to do was install the necessary plugins, five total. Below is a list of what I installed to get the results seen here.
- WordPress
- Tapestry 2-Column Theme
- KG Archives
- flickrRSS
- AddThis Social Bookmarking
- Feedburner Feedsmith
- Lightbox 2
Just in case someone is interested, the header icon came from Icon Archive. They are an excellent source for free high quality icons and pngs.
I’m Back and Making Changes
After a long absence, I’m finally back online and making some major changes to the website. It’s been a rough few months not being able to use the internet at home and dealing with the limitations of using it at school thanks to Symantec Security blocking just about everything. My first order of business was to read a few months worth of emails that had piled up. I have so many replies to send that I decided to take a break and work on my website a little. It wasn’t that high up on my list of things to do but I’m really excited about the results. The new look comes from upgrading to the latest version of WordPress and installing a modified version of the “dark” theme. I will break down the changes in more detail once I finish replying to all the emails from people wondering if I’m still alive. Computers and the internet are wonderful things until you don’t have them anymore.
A Fresh New Look
It was time to give the website a fresh new look to go with the new framework. I wanted to go with something clean with a touch of style. After spending hours looking at every WordPress theme on their website and searching the internet for more, the one that appealed to me most was a simple design called GlossyBlue. It is from a company called N.Design Studios and they offer two versions of the theme, basic and advanced. I found the background for the header in an old wallpaper image. It provided the clean element I was looking for in the header. With some style changes and a few simple plugins I have a look that I really like.
