Smashing Magazine - we smash you with the information that will make your life easier. really.
Smashing Community WordPress Theme: Comment and Win!
While the Smashing Community icon set is being designed and prepared for the release, we would like to ask your opinion about the WordPress theme that you would like us to design. And here’s how it works: you tell us what Wordpress-theme you need, and then we design it together with PSD to WordPress and release it for free.
And to make it a bit more interesting, we’ll smash three commenters with original nerdy laptop sleeves. To participate, just suggest an idea for a great useful WordPress-theme in the comments to this post. Details are below.
This image was based upon the design by our friends from SoftFacade who are preparing the Smashing Magazine icon set. Thanks, guys!
How do I participate?
Participating is very easy: just post the WordPress theme you would like us to design in the comments to this post (and, if possible, what specific features it should have) – it can be anything, e.g. portfolio-design, blog-design, lifestream-blog, magazine-style etc. The theme should not be basic, but it also should not be too complex.
On the 25th of April, we’ll select the most popular ideas and requests and publish a poll in our magazine, inviting our readers to vote on their favorite theme. Once it’s done, the creative minds behind PSD to WordPress will carefully design the theme. You can keep track of updates on Twitter @smashingmag and @LachyG.
Awards
A total of three commenters will be awarded Laptop Sleeves (see images below). The winners will be picked randomly and announced on Twitter (@smashingmag) after the concept of the WordPress theme has been chosen. The winners will decide by themselves, what size and what pattern of the sleeve they prefer most.
Finally, we’ll release the theme as a free download, which you can freely use for personal and commercial use.
Smashing Magazine Is All About Our Readers
At Smashing Magazine, our readers have always been our highest priority. We respect our readers; we listen to them; we are always open to their suggestions; and we always appreciate constructive criticism. This is why we created a number of ways to interact with our readers:
- We created a friendly Smashing Forum to make it possible for our community to exchange ideas and help each other in problem solving.
- We are using Twitter to share useful resources and knowledge with, and get feedback from, our readers (e.g. deciding which article should appear next), and we now have almost 29,000 followers.
- We are preparing the Smashing Book, in which our readers can decide what topics will be included.
And now we would like you to decide what theme we should design and release next, especially for you. We hope to get great feedback from you, and we would like to thank “PSD to WordPress” for its cooperation in this event. Please spread the word, too; we would like the design community to decide what would be most useful and interesting for designers out there!
So, what WordPress theme is it going to be, folks?
The team here at Smashing Magazine. Mostly Sven & Vitaly.
(No votes yet)
Loading ...- 519 Comments
- 501
- 502April 24th, 2009 2:55 am
The backend of Wordpress to become the theme for the frontend, but with a blue haze instead of all gray. Additionally, a twirl of SM on top of it to simplify / minify and unify everything.
- 503April 24th, 2009 3:35 am
Don’t forget to follow KISS principle. Usability and a few clicks for needed information must be also on top. Design..pls dont’use hard colors. Keep white.
- 504April 24th, 2009 4:00 am
I would like to see a really beautiful, but useful site theme for an NGO. A place that might have quite a few internal links, few picture (so no gallery), and maybe a blog for updates. I have yet to see one that’s both beautiful and functional, it’s usually either/or.
- 505April 24th, 2009 5:16 am
There has been a portfolio themes overload and IMHO everybody should be able to design their own portfolio if they are competing for a design job. On the other hand, all commercial Wordpress themes are really looking the same so there is a need for new creative ways of doing it.
I’m having a real challenge in front of me called a local community portal. It should be informative, attractive, colorful but still simple, carry a lot of information sorted into numerous categories, nothing that would be too fancy but please a designer’s eye as well. The challenge for me is to make it look attractive but still provide structured navigation so the users find everything important at a glance. I really like the CreativeDepart website at http://www.creativedepart.com/ and how their grid expands to the whole screen. For a community portal there is still a lot to think of in terms of scalability and navigation.
Please help… ;)
- 506April 24th, 2009 5:30 am
I started a wine blog with degustation notes. I searched but I haven’t found a free and nice theme that is appropriate for a wine topic. So an elegant design with typical wine-like colors (no woody design) would be nice!
- 507April 24th, 2009 12:15 pm
Totally agree with comment 38! An e-commerce shopping cart Wordpress themes!
- 508April 24th, 2009 12:28 pm
What about a Tumblelog theme?
There aren’t many tumblelog themes for wordpress, in fact there are only a few, and not very good.
So this could be the opportunity to create a tumblelog theme framework full of features, easy to customize, that kick asses.
Here you have a poorly explored niche. - 509April 24th, 2009 5:04 pm
Hey, it’s a really nice idea.
However, I would like to ask for a theme about technical and programing solutions.
Regarding features, its good to add a topic slide show in the sidebar with random images and titles, of course with a link(on click) to that topic. (:I hope to get one of these awards.
AT THE END, THANK YOU (;
- 510April 24th, 2009 11:22 pm
That’s what I was wanting! Someone like SM doing things my way, for free and for the community. Amazing.
Now here’s the plan:
I would want a charity weblog designed by you guys (along with psdtowp. Of course) which is customizable by a charity based on anything. Say – helping old age, girl chid, poor and orphan, etc. The theme should be neat with impulsive banners to draw attention.
Easy options to pay/donate funds to the charity.
Lastly, an option of people who make big money via programmes like adsense to feature their names and donate a portion of their monthly income to the cause.
I wonder what would it come like, finally but would indeed be a step towards humanity.
Cheers.
- 511April 24th, 2009 11:57 pm
i’d like an elegant typographic theme :) thanks!
- 512April 25th, 2009 12:19 am
I would love to see either a magazine theme or a portfolio theme that doesn’t suck.
- 513April 25th, 2009 4:48 am
I’d like to see a wonderful personal theme, with magazine style.
- 514April 25th, 2009 6:19 am
I want an theme that looks and work like an magazine theme but push some photo areas/gallerys too. Ads ready, semi navigation tabs, tons of widget areas and it should look like an artwork. huuu
Too much for my competence :-) - 515April 25th, 2009 10:44 pm
I’d like it to be a theme with horizontal menu, kind of portfolio with great typography. And of course, I hope I win :)
Thank you!
- 516April 26th, 2009 7:37 am
Considering the personal branding boom right now I’d love to see a nice clean but shiny portfolio theme!
- 517April 27th, 2009 6:35 am
Would have to agree with Inga, a nice clean “barebone” theme would be nice to have as a start point.
- 518April 28th, 2009 8:50 am
A simple light portofolio theme for designers and web developers would be nice!!
- 519May 7th, 2009 5:04 am
Well, having looked around and around and around (and looked at your source) what I’d REALLY like is the Smashing Magazine Wordpress theme. You have the best 3 column WP template I can find that balances content, navigation and Sponsors. Can’t you provide it as a Theme to download?
;-)
(Great site. First time I’ve come across you. Pointed out to me by a designer I was interviewing.)
- 00
There are no trackbacks at this time. If you are interested in leaving a trackback, please use this URL.
Leave a Comment
Make sure you enter the * required information where indicated. Please also rate the article as it will help us decide future content and posts. Comments are moderated – and rel="nofollow" is in use. Please no link dropping, no keywords or domains as names; do not spam, and do not advertise!
Interact
Popular
- 100 Wordpress Themes
- Photoshop Tutorials
- Fantastic Wallpapers
- 40+ Excellent Freefonts
- Dual-Screen Wallpapers
- Wordpress Themes for 2009
- Illustrator Tutorials
- Incredible Free Icon Sets
- High-Quality Free Fonts
- 30 Scripts For Galleries
- Photoshop Text Effects
- Useful Icon Sets
- Web Design Trends
- iPhone Wallpapers
- Before Launching a Website
- CSS Layouts And Templates
- Photoshop Actions
- Stunning Pictures and Photos
- Fantastic HDR Pictures
- Logo Design Tutorials
- Free Design Templates
- 10 Mistakes In Logo Design
- Photoshop Custom Shapes
- 40 Creative Design Layouts
- 8 Layout Solutions
- 53 CSS Techniques
- Photography Techniques
- Black & White Photography
- Styling Design Elements
- CSS-Based Forms
- 50 jQuery Techniques
- 50 Portfolio Websites
- 50 CSS Techniques
- Creative Logo Designs
- Desktop Wallpapers
- 25 Open Source Mac Apps
- 50 Free Icon Sets
- The Big Showcase Of Online T-Shirt Stores - http://bit.ly/5Tq8uA
- @ilmv oh ok then ;)
- @ilmv no, the SM Book will not be out of date :) We made sure it contains universal design, usability and marketing principles.
- Apple ad bombing Windows 7 on Google - http://bit.ly/28ctPq
- Atatonic - a fresh CSS framework - http://bit.ly/4oOV2w (via @umutm)
- @HrvojeKC yes, that's an interesting idea. Maybe when the waiting is over, we'll write a detailed post about it.
I’d like to see a better portfolio theme with a gallery option