in Thesis Thursday · July 9, 2009

Let Me Critique Your Thesis Customization — 30 Days Only

I have said it again and again in this series, the one thing that seems to be a turn off to poten­tially new The­sis users is see­ing blogs that hardly have cus­tomized their theme.

All me to briefly rant about this topic for a few para­graphs before I actu­ally get into the real point of this post.

I can actu­ally under­stand the per­spec­tive of the The­sis crit­ics that bring up the point that “If The­sis is so easy to use, why don’t many The­sis users actu­ally have any cus­tomiza­tions on it?” Like, what do you answer to that? It’s true, a large por­tion of us The­sis users don’t have overly cus­tomized designs.

For a vari­ety of rea­sons, this may have the poten­tial to harm the rep­u­ta­tion of The­sis. Think about it, one of the things that is boasted the most about this theme is how easy it is to edit and make “your own.” While a lot of us have def­i­nitely done that, there are prob­a­bly more peo­ple who haven’t exactly done so.

But don’t get me wrong

I’m not say­ing that it’s a bad thing to leave The­sis “uncus­tomized.” I per­son­ally love the inter­face of it, and that’s why I haven’t made as many edits on this blog (opposed to my other blog). I feel like that is why many of us haven’t edited it as well — because the lay­out and typog­ra­phy is just that damn fine.

Some of the best The­sis designs out there still have some of the default look on them. It just goes to show you that you don’t have to do much to make this thing look good.

So Let Me See What You Came Up With

So with all of that back­ground info, here’s what I want to do. I will review your The­sis design if you post a link to it in my com­ments sec­tion for noth­ing. I seem to be in a “free” kind of mood these last few days as I have been giv­ing away plenty for free lately.

If you have made enough cus­tomiza­tions to your theme, I will review it for you. If you have only done a few things, I’ll still cri­tique it. Just post your URL in the com­ments and I’ll get to you.

After 30 days, I am clos­ing com­ments on this post. I kind of have a feel­ing this could turn big, so make sure to tell all your The­sis friends before this offer is closed!

Notes

  • Any review I do will be at least one para­graph (4−6 sen­tences) long. If I really like your site and have a lot to say, I’ll amp that num­ber up.
  • Sorry all of you non-Thesis weirdos, there’s no cri­tique here for you.
  • I am going to review every sin­gle blog posted in here, which may take so time. So please don’t rush me to get to your blog, I will when I get to it.
  • As always, if you could sub­scribe to my RSS Feed, that will make me feel appre­ci­ated for doing this all for no charge.

Let ‘em rip.

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{ 45 comments }

1 Mark | hereiblog July 9, 2009 at 7:26 PM

Hey Alex,

I’d love for you to review my thesis design. It is somewhat customized. More than some, but not as much as others. :)

I think there are a few things I’d like to clean up and/or do better, but I’m not sure how. So I’d love to hear your take.

Thanks.
.-= Mark | hereiblog´s last blog ..Book Review: Godology =-.

2 Alex July 19, 2009 at 12:10 AM

Hey Mark,

The red header is a little too bright on my eyes and I think the reason for that is because it’s so big. I think if you made the header a little bit smaller, it would make the header seem less bright.

In the “Christian Post” section in your sidebar, I think you should change the color of the links because a dark link on a dark background is a bit hard to read.

Overall, the design displays your content pretty effectively, I just think there are a few things there you can do to make it better usability wise.
.-= Alex´s last blog ..6 Plugins You Should Always Have Ready For Blog Emergencies =-.

3 Mark | hereiblog July 22, 2009 at 7:57 AM

Alex,

Thanks for the feedback. I did change the font color of the Christian Post feed. I also took out a little padding on the top of the header which made it a little smaller. I’m still considering bringing the height of the header down a bit.
.-= Mark | hereiblog´s last blog ..Write Your Own Message Bible =-.

4 Mark @ The Debt Hawk July 22, 2009 at 8:03 AM

Very cool site Mark. I really like the design and the content.
.-= Mark @ The Debt Hawk´s last blog ..Top 100 Personal Finance Bloggers on Twitter =-.

5 Mark | hereiblog July 22, 2009 at 11:54 AM

Hi Mark,

Thanks for stopping by the blog. I like your blog too. I did met and volunteer for Dave Ramsey once. You can find my post about it if you search.

One thing, your hawk looks like an eagle. It looks like my college mascot which was an eagle. :)
.-= Mark | hereiblog´s last blog ..Write Your Own Message Bible =-.

6 Mark | hereiblog July 9, 2009 at 7:28 PM

P.S. I subscribed.
.-= Mark | hereiblog´s last blog ..Book Review: Godology =-.

7 Alex July 10, 2009 at 12:54 AM

Why thank you very much!
.-= Alex´s last blog ..Time to Switch to Dofollow Comments =-.

8 Sandra July 9, 2009 at 10:09 PM

Great idea, Alex!
I’ve only seen a handful of Thesis of customisations that I like, so I’ll be brave and put mine out there for critique. Be gentle! It’s my first time with Wordpress and Thesis!

My site – Ideology.

9 Alex July 19, 2009 at 12:14 AM

Hey Sandra,

You have a very nice design on your blog, I like it a lot. The typography is very elegant, and Georgia never fails.

Even though the wood texture is overused in most web design, I think it looks pretty nice on your site. I looked over your pages, and everything looks great and professionally made.

I really couldn’t find anything I didn’t like about this design. I suppose the only thing I would tell you is to add a little contrast between the background and search bar. I know that when it is clicked it changes color, but when it’s out of focus, I think you should just change it to a whiter color.
.-= Alex´s last blog ..6 Plugins You Should Always Have Ready For Blog Emergencies =-.

10 Sandra August 11, 2009 at 11:58 PM

Thanks for the feedback, Alex!

11 Tsudohnimh August 5, 2009 at 4:04 PM

Nice design Sandra. I really like it. It is interesting and appealing but not overdone. I’m jealous.

(I’m great at networking and security but I’ve got no graphics talent whatsoever)
.-= Tsudohnimh´s last blog ..A collection of the best guides and tips for using Twitter =-.

12 Matt Hodder July 9, 2009 at 11:54 PM

Hey man.. Great idea! Me and @markhodder are going to have a new look up at http://www.ThesisThemes.com probably early next week. I’ll hit you up when we release it.

And hey- 30 days? I might even have a redesign for my personal site. Hope you don’t mind multiple submissions haha :)
.-= Matt Hodder´s last blog ..Fresh Company – New Thesis Skin =-.

13 Alex July 10, 2009 at 12:53 AM

Your ThesisThemes redesign should be cool, let me know!

Yep, 30 days. Submit as many of your sites as you’d like man.
.-= Alex´s last blog ..Time to Switch to Dofollow Comments =-.

14 Alex July 19, 2009 at 12:20 AM

Hey Matt,

The new redesign is definitely better looking that the old look. The header pattern is cool looking and really adds a nice spice to the design.

The box icons you have in the white section are great looking and stylish, and support the paragraphs of text you have beneath them. But after that column, the site gets a little boring looking. There are no images and it just turns into all text. I’m sure you can find a place to add more little icons somewhere in there.

But great redesign man, looks great!
.-= Alex´s last blog ..6 Plugins You Should Always Have Ready For Blog Emergencies =-.

15 JHS July 10, 2009 at 2:14 AM

The really cool thing about this offer is that we get to see each other’s customizations and get ideas from each other. I have two sites for you to look at: http://www.jhsiess.com (where I regularly change the background & color scheme) and http://www.therisingblogger.com. Fairly basic stuff. All suggestions welcomed. And I’m already a subscriber. :-)
.-= JHS´s last blog ..Sunday Stealing: The “I’ve come to realize . . . ” Meme =-.

16 Alex July 21, 2009 at 11:42 PM

Site #1:

I think the typography on your site is well done. It’s a simple customization, but it’s pretty well done nonetheless. I particularly like the footer image, it really shows off a great sense of generosity and homeliness. ;) I’m not exactly a fan or the background pattern however. It’s a little tacky in my opinion!

Site #2:

Another nice, simple customization here. I like the background here better than your last site. You use the Multimedia box in the sidebar well and use plenty of images in your posts which is great. The only thing, in the sidebar the “Post of the day award” breaks out of the sidebar.

Good customizations. :)
.-= Alex´s last blog ..4 Tricks For “Awesome-izing” Input Forms =-.

17 Mark @ The Debt Hawk July 10, 2009 at 7:36 AM

Alex,

I just released my site to the world – http://www.thedebthawk.com . I would love for you to review it.

Thanks,
Mark
.-= Mark @ The Debt Hawk´s last blog ..How To Pay Off Mortgage Early – Great Tips =-.

18 Alex July 21, 2009 at 11:45 PM

Hey Mark,

The logo in your header really stands out which is good for the site. The sidebars look very odd just ending half way down the page. Plus, one is larger than the other which just makes it look weirder. It would be a great concept if there was no white space to the right, and the sidebars stretched with the content column.

But fix that, and you have a great customization there.
.-= Alex´s last blog ..4 Tricks For “Awesome-izing” Input Forms =-.

19 Mark @ The Debt Hawk July 22, 2009 at 8:01 AM

Alex,

Thank you so much for the review. With respect to the sidebars, for the life of me I can’t figure out how to get the color to extend to the footer. It is very frustrating.

If anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them.
.-= Mark @ The Debt Hawk´s last blog ..Top 100 Personal Finance Bloggers on Twitter =-.

20 Jorge l Nokia Mobile Talk\ July 10, 2009 at 9:57 PM

http://www.nokiamobiletalk.com/

Thanks so much :)
.-= Jorge l Nokia Mobile Talk\´s last blog ..NFV: Mobile Technology – this has got to be the funniest video ever =-.

21 Alex July 21, 2009 at 11:52 PM

Thesis blogs only.
.-= Alex´s last blog ..4 Tricks For “Awesome-izing” Input Forms =-.

22 Jeff Rose July 10, 2009 at 11:17 PM

Ah man. I guess I’ll throw my name into the mix. Although, I’m already seeing some pretty nifty designs in here. http://www.goodfinancialcents.com.

Already a subscriber ;-) FYI, I have a group of fellow bloggers that are truly amazed at some of your work. You know, for a kid :) Seriously though, you have some good stuff going. Glad I stumbled onto your blog.
.-= Jeff Rose´s last blog ..Taking Care of an Elderly Parent =-.

23 Alex July 21, 2009 at 11:56 PM

Jeff,

Your blog holds a lot of content on it for sure. Your actual content column is looking fine to me, but the sidebar isn’t something I’m liking too much! I definitely think the colored box edit is great looking, but I think it’s a little overdone! Try and limit it to a few columns and style some of the different blocks differently.

I appreciate the comments about my blogs! I do what I can here. :)
.-= Alex´s last blog ..4 Tricks For “Awesome-izing” Input Forms =-.

24 Zhiqiang July 11, 2009 at 3:03 AM

Hi Alex

I am still working on my travel blog. Appreciate it if you could comment on my site: before I released to the world. :-)

Thanks
ZQ
.-= Zhiqiang´s last blog ..Krakow Rynek Glowny (Marketplace), Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) =-.

25 Zhiqiang July 11, 2009 at 3:06 AM

Sorry Alex – There was a broken link in my previous comment – appreciate it if you could replace it with the following (sorry for the mess!):

Hi Alex

I am still working on my travel blog. Appreciate it if you could comment on my site: PassportChop Travel Journal before I released the blog to the world. :-)

Thanks
ZQ
.-= Zhiqiang´s last blog ..Krakow Rynek Glowny (Marketplace), Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) =-.

26 Renee July 11, 2009 at 5:32 AM

Hey Alex, this came at a great time! I was just thinking something is missing from my design. I’m generally happy with it, but it needs something… more. Would be wonderful if you could review it: http://www.beautyfool.net.

Have a great weekend!
Renee

27 Jenn July 11, 2009 at 4:43 PM

I’m interested in your comments!
.-= Jenn´s last blog ..The Letter (Chapter Twenty-Seven) =-.

28 Nick July 11, 2009 at 5:31 PM

Alex,

I just dropped a comment on your other post. Interested in hearing your thoughts on our design.
.-= Nick´s last blog ..Thesis Tutorial: 7 Quick Customizations to the Home Page Loop =-.

29 Nick Tart | JuniorBiz July 13, 2009 at 1:56 PM

Hey Alex,

My new layout for JuniorBiz is a work in progress, but I would love for your to take a look at it and let me know what you think. You can see it at JrBiz.org. I’m planning on switching it over to JuniorBiz.com about a month from now so your input would really help.

Thanks man,
Nick
.-= Nick Tart | JuniorBiz´s last blog ..What it Takes to Be an Entrepreneur =-.

30 Yan July 14, 2009 at 11:57 PM

Hey Alex

I’ve tried to contact you via Blogussion but your contact form appeared to be, well, not working so here I am.

If you have the time, I’d like your opinion on Thesis. I look forward to your email then.

Yan
.-= Yan´s last blog ..5 Easy Ways to Boost Your Blogging Output =-.

31 Brian Meagher July 16, 2009 at 10:07 AM

Hi Alex,
Thanks for your generous offer.
I look forward to your critique.

Brian.
.-= Brian Meagher´s last blog ..Recipe For Easy to Make Pineapple Salsa =-.

32 xphunt3r July 19, 2009 at 1:52 PM

Hi Alex!
great service from you. would you take time for my thesis theme. Not more customize but just…………….
.-= xphunt3r´s last blog ..10 most downloaded wordpress plugins =-.

33 Adam Pieniazek July 19, 2009 at 9:27 PM

Still working out a few kinks here and there (and adding some more functionality here and there) but would love it if you critiqued my newly redesigned personal blog.

It’s linked in my name. Looking forward to it Alex. Thanks!
.-= Adam Pieniazek´s last blog ..Google Voice Mobile =-.

34 Matt Langford July 20, 2009 at 6:48 PM

Alex! Looks like you’ve got a lot of reviews to do, but since you know your way around Thesis so well — I’d like to know your thoughts on mine as well!

Matt Flies
.-= Matt Langford´s last blog ..Growing with MattFlies.com =-.

35 Ryan Beale July 23, 2009 at 3:55 PM

Hi Alex,

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my Blog: http://rbeale.com. I am new to blogging and coding. Thank you much!

Best,

Ryan
.-= Ryan Beale´s last blog ..Bing Integrates Twitter Search, But does Bing show Relevant Results? =-.

36 Adam D July 23, 2009 at 4:57 PM

Thanks for your comments in advance!

37 Conifer Real Estate July 27, 2009 at 10:56 PM

http://www.DenversRealEstateNews.com thanks in advance for your review. This is a real estate site geared for the Denver marketplace although lately I have been concentrating on the keyword Conifer real estate. I have a guest writer also who adds some content and have done some customizations with various tutorials I have found on the thesis forum. I have no previous experience writing sites so everything has been a long and painful process! But I’m pretty happy with the various hooks and custom multimedia boxes as well as the background and header. All of which I made in Photoshop. Eager to hear your view. I hope you say I have graduated from being a noobie to some new title like ” a tiny bit better than a noob”
.-= Conifer Real Estate´s last blog ..By: Bob in Conifer =-.

38 Matt Cheuvront July 28, 2009 at 9:08 AM

Cool thing you are doing here. Just recently made the transition to Thesis and would love some feedback/constructive criticism from you (and anyone else who is up for sharing). I’m definitely learning as I go, so any and all feedback is appreciated. Cheers!
.-= Matt Cheuvront´s last blog ..What Does Your ‘About’ Page Say About You? =-.

39 Avinash July 29, 2009 at 2:10 AM

Hi Alex,
Just take a look at my blog http://www.avinashtech.com. Even though i am not good in CSS and PHP still, i think i was able to customize it as per my needs. What you say?
.-= Avinash´s last blog ..Firefox 4.0 redesign mockups released by Mozilla =-.

40 Danny Cooper August 1, 2009 at 12:21 PM

Hi Alex, I think it’s great that you are giving away this service away for free, your expertise in not only thesis, but web design too will be invaluable to me. Thanks!
.-= Danny Cooper´s last blog ..The Thesis Wordpress Theme Reviewed =-.

41 Danny Cooper August 13, 2009 at 5:07 AM

URL is http://planproducepromote.com

Thanks :)
.-= Danny Cooper´s last blog ..The Thesis Wordpress Theme Reviewed =-.

42 Hopeful Spirit August 1, 2009 at 8:27 PM

I’d love to hear suggestions about my site. Thanks in advance for any ideas you might have.
.-= Hopeful Spirit´s last blog ..Sunday Citar =-.

43 George Serradinho August 3, 2009 at 9:11 AM

I would love to hear what you have to say about my site. The site is Serradinho.com.

Thanks in advance :)
.-= George Serradinho´s last blog ..Serious Monthly Roundup – July 2009 =-.

44 Tsudohnimh August 5, 2009 at 4:02 PM

I want to thank you for doing this. I’m brand new to Thesis (2 days) and I’m beginning to learn CSS. I’m okay at learning code but understanding how I apply a visual concept with that code is a very different matter.

This is a great resource not only for finding design inspiration but reading your critiques helps me understand what I should and should not do.

There isn’t much cause for you to review my blog KnowtheNetwork.com now since it is only a few tweaks away from plain vanilla. (Trying to focus of functionality like Archives, 404 pages for now and I’ll have to wrangle my friends for some graphics help).

I just wanted to say Thank You! (Subscribed and Followed)

Tsudohnimh
@tsudo
.-= Tsudohnimh´s last blog ..A collection of the best guides and tips for using Twitter =-.

45 Adam Baird August 14, 2009 at 3:12 PM

Hi Alex,

I’m loving this blog! Just subscribed and i realize its more than 30 days after you posted this, but I just switched over to thesis and would like to know your thoughts on the design if you’re willing…I’ve got a few tweaks left to make yet.

Thanks,
Adam

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