StudioPress themes review – choosing the right theme

This StudioPress themes review is designed to help you choose the right theme for your business or blog.

When you buy a theme from the StudioPress site you have four basic options.

• Buy a single theme designed by StudioPress.
• Buy a single theme designed by an independent designer but sold by StudioPress (Community Themes).
• Buy the StudioPress Genesis Pro package.
• Buy the Genesis Framework and use a free theme.

All of these themes are called child themes and need the Genesis Framework installed on your site as well as the theme you’ll use.

You can buy the Genesis Framework with each child theme. But if you’ve already bought Genesis, you can use it on all of your web sites. Your Genesis licence also allows you to use Genesis on any sites you build for your clients. The StudioPress child themes also have the same licence.

In this StudioPress themes review I’ll be using the StudioPress interactive theme chooser.

To follow along with this StudioPress themes review and get a better idea of which theme would be best for your site go to the theme chooser.

You can find it here, StudioPress Interactive Theme Chooser.

You can filter which themes you see by choosing…

• Colour scheme.
• Theme category. (Themes suitable for businesses, photographers etc.)
• Type of theme. (See themes designed by StudioPress or by independent designers.)
• Features. (Mobile responsive themes. Themes that let you add your own logo. Themes with more than one colour style option, etc.)

Before you start, think of any particular needs you have.

Please note, each time you filter any section, you see less options. Close any filters that you’re not using or you won’t see all of the themes available.

Do you prefer a particular colour?

• Theme color > Choose a colour.

The next step in our StudioPress themes review is to decide what kind of business you have. Some themes are especially suitable for photographers web sites.There’s also a theme designed for real estate agents. But most themes can be used for most types of business. I don’t like to limit myself too much when choosing themes.

Is there a theme particularly suited to your business…

Such as real estate or photography?

• Theme Category > Photography.
• Theme Category > Business.

Colour Styles, some themes have several different colour style options.

This option varies from theme to theme. In some themes changing the colour style option only changes the colour of the links. Some themes change the background colour and look very different when a different colour option is selected. Test any theme to see if it offers the colour style you need.

• Theme Features > Color Styles.

See how your chosen theme would look using a different colour style.

• Go to the demo page of your chosen theme.
• Find the navigation bar at the very top of the web page.
• If there is a Theme Colour option, select a colour.

AgentPress theme by StudioPress changes background colour when a new colour option is chosen. Most StudioPress themes only change things like link colours when a different colour option is chosen.

The next step in our StudioPress themes review is important.

Do you want your site to work well on mobile phones and iPads etc.

• Theme Features > Mobile Responsive.

These days it makes sense to have a mobile responsive site. If that’s what you want, take care and check to make sure the theme you’ve chosen is mobile responsive.

Internet Explorer 8, does it matter to you?

Update. Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP in April 2014 :-) BUT!

The UK government might still be using it. More info…

The newest themes by StudioPress are mobile responsive. But there are some themes, usually the mobile responsive ones, that display differently on old web browsers. I live in the UK and many local Government buildings such as libraries and council offices still use Internet Explorer 8. If you know your customers use such old software (IE8 is five year old software) do a quick test using Netrenderer. Just find the demo site for your chosen theme and paste the URL in the box at the Net Renderer website. Make sure you select Internet Explorer 8 from the drop down selector.

An even better option would be to ask someone who uses IE8 to test the StudioPress theme demo page for your chosen theme and see how it looks. I sometimes do this in my local library where they still have computers using Windows XP and Internet Explorer 8.

You might decide that people using five year old software are unlikely to buy your goods or services. But this StudioPress themes review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning IE8.

Do you want to add a graphic header or logo?

• Theme Features > Custom Header.

Not all themes let you add a header image or logo.

Remember, if you add your own logo to the header area of a theme, it will need to fit in the space set by the theme. The background colour of your logo will also need to match the theme’s colour, unless you use a transparent background image for your logo.

Most modern StudioPress, mobile responsive themes have small logo areas. Approximately 300px by100px.

Do you need sidebars?

A small number of the StudioPress themes don’t have sidebars. Most themes have at least one sidebar and some themes have two sidebars. I like to have at least one sidebar available just in case I need to use it in the future.

StudioPress themes or Community themes?

Some themes are made by StudioPress, such as the themes in the Genesis Pro package. Other themes are made by independent web designers. This option helps you view themes designed by StudioPress or themes designed by independent designers. If you’re considering buying the StudioPress Genesis Pro package, please note. Community themes are NOT included in the Genesis Pro package.

All Themes: > Third Party Themes, or StudioPress Themes

Have a good look at all of the themes before you make your choice. Then ask yourself, how much would it cost to employ a web designer to build you a site like this. I think StudioPress themes are a real bargain. Don’t you?