ISLY just got a face lift(!!) and I’m really excited about the changes.
Back in October I blogged about some design work that I did forĀ Florida-based photographer, Jemma. It was in that post that I mentioned that it was an absolute dream installing the graphics with the theme she purchased. In fact, I was jealous of how easy it was to implement graphics & customization. It wasn’t that long before that, that I had launched a new theme & design on my own blog; a redesign that took nearly 3 months to “perfect”.
Last month in an evening of frustration over how my blog looked, I contacted ProPhoto to see if they’d let me review their theme. I squealed when they sent it to me in exchange for this review & I am here to tell you that I am in love with it. It is, hands down, the best theme I’ve ever worked with. I’m no wordpress themeĀ aficionado, but I have worked with the popular Thesis & Canvas themes (you know, the ones that cost monies). Lemme tell you, ProPhoto is leagues better than both of those.
Here’s why. . .
1. Prophoto is one of those click-of-a-button themes. It doesn’t just allow you to put in a drop shadow here & a repeat image there. Oh no. It allows you to adjust pixels, kerning, leading, text case, drop shadows, direction & distance of drop shadows, background images for the menu, comments, background, etc. Really, it’s super easy.
In fact, I didn’t even start this current redesign until about a week & a half ago. I designed as I went along & the process for adding & manipulating graphics was so slick I had most of the site fleshed out in a matter of an hour or two. Most of my time was spent deciding how I wanted to design the whole thing. It’s so hard to design for yourself.
2. Prophoto is clean. The back-end is easy to navigate & the different stock designs are clean. No crappy clutter of 6 different fonts blaring at you, making your eyes bleed.
3. Prophoto has a community. Once I installed the theme, there was a step by step tutorial taking me through the features of the theme. PLUS there’s a little button at the top right of every element that takes you to specific articles & tutorials on how to best customize that area. If that’s not enough? You can post your questions to the forum where expert contributors can help you figure things out. I had a question that was answered within an hour of posting to the forum. Super sweet.
While redesigning I had a list of the features that I would like in any updates of the theme, and as I got closer to finishing the layout, I crossed off practically everything on my list. They have thought of everything from Prophoto-specific widgets (like regular wordpress widgets, just on acid) to slick slideshows. The only thing I see missing is the fact that there are no settings for viewing on a mobile device. I’d LOVE to see that in any future updates.
This theme isn’t cheap. It’s $199. If you’re serious about low-maintenance themes & want a one that’s beautiful, easy to use & manipulate this is it. It’s so good, even a cheapskate like me would invest the money to buy it.
Do you blog? Do you use wordpress? I’d love to hear what kind of theme you’re using & what you think about it.
A big Thank you to Prophoto 3 for providing me with this theme. I’m in love.
OMG I love Prophoto! How nice of them to send you their package!! I am still tweaking mine – debating whether or not to add a sidebar even though I want BIG images. ;)
I love your flag theme, it’s so pretty and clean. Just thought I’d chime in with my $0.02.
Wow, I love the new design! And thanks for the info, I’m always getting frustrated with WordPress themes, convinced the next one will be just perfect. I just can’t get over how you have the time and energy to do all the wonderful stuff you do with two adorable babes in tow, amazing!
Nelle, Thanks so much!!
I’m not sure where the energy comes from, but the time, well. . . I didn’t go to bed before 3 am pretty much every night last week. I paid for that dearly when I got sick on Sunday!
it looks fabulous!!
it looks awesome. i love the arrows! i wish i knew more about blog design as i’m trying to update mine and it’s all trial and error.
it looks awesome! i love the colors!!
caitimae.blogspot.com
It’s freaking fantastic… I am head over heels for it!
Looks great! I love how simple it is! I still love ISLY!!
It looks so great! I am jealous of how simple clean and sleek it is, but still has such character… love it!
I love the new look, especially the new header you made! Your flickr and fashion icons on the flags on your sidebar are flip-flopped though! :)
Nice! Your background pattern is great, that is something I really have a hard time with in my design work (creating patterns that look like I imagine in my head but work at the right scale for websites).
For almost all my WordPress work, I use a theme called Atahualpa (http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/atahualpa). It is totally customizable as well, although it has a ton of settings which could be overwhelming I suppose. It’s of course great for blogs but I find it particularly useful for creating less traditional layouts such as when using WordPress as a CMS.
I am a big ProPhoto fan…have been for a few years. I love what you have done with the template. Maybe one of these days I could convince them to let me do a review for a free upgrade….oh yea, I’ve already done that too many times for free. Bummer for me!
Wait I have a better idea…want to fix up my blog and I’ll do a review for you?! :)
…your camera strap photos (previous post) are so cute!
OMG -Love love love the face lift. I want my own prophoto custom blog. I just got a new sewing machine & serger, don’t think I’m aloud to spend any more cash. But I’m going after Tea Thyme, when I start my sewing blog after graduation. Thanks for sharing and being so creative. Have a great day.
It’s beautiful! I love how clean it looks (not like your other design wasn’t).
The only weird thing (and it’s probably just me) is that it seems pretty wedged up to the top. I keep thinking I need to scroll up more when I hit the top of the page, if that makes sense. It might just be Firefox too.
Hi Melissa! I use it too! A few months back I decided to get rid of all my multiple sites and blogs and just go down to one site for everything. I found Prophoto from your last post about it and it was just the answer I needed! It’s so great to just get to design & implement and not have to stress about the programming. Love it. Also, their customer service is top notch!
Quick question, Melissa. Can you still set up & design static pages with ProPhoto?
Another question. How does it work with additional widgets?
It does! I’ve got a bunch of other widgets that work with it just fine. P3 also has built-in widgets that are like the stock wordpress widgets, but awesomer.