What’s Possible with CSS Customization?
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Hi
I am a newbie to WordPress but know some html and a little bit of CSS. I gather that any changes to the HTML templates is pretty much out of the question, so just wanted to know what you can do by customizing the CSS?
I just wanted to use WordPress as my portfolio site (so would use mainly pages) – with some occasional posts thrown in for good measure.
Ideally, I would like something like this: http://www.jonathanpinnock.com/
But for that, do I need to bite the bullet and go over to wordpress.org and find a web host? Though I have just paid for the CSS upgrade – so would rather perservere with wordpress.com.
Anyway, any tips, hints would be much appreciated. Eveb if its just to say which template is the most malleable.
Thanks
C
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If you want something really flexible, use Sandbox (make sure it’s the newer version) and for a look like the one you link to, select the three-column version. If you’re good with the CSS, then you can make it look almost any way you choose.
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This thread gives you the CSS code you’d use to recreate the Kubrick theme in Sandbox. It’s a good place to start with customization because you can see what’s there and what can be changed.
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If you are using 1.0, you don’t. They didn’t put the skins in there. But Google it and you’ll find the codes for it.
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I really don’t think you want to poke around with Kubrick. Although it’s established, it’s notoriously hard to deal with.
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Yeah – that’s what created a problem for me, too :( (And how I ended up coding my blog in the older version instead of the newer one.)
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@raincoaster, I didn’t suggest she play with actual Kubrick, but the Sandbox Kubrick which has all the code laid out. I found that a really helpful way to start customising my blog.
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Oh my – http://www.jonathanpinnock.com/ is a beautiful site, isn’t it?
Makes me want to bite the bullet and “Sandbox” my site. Now, I just have to find some “time”.
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That site isn’t coded in Sandbox, by the way. He’s using a WordPress theme called Blue Zinfandel. But given the flexibility of Sandbox, it wouldn’t be that hard to recreate.
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Yes, I knew that it wasn’t Sandbox. But, with CSS and Sandbox, one can certainly create some spectacular sites.
By the way, Vivian, your site looks remarkable. Really good work. Congratulations.
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Also, I stole you blockquote customization. I love the blue background. Hope you don’t mind, Vivian.
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I got Blue Zinfandel codes waiting to join my Sandbox but I couldn’t find time to study its elements. Even now my blog is half naked. No sidebar.
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@masterclasslady – glad you like the site :) And steal whatever you like (although that background shows grey on my computer?) – I certainly stole enough from other places ;)
@yellaojrak – it actually looks pretty simple, especially if you are familiar with Sandbox. (In fact, it looked so simple, I was thinking of giving it a whirl for one of my blogs – in my spare time, of course, of which there is none :()
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My ears are burning :)
Many thanks for your kind comments. As vivianpage has correctly surmised, my site was created very simply using Blue Zinfandel (a look that I borrowed from a guy called Adrian Graham, who has since changed his site – in fact he seems to change his layout at least once a week: http://www.adriangraham.co.uk/). One of these days, I’ll get around to tinkering with it a bit. But despite the fact that my day job is in software development, when it comes to web stuff, I work on a need to know basis, and I like to keep things as simple as possible. I guess the guy who’s really responsible for the way my site looks is the chap who invented Blue Zinfandel: http://www.briangardner.com/.
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Thanks Vivian. Will make the color change, as I love the light blue “look”.
And, jonathanpinnock, you are so correct. “Clean” is the way to go. You and Vivian have gorgeous sites. So easy to read and so well-formulated.
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