The Thesis Theme framework is a premium template system for WordPress that is designed to serve as the rock-solid foundation beneath any kind of website. Thesis is a very highly regarded WordPress theme framework that people, businesses and sites such as Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos), Network Solutions, eBay Motors, Outspoken Media and nearly 40,000 others use to power their blogs or websites.
The Thesis framework is known for its design flexibility, outstanding SEO, very fast loading times, and ease-of-use. Thesis allows you to configure virtually all aspects of your website without having to touch any code. You can easily change everything from font size and color, your site layout, multimedia settings, image settings, comment options and more. The Layout Generator gives you 1, 2, and 3-column layout combinations, as well as the ability to change the order of the columns and set the exact width of each column.
Below is a sample screenshot of the Design Options in Thesis Theme WordPress admin to give you a better idea of some of the options you have complete control over:
One of the best features of Thesis is the multimedia box, which lets you rotate between photos, embed videos, or include code if you want to display advertisements.
On the more technical end, Thesis features a hook system that is essentially an API—a set of basic commands that you can use to add to, subtract from, and modify the functionality of your Thesis installation. While the hooks system is easy for developers, in can be confusing for people without coding experience. It also features extensive Javascript libraries, letting you easily add jQuery, jQuery UI, Prototype, MooTools, and others.
DIY Themes has gone a good job marketing thesis, and it has become very popular among bloggers. The downside to that is that while Thesis gives you a lot of customization options, a good amount of blogs running Thesis look quite the same. If you’re looking for you site to stand out from the crowd, you might want to look at other options. I like the clean design and layout of blogs built with Thesis, and is a great option for people without any coding knowledge (one of the other reasons I think so many bloggers like it is that the theme provides so much room for people to load their sites up with ads!). The Thesis theme framework gives you a lot of functionality that really should be included in WordPress software by default.
While DIY themes markets the Thesis theme framework is a great option for any type of website, it’s really designed for and most appropriate for blogs. If you are looking for a framework for a blog, Thesis is probably the best WordPress theme framework available.
Features:
- pinpoint control over the SEO on every page of your site as well as indexing controls that help you minimize the undesirable WordPress page bloat
- rigorous adherence to Web standards, and more specifically, a properXHTML structure
- polished typography with finely-tuned geometrics for maximum legibility that will not only engage users more quickly, but also engage them on a subconscious level
- a default layout that favors usability and clarity but is also flexible enough to accommodate any conceivable design customization
- forward-compatibility that minimizes—or in some cases completely eliminates—upgrade headaches