Appearance is just one factor in developing a blog that entices readers to return over and over again – after all, the display often up sells your content. Typology, image display, and color schemes are all a part of this, and there are some amazing WordPress themes you can use to spice up your blogs look.
You’ve surely seen lists like this before, but WordPress themes are constantly getting more advanced and more creative. Below is a list of 20 of my most recent favorites and some of the newer responsive themes. With so much to choose from, there is sure to be one to fit your style.
Editor note: Neither the author or SEJ was paid or perked in any way to include the following themes in this post. Just personal design preference!
Luminus
This theme is clean and simple, but “luminous” enough for a solid portfolio site. It is very customizable and offers a lot of options to tailor it to exactly to your preferences. It’s not too flashy, but if you really want to highlight your photos and get creative with your content, something this simple might be your best bet.
Zippy
This is a great option for a business site because it includes two customizable home pages and widgets. It syncs very well with social media display so your readers can link back to your other platforms with ease. This is another simple option to make your photos really pop.
Photogenic
Perfect for those looking to display photos and have easy Instagram integration, Photogenic is a beautiful display that will show off the best of your visual imagery. There are quite a few themes out there that put a focus on photos and Instagram so it’s definitely worth some research, but this is a great starting point.
Twenty Fourteen
One of the newer WordPress designs (released this year), this theme has so many options for customization. One of my favorite features is the ability to display your home page in either a grid or a slider. Plus, it gives you plenty of options for widgets and different features that would be a great fit for almost any blogging purpose.
Adamos
With its wide-screen appearance, this theme is perfect for the display of your logo or other company photo. Think of it kinda of like a Facebook cover photo. As with most themes, you have tons of color optimization choices to make sure your logo or photo will stand out.
Alpha Forte
This theme features a three-column design that can serve many different blogging purposes. With a customizable background, you can develop an easy to use site with a display.
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village has a sleek, professional look that draws attention to a select images and bits of text of your choosing. It easily integrates video and has many customizable features, including the ability to change many aspects of color and design. If you plan to feature certain pieces every few weeks on your blog, this is a great option.
Icelock
My favorite aspect of Icelock is the contrast of the dark and light, which gives it an edgy look. The sidebar feature makes it easy to navigate, so it could be used for many different blogging purposes. This is definitely a unique blog look, so it will take a creative eye to make this one really work. It’s different, but that’s the beauty of it!
Hueman
This theme is truly awesome for all of the features it has to offer. First and foremost, I want to mention that is looks incredible on small devices such as smart-phones, which is really important for most bloggers (learn why here). Secondly, it has a lot of styling options and a unique boxed layout.
Orb
This grid-style portfolio has 3 different templates and would be a good fit for a creative blogger who wants to play around with their options. Their plug-ins included with the download make it very easy to manage your content.
One
Clean and modern, One’s developers claim it to be the best theme they’ve every built. With a page builder that allows several different layout combinations, it is a flexible platform that allows you to feature photos and video. You don’t have to be advanced to use this theme, but the amount of choices mean it works best for bloggers with a design in mind.
Krating
If typography is what you are after, this is by far one of the best choices for a blogging theme. More than 600 Google fonts are included and the emphasis is on typography and mixed media.
Finale
This design is minimalist but very classy and sophisticated (f I had a fashion-forward blog, this would be my top choice). This is ideal for many types of businesses or agencies and has a sleek look that is highly diverse. There are some unique features such as shortcode and built-in page options that allow a number of designs to be created.
The Takeaway
While these are only 13 of the newest and most diverse WordPress blog designs, they are some of the best and most responsive themes available. Many of these were just released in 2014 and are great starting points for redesigning or building a blog from the ground up.
Remember, the design you choose should be representative of your content and business objectives. While many of these strike me as industry specific, others could be used for a number of purposes!
Have you found any other awesome new responsive WordPress themes we should know about? Have you used any of the above themes? Let us know your favorite in the comment section below.
Image Credits
Featured Image: vetkit via Shutterstock
All screenshots taken July 06, 2014
