When choosing a Theme for a wordpress blog how important is who makes it?

I know that you obviously would like aquire a theme from a reputable retailer (themeforest, woocomerce etc). However there is a lot of hype about the genesis framework (improved security, lightning speeds and way better SEO). I was just wondering how important the framework actually is.

I'm asking because I do like some themes by StudioPress (founders of the Genesis Framework) I am not in love with them, I feel as though they are almost to basic from the demo's (feel free to prove me wrong). I seem to be more in love with some other themes I've found from sites like themeforest and woocommerce.

So is it worth it to sacrifice for a theme I like but not love are there that many benefits?

 

90% of the templates available on the internet (both free and paid) are turd sandwiches. The other 10% are in general marginal bloatware. If you are not concerned about security, reliability, efficiency and maintainability then put a list of candidates up on the wall and throw a dart to choose one. If you want to build a site that has real value then learn how to write the code to skin your own sites. However if you have already given up learning to do things right by using Wordpress then you are probably already lost and on your way to Purgatory.

 

I completely agree about the quality of most skins out there. I have also found that the ones that to cram more and more features in are particularly crappy. Sure, they look great when it is just the designer's demo site you have to go by, but when you start changing things around to suit your needs you will probably notice all sorts of problems and crappy coding practices.

Now that I know how to create skins myself I always end up much more satisfied with the site's design because everything is pixel perfect.

 

If you can't build the theme yourself there are still many acceptable options on themeforest or even some free ones (i.e install WP-Forge
or similar and customize it).
Unfortunately I have to agree with the previous posters that 90% of themeforest authors produce heavy, bloated themes. Also some of the
themes never get updates even after a major WP update so it is wise to choose a respected author with a history (Kriesi on TF for example).

The other thing is to ask yourself - if you REALLY need wordpress? For a simple blog I would always recommend something like
Kirby or Statamic (a bit pricey for a Professional license).

 

I think it's all about what it looks like, what features it has and so on. If you think about it, the bigger brands are known for these things, higher quality, better stuff in general. That's WHY they're bigger brands. But if you like a computer's functions that's not a Mac, then don't buy a Mac. That would hurt you, if you just bought it because of it's name. It really all depends though.

 

I assume that was intended as a joke, because becoming a big brand on the Internet has nothing to do with quality. It comes down to how much money you have to spend on promotion; building partnership connections; and writing believable lies in the fake reviews you commission. At some point you reach critical mass and become one of the 1% that manage to monetize well enough to make a profit.

 

I'd like to think some of it has to do with quality though. Like Facebook is a quality site, brand and product. You can pay your way onto a billboard but if they find out your website is a piece of shit..... no one will buy in. But yes, of course money and connections play a big role in getting a business into the top 1% of elites.

 

I can't really follow your example about buying a Mac. There are a whole list of reasons that Apple is a success, quality being just one of them.

Except that's not what we're talking about. Facebook delivering a good quality service to its end users. With Wordpress themes the end users for the distributor of the theme are not the end users for the blogger who ends up using the theme. This is why there is often a disconnect between the quality of Wordpress themes and their popularity.

 

Go for a custom design with Wordpress.

 

customized design with wordpress would work for you.

 

I normally use a framework for a wordpress theme.. You can use or have some one do a custom theme for your wordpress.. Alot of good framework out there that could handle those security issues...