If you’ve been around Nicasio Design & Development long enough, you’ve probably noticed that we’re always talking about using WordPress as a CMS. But what exactly is this CMS thing anyway, and why should you use it? Let’s break it down.
CMS stands for content management system. WordPress’ administrative area turns it into a CMS because it provides a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor similar to a mini-version of Microsoft Word. Basically, anyone that knows how to work Microsoft Word will be able to add and edit web content themselves without having to know any technical junk, like HTML. Below is a screenshot that shows what a WYSIWYG editor in WordPress looks like. Once you type in the box and hit save, whatever you’ve written is automatically published. It’s that simple.
First in a new series of quick tips we’re going to start publishing on good WordPress Design.
Tip #1: The sidebar is not a Christmas Tree and you should not decorate it as such.
The sidebar of your WordPress site is an extremely valuable area that allows you to show your users content that, for whatever reason, works best when separated from your site’s main content. No you probably don’t need that 3-d tag cloud (where it’s impossible to actually click on a tag – defeating the purpose). Just as with the content of your website, think about everything that is going onto your sidebar and decisions about what should be included there accordingly. Use the sidebar to help your users enjoy your site, not overwhelm them with widgets and useless information.
If you’re like most people you’re always looking for ways to cut expenses out of your budget. And right now, spending money on a custom WordPress design may seem like an extra expense that you just can’t seem to justify, especially not when there are free WordPress templates out there that you can simply tweak a little to fit your needs…right?
Perhaps. But we think that it’s not really all that simple. In the long run, you’ll spend many hours developing a do-it-yourself site that just doesn’t professionally market your brand. And after all the migraines you’ll incur, you may end up wishing you’d just hired someone in the first place. Yes, custom WordPress design and development may be an investment. But we believe that it will return to you in full many times over. Here’s how.
We’re loving the new office – and the view! What do you see out your office window? For size reference notice how small the tug boat on the left looks!
We’ve all seen it. That hideously ugly WordPress design that either causes us to cringe in pain as we struggle to close the screen, or inspires us to call a couple friends over to laugh and point. No one wants that reaction, least of all a company with a message to drive home. In terms of WordPress design, what makes one good and another bad? Isn’t beauty in the eye of the beholder in some ways, yes? But here at Nicasio Design and Development, we believe that there are some elementary principles that a WordPress site must follow to not find itself in the category of “bad blog.”
Nicasio just got back from WordCamp Atlanta and we had a great time. We were Silver Sponsors of the event and we were glad that we could help (in a small way) make such a great event happen.
We want to thank the organizers, volunteers, other sponsors and of course the speakers for a great WordCamp!
We can’t wait for WordCamp Atl 2011!
iFive needed their new website design built out to incorporate two different platforms – WordPress and Wild Apricot.
The WordPress theme we built is a highly custom theme using advanced content management techniques which allows iFive to control every aspect of their site’s content from within the site’s admin.
The Wild Apricot build is a custom Wild Apricot theme which allows iFive to maintain the same look and feel across both platforms while gaining the membership benefits of Wild Apricot combined with the content management and scalability of WordPress.
A customized version of our own Dynamic Headers plugin also makes an appearance on this site.
Larger screenshot after the break.
The web has been buzzing with talk of the new L5 remote for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Nicasio Design had the pleasure of creating the website for this innovative new product.
L5 needed a way to market their genius new device and had an idea for site design, but needed someone to bring it to life. This is where we (and WordPress) came in.
Using a slick, custom theme powered by AJAX (also with non-javascript support of course) a web presence was created for this exciting new gadget in record time.
Larger screenshot after the break.
When considering a custom design for your WordPress site, there are important elements that are not necessarily within the syntax and mechanics of the template that should be kept in mind. For example, you may start with an idea, like “I want a blue background” but did you think about the fact that there are many variations to shades of blue? What about your text color? Headings? Accents? What about other important design elements other than colors? Custom WordPress design is just as important as the execution of coding the design.
For those of you who missed our soiree due to the inclement weather, here is a shot of the festivities in full swing.
Yes that is a ping-pong table you see there. The evening’s highlight was my 9 year old taking on and beating 9 out of 10 challenges. I hear most are asking for a rematch!
9 more pics. Click here…
As we prepare for the Nicasio holiday party, we took it upon ourselves to decorate our office with, yes, WordPress W’s. Why?
Well, we love WordPress and dedicate a good portion of our production efforts to pushing the platform, functionality wise, beyond the premise of blogging platform [see our site launches.] What makes WordPress special for Nicasio Design – like for many in the WordPress developer community is the flexibility it offers, however, from the perspective of a business owner what makes it special lies more in the level of satisfaction our clients voice with using WordPress as a blog / cms / custom solution.
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