My second review for the WP Theme Experiment is on the hugely popular Genesis theme framework offered by StudioPress; a premium WordPress theme company launched by the hopeless Starbucks addict, Brian Gardner.

There has been some confusion lately about theme frameworks, child themes, and stand alone themes. While this is a deeper discussion for another time, I would say that Genesis is like a Ferrari.  The engine is WordPress, the body and parts are Genesis, and the child themes are the custom paint or accessories.  All together they make a desirable vehicle!

Genesis includes some extremely beneficial features such as:

• Automatic update notifications
• Easy integration for your RSS feed
• Author Box (User Profile) that can add your bio on single posts
• Several page layout options
• Custom built widgets like My Tweets and eNews Opt-In Box
• BuddyPress Compatibility
• Excellent security

The theme framework is definitely tight and valuable … but right out of the box it’s not going to be the perfect solution for designers or DYI people. That’s where the importance of child themes come in.

StudioPress has 27 child themes to choose from ($24.95 each if you have Genesis/$79.95 each if you don’t) and most of them are very good, professional designs that can be adapted for a wide variety of client needs.  They are simple and effective.  The only caveats I see for a majority of people would be the following …

• You’ll need to need to know how to FTP files up to your server
• You’ll want to know minor CSS hacks in order to change colors such as text links or navigational hover buttons

These aren’t huge issues by any means, but if you don’t understand how to do these two things, you may find yourself very frustrated when it comes to customization.  But hey, if I can learn to do it, anyone can!

My Conclusion

StudioPress gives a designer the ability to make a profitable income customizing their products.  They have a solid reputation and even though I’ve not used their support (again, haven’t needed to) I have heard their team is pretty reliable.   I personally know that Brian puts in a ton of time to continually build the business, and in my honest opinion, there is very little reason to keep a person from purchasing their themes or framework.  I now have a few Studio Press child themes in my arsenal and I plan on using them … and if you’re a web design shop, you should too!

Please Note: None of these links are affiliate links.  I am not receiving any compensation for my reviews on my WP Theme Experiment project or the reviews on themes that were kindly donated to me.