Since my latest design refresh, many folks have been asking about the WordPress theme I’m using and how to get it. So, same as before, I’ve made my blog’s theme open source.
Meet Kanso, my best blogging theme yet.
WordPress
Insights on new releases, themes, plugins, blocks, and tips for building better with WordPress. Let’s build a better web.
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WordPress Contributors, Think Like a Designer
Open source is beautiful. And open source is often messy.
WordPress, with its global community of contributors, is no exception. We’re a passionate bunch, each bringing our ideas, skills, and perspectives to the table. It’s what makes WordPress different—a competitive advantage. But this freedom comes with a challenge: together, how do we build a cohesive, intuitive, and human-centric WordPress experience?
More than ever, WordPress should be design led.
That doesn’t mean a few designers make all the decisions. Actually, it’s the opposite; every contributor—developer, writer, marketer, or designer—thinks more like a designer.
To think like a designer means looking beyond the immediate task and considering the bigger picture. It requires understanding how every change impacts the user experience and approaching decisions with empathy, ensuring every interaction feels purposeful and seamless.
This approach challenges us to avoid arbitrary decisions and lean on holistic solutions that prioritize user experience. Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how beautiful, extensible, or accessible WordPress is. If WordPress is not usable, it can’t democratize publishing.
“It doesn’t matter how beautiful, extensible, or accessible WordPress is. If WordPress is not usable, it can’t democratize publishing.”
Rich TaborI’m not saying WordPress isn’t usable today (although there’s room for improvement), but that open source isn’t an excuse for sloppiness; it’s a call for excellence—especially with a project that matters, like WordPress.
As contributors, we have the opportunity to create a more thoughtful, human-centric experience that empowers people to publish, if we all think more like a designer.
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WordPress 6.6
WordPress 6.6 is a solid mix of refinement and progression, most notably with enhanced design tools to level-up site creation, and rollbacks for plugin auto-updates.
Here’s my take on the most interesting parts of this release:
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On contributing to open source
The best part of WordPress is that we get to work together making something we appreciate better.
Contributing to open source is all about caring deeply for something and following up that passion with progress. Working together with others.
It’s like embarking on a side quest in your favorite massive multiplayer gamer, where success hinges on assembling a party of adventurers. Each party member (or contributor) brings their unique skills to the table, driven by a shared commitment to progress.
I know it can be difficult to find the intersection of what’s important to a project and what’s interesting to you as a contributor. My advice here is to connect with other contributors and make your interests known.
Blog about your curiosities, your explorations, what drives you as a person. And when you do form that party of adventurers interested in the same areas of work around you, that’s when you will start picking up real momentum.
This dynamic interplay of passion, collaboration, and community underscores the art of contributing to open source. A reminder that at the heart of open source lies a vibrant community of people, each playing a role in shaping its future.
That’s why I build, and publish, with WordPress.
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I made 720 WordPress theme styles
Over the last week or so, I made 720 unique theme styles. But here’s the kicker—this is all in a single theme. Wild.
With Assembler, you have a whopping 45 color combinations and 16 font sets that can be mixed and matched to generate an incredible 720 unique vibes. And while not technically individual themes, each permutation could very well serve as a unique theme style on its own.
Typically, WordPress themes come with a handful of theme style variations at most. But by leveraging the new capabilities of theme style variations landing in WordPress 6.6, this theme shatters the norm.
Check out this highlight I made, featuring Assembler and a few patterns, expressed across just 7 of the 720 permutations.
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My Run in the WordPress Speed Challenge
I participated in my friend Jamie’s WordPress Speed Build Challenge last week. The premise of the show is that two contestants have thirty minutes to build a landing page using WordPress. Good fun.
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Ask Me Anything About WordPress
Whether it’s about the block editor, site editor, building blocks, designing themes, creating patterns, or just using WordPress—ask me anything and I’ll follow up with you.
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Wait…did WordPress development get good?!
A friend recently shared with me this post on Reddit, a reminder that there is often more to the latest WordPress narrative making the rounds:
I opened up the 2024 theme …and the blocks editor kinda blew me away. I’d completely missed all that I guess. Gutenberg was a beta plugin when I quit.
So today I decided to learn how to make the current theme (based on an old underscores setup) ‘blocks ready’. And after 2 hours I was done. The templating syntax is great, and the theme.json stuff is super easy to get to grips with. Also the usability of the blocks editor is miles ahead of Visual Builder or Element or…both of which I detest!
So yeah, I’m actually liking what WordPress is doing. I’m impressed. Whoever came up with the way it’s done deserves a pat on the back. It’s really nice.
To each their own, but I find this validating.
Among vocal criticisms and praises that often echo louder in those spaces we’re most comfortable in—whether social media, forums, code repos, or even blogs—it’s crucial to acknowledge the diversity of experiences and perspectives.
While some face genuine frustrations, others find delightful utility; both experiences are equally valuable to the continued evolution of WordPress. And I’m here for it.
Is there still work to do? Yes, lots.
Want to help? Jump in.
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WordPress 6.5
In many ways, WordPress 6.5 lays the foundational components of the next big wave of innovation in WordPress. Here’s my take on the most interesting parts of this release.
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WordCamp Asia, 2024
Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to immerse myself in the vibrant atmosphere of Taipei for WordCamp Asia 2024, a melting pot of engaging community, delightful dumplings, and enlightening speakers. WordCamp Asia is not just a conference; it’s a celebration of the WordPress community’s diversity, resilience, and creativity—and I’m here for it.
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Composing with patterns
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of WordPress patterns.
The ability to design a part of a site with a bunch of blocks and have it persist—whether synced or not—across my site, or shared across most others, is quite a powerful idea.
While they’re great, I feel there’s more potential to unlock with patterns, especially if we consider them as sections to compose pages with, not just groups of blocks.
Think of a site’s hierarchy: A site is made up of pages, which are composed of patterns, which consist of blocks—essentially, data objects. If patterns and blocks represent differing levels of hierarchy, why are they currently treated the same in the WordPress editing experience?
So let’s explore.
One idea is to treat patterns as a higher-order experience, where invoking a site’s pattern library zooms out the canvas to provide a bird’s-eye view, enabling you to compose with patterns, like this:
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WordPress Theme Composition and Interoperability
I’ve shared quite a bit about the composition of WordPress themes and how they’ve evolved over the years. But one notion that has captured my attention lately is just how composable themes have become lately.
WordPress themes used to be so static; stuck in the time when it was first launched. Sure, you’ll get a few maintenance updates, but that’s really it.
Today’s themes—or rather, today’s block themes—inherit the newest additions to WordPress out-of-the-box, as blocks carry much of the “weight” themes were once required to do. And historically, many theme designers—including myself—relied on a framework that covered the basics of their theming approach; but now, WordPress is that framework.
Consequently, you can mix and match blocks from any page or template, and between any theme. It’s pretty cool, but there’s so much more to this.
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Your corner of the internet
A blog is more than just a collection of posts. It’s about the power of written words, an ongoing conversation that shapes how we see things, opens our minds, and helps us connect with others.
Each post adds to the rich mix of human stories. Whether you’re sharing experiences, teaching something new, or just capturing everyday thoughts, a blog gives you an independent space to express yourself.
Blogging offers an escape from the algorithm-driven world (a place where you can simply write). It reminds us of when sharing thoughts wasn’t about chasing likes or trends, but about real digital connection.
Your blog belongs to you. It reflects who you are.
It’s your corner of the internet.
Make it yours, and let it show your personality in this huge digital world.
Thanks, WordPress.
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Automattic, one year later
One year ago today, I joined Automattic as a product manager focused on WordPress.
Automattic is as unique as they come. As a distributed company with a flat organizational structure and a healthy culture of synergistic innovation—ideas, thoughts, and feedback come from anyone, anywhere, and anytime.
This environment generates a jet stream of knowledge, information, and experiences—kindly referred to as the “chaos” internally—that you, as a high-functioning team member, choose how to absorb. You communicate extensively; it’s an expectation. And just about everything is recorded in some form or fashion, for anyone else to digest.
So yes, there is a bit of chaos… and I like it.
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WordCamp US 2024 in Portland, Oregon
WordCamp US is an annual large-scale event that gathers enthusiasts, developers, designers, and users from around the world, to talk, learn, and share WordPress experiences.
I’ve never been to Portland, but I’m looking forward to it!
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