WM Web Design work exclusively with the Genesis theme framework and the main reason is… because the guys behind Genesis are an awesome collection of people.
I’m not just talking nice, I’m talking talented.
Management with a clear and achievable vision, coders with in-depth knowledge and expertise and the man with enough talent and creative flair to sink a battleship… the one and only Mr Rafal Tomal
Rafal is the Lead Designer over at Copyblogger Media and his themes are original, clean and… absolutely stunning.
Designing and developing Genesis child themes is my day job.
I’m a part of StudioPress’ development team and you can find many of my themes on the StudioPress site.I specialize in website design tasks and focus on clean, simple, and functional styles in everything I produce. I’m passionate about my work and enjoy spending long hours on small details in my designs and producing work that is as perfect as I can make it.
Rafal Tomal – Lead Designer Copyblogger Media.
What makes Rafal’s themes so good?
Trying to analyse Rafal’s themes is a bit like defining the beauty of a flower.
You can pick the flower, pull off each petal, study them under a microscope, but in the act of defining… the beauty is lost.
But… if I had to take a stab, these are my five stand-out points:
- Colour combinations
- Subtle use of texture
- Attention to detail
- Typography
- Mobile responsive
We all know something about colour theory, but these themes take that theory to new heights.
Turqoise on black, orange on black and red on grey all look so natural that they could be Mother Nature’s own creations.
Bright colours are used to highlight and draw attention, they are never daubed, but placed with precision.
Take a look how the orange draws you to the sign-up boxes in the Streamline Theme.
Textures make you feel as though you could brush your hand across the page, but how many of us think of using them?
These themes use textures to soften and add richness to a site.
For a great example of how to use textures, take a look at the mottled grey horizontal rectangle and the barely visible diagonal stripes on the sign-up box in the Balance Theme.
I always think that it’s the attention to detail that singles out the truly great themes and sets them apart from the also-rans.
The Decor Theme uses attention to detail to great effect with its decorative font and picture frame corners.
Text is a major part of any website.
The right fonts and font combinations combined with correct font size and line height make the content so much easier to read.
If you want to see compelling headlines combined with well spaced easy to read text, take a look at the Generate Theme.
“By 2015, there will be more mobile Internet users than wireline users in the USA.”
I’m not sure where that stat comes from, but looking at my own Google Analytics data… I can easily believe it.
Raphal’s themes are all fully mobile responsive, which means that your visitors will have a great viewing experience…. whatever device they use to browse.
Perfect spacing, beautiful typography, great user experience and mobile responsiveness sound like an impossible mix, yet it’s a great recipe for the perfect website.
It’s definitely not easy to combine all of these things but it’s always worth the effort to try it and follow the right path.
Rafal Tomal
Take a look at Rafal’s Genesis child themes for yourself
The best way to appreciate just how good these themes are, is to see them in all their full-size glory.
I’m sure that Rafal has had an input in to most of the recent Genesis child themes, but these are the ones that he holds his hands up to:
We’d love to hear from you
We’d love to have your thoughts on Rafal’s themes.
Are you using one already, are you thinking of using one, which is your favourite?
Please feel free to share your thoughts on anything and everything in the comments below.
And Rafal if you are out there… please come over and introduce yourself.
Hey Keith,
thanks for featuring my themes! I really appreciate it
Rafal Tomal recently posted..Design the Email Newsletter Sign-Up Box That Works
Hi Rafal
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for creating those gorgeous themes.
No doubt you have a number of themes in the pipeline so I’ll add them to the collection as they become available at Studiopress.
Appreciate you taking the time to come over.
Keith Davis recently posted..Genesis WordPress theme selector tool
Hey Keith,
Nice article, Rafal is a fantastic designer. I’ve been using Balance theme for one of my blogs and really loving it.
Good work, Keith.
Devesh recently posted..Traffic Generation Through LinkedIn – LinkedIn Groups?
Hi Devesh
Yes indeed.. he is one talented guy.
My only complaint is that although he is Polish, he calls football soccer. LOL
What are you up to?
Have you updated any sites to WordPress 3.4?
I’ve updated a local install to 3.4 and had no problems.
Will start updating live sites this weekend.
Thanks for coming over – much appreciated.
Keith
Keith Davis recently posted..RealPro – the ultimate Real Estate theme from Genesis
It’s funny – looking at the four examples, I’m currently using three of them and have Generate on stand-by for another project.
I think that says all that needs to be said about Rafal’s work – and the responsive designs are just the icing on a very nice cake.
Thanks for coming over Danny
If you recall it was you who sparked my interest in Genesis.
I bought the Pro Plus package and I’ve never looked back.
Yes… you are using 3 of them and Generate would be the full set!
Love how Rafal uses fonts and textures – I do appreciate good design, but I bow to a guy who can conjour it out of thin air.
Enjoy your cake Danny, maybe with a nice cuppa.
Keith Davis recently posted..Genesis WordPress theme selector tool
Maybe I can have it with a Whyte & Mackay 22-year old?
Actually Danny you really can have your cake and eat it.
This guy gives you the full SP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl93KQ00fqc
Keith Davis recently posted..Site Setup Kit… create your own WordPress website
Great review of great themes from Genesis. While I am a Headway guy as you know, I have used and have always liked stuff from the good folks at Genesis. They are top=shlf themes without problems associated with other theme developers like…
umm…never mind
Greta stuff Keith!
Frank Dickinson recently posted..It’s Friday #1!: Peach’s Neet Feet
Good to see you Frank
Headway is brilliant but for getting out a great looking website in double quick time… Genesis takes some beating.
Just paid you a visit… awesome post you have there Frank.
Thanks for sharing.
Keith Davis recently posted..RealPro – the ultimate Real Estate theme from Genesis
Keith, great writeup and love the specific theme highlights! Not sure how I missed it before. Yes, I have design envy when it comes to Rafal.
carrie recently posted..How to Create Custom Fields in WordPress
Hi Carrie – always good to see you
Yes Rafal is rather good and his new site is just brilliant.
Having said that… the INSpyr guys are pretty talented as well.
Thanks for stopping by.
Keith
Keith Davis recently posted..Genesis WordPress plugins by Studiopress