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Last month I entered the ThemeGrade premium theme giveaway contest. I won a free copy of the Obox Press Theme, a “classy minimalist WordPress theme.” I didn’t know anything about Obox, but I chose Press because I was intrigued by the full-page slider and various content blocks on the home page that manage to look both ultra clean and beautiful.
Press sells for $50, making it the most expensive theme I’ve personally used. The old adage, you get what you pay for, holds true. It was a delight to install and configure the basics in under an hour at àlaBuzz Info.
From the simple theme options interface, I popped in my logo exactly like adding an image to a post. (No theme PSD files to fiddle with, no server upload, just easy-peasy.) I set up the menu structure. Then I entered text in the “Custom About Us” box, and added my IDs for the social media link list; both niceties automatically appear in the left side of the footer.
From the widgets admin page, I positioned Twitter Stream in the 3rd footer position, and added a blogroll in the 4th. While I was doing this, I was surprised to discover that the home page featured content is managed by widgets:
This allows great layout flexibility. In fact, Press is highly adaptable in style to suit the tone of any blog. It’s there in an understated way that elegantly supports vivid content presentation.
When I have a chance, I’ll apply the featured posts slider (that holds images or videos) and explore the built-in gallery (which can also be used as a portfolio or product listing page.) Based on my experience with Press so far, I’m confident using these features will flow intuitively. Meanwhile, àlaBuzz Info looks rather fine and functions well, virtually out-of-the-box!
Let me end by thanking the good people at ThemeGrade for their contest, and the generous folks at Obox for being one of the sponsors. They’ve heightened my state of blogging bliss. This wonderful theme, that has unexpectedly dropped into my hands, is inspiring. It’s the kind of theme that draws on your creativity, just to do it justice.
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