WordPress Theme Galleries

February 21, 2009

So you’ve got WordPress installed, hopefully by someone who knows what they’re doing, and now it’s time to find one of those free themes you’ve been told about.

Maybe you already visited WordPress.org or googled “free wordpress themes,” only to get immediate brain trauma from the multitude of free downloads that show up.  And if you are able to pick one, how do you know it’s actually going to work, and not break your site?

Catch a breath.  Keep reading.

Who has the time to look through all those themes?

Thankfully, there are some really smart, generous people on the Internet already doing the research for you.  Like anything worthwhile on the Internet, you just have to know where to find them.

Since I got into the WordPress game two years ago I have looked at dozens of showcase and gallery sites, and Smashing Magazine has proved to be one of my favorite theme destinations.  What makes Smashing Magazine so great is that these guys not only choose themes that look great, but also download and test them to make sure they work.

It looks great, but does it work?

As someone who designs and builds custom WordPress themes, I’ll let you in on a little secret: don’t judge a theme by its cover.  A theme can wow you with graphic design brilliance, but if it’s got shoddy parts (i.e. code) , it might not play nice.  In other words, broken site, file for bankruptcy.

Check out these four great Smashing Magazine WordPress theme showcases. I promise there’s something for everyone:

• 100 Excellent Free WordPress Themes
• 83 Beautiful WordPress Themes You (Probably) Haven’t Seen
• 21 Fresh, Usable and Elegant WordPress Themes
• 30 Free High Quality WordPress Themes

You can also go window shopping

You can’t get free themes here, but We Love WordPress is a fantastic gallery to peruse and fall in love with WordPress all over again.  Or if you’re going the custom route, a place to send your designer for inspiration.

About The Author

Ross Chapman is founder and CEO of Folks Pants, a full-service web consulting group based in Oakland, CA, and is the Customer Care & Support Manager for Sustainable Websites LLC.  He speaks WordPress as a second language.

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