As designers, we always have to question why a certain visual look is popular. This is not so we necessarily copy it, but if something becomes popular, it must resonate with a large audience. One excellent way to examine designs with mass appeal is to look at popular WordPress themes. In this post we will analyze some of the most downloaded and popular WordPress themes .

Why do you think these themes were so popular? Notice the trend towards minimalism in the layout and colors. As you examine these themes, look for patterns and see if there are themes you can draw from these designs and integrate into your work – or avoid at all costs.

Delicate

This classic theme uses a familiar look with some trendy typefaces to communicate clearly. The fading header and simple color scheme really have an impact on the overall look and feel.

Suffusion

As a simpler looking theme, this layout design organizes all the page content neatly within round cornered boxes. Using a less saturated color theme allows easy reading with emphasis on the important items.

ColorWay

For more commercial bloggers, the home page of this theme creates a welcoming cover page to the blog. Without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary information, this theme still uses a touch of color to create the feel of a unique blog.

zBench

Another familiar looking layout with a spin off of the tabbed browsing navigation we are all too familiar with. The widgets are nicely organized and look great with the complementing colors.

Magazine Basic

This theme does a great job of highlighting all the entries recently posted to the blog. Serif typography and simple colors help allude to the visual likeness of a magazine.

Platform

The Platform theme takes a step toward minimal design with its classic black and white design. Hair-lines and subdued blues paint the organized layout of this blog.

Custom Community

Taking a step away from the traditional, The Custom Community theme is a great demonstration of photographic powered blogging. Recent posts show up in the featured slider and images help to create a preview of the content within.

Graphene

For a more classic blogger, this theme has a familiar layout but uses a slider to feature posts in the feed. A dash of blue and white over the black background set the important content apart from the great design.

iFeature

Similar to the previous theme, the iFeature speaks to its name. A more fashionable featured slider mirrors the color scheme of the rest of the theme quite nicely.

Coraline

Skinnier than some, Coraline uses the space it takes wisely. Bold black lines and headlines helps direct the reader to where they need to be.

Atahualpa

Atahualpa expands wider than most blogs to accommodate the 3 column design. A soft blue accent rests nicely in the floating theme design.

Liquorice

The Licorice theme screams throwback. Its rusty colors and classic typography generate more than a modern blog theme.

Adventure Journal

Looking for a journaling blog? This is the theme you need! A scrapbook style header makes for a really interesting welcome.

LightWord

Another more modern design can be found in the LightWord theme. The designer uses floating navigation and entry-dates to really emphasize the text within the posts.

News

The News theme communicates a lot information efficiently at one time. Darker red helps set the theme apart from the familiar style found on many blogs, and many other neat features truly optimize communication.

Annotum Base

Looking for a simple way to organize your blog into a traditional looking website? Try Annotum. The blue header along with the basic navigation make using this blog easy to the average web user.

Admired

More playful themes welcome more creative writers. This simplistic yet fun theme helps maintain the familiar blog layout with added energy.

Brunelleschi

Minimal themes have a great look that don’t get in the way. The Brunelleschi theme does just this and is still considered visually appealing.

zeeBizCard

The zeeBizCard theme enables the writer to display posts in a non-sophisticated way. For creative writers, this theme may be right for you.

Wu Wei

Wu Wei literally means without action. This seems to be the motivating idea behind this great minimal theme. Orange is the only accent color among the white and light brown.

Let me know which themes you liked and which ones you hate. What observations can be drawn and applied/removed to your design?

Tara Hornor has a degree in English and has found her niche writing about marketing, advertising, branding, graphic design, and desktop publishing. She writes for PrintPlace.com, an online printing company that offers business cards, posters, brochure printing, postcard printing, and more printed marketing media. In addition to her writing career, Tara also enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.