Sabin-Wilson - WordPress Web Design For Dummies,

WordPress Web Design For Dummies, 2nd Edition

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Copyright 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013942776

ISBN 978-1-118-54661-1 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-54637-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-54663-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-54654-3 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Introduction

W ordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) on the web. Users of the WordPress platform can easily publish their content on the Internet because of its intuitive user interface. A large segment of the WordPress user community wants to delve a bit deeper into the platform so that they can not only publish content but also make their websites look fantastic by designing, customizing, and manipulating their WordPress themes. In fact, as a WordPress designer and consultant myself, two of the most frequent questions I hear from my clients are How can I design my own theme for WordPress? and How can I design and build my entire website with WordPress?

WordPress Web Design For Dummies, 2nd Edition, answers those questions and unlocks the mysteries of designing websites with the WordPress content management system. If you have ever tried to tweak an existing WordPress theme file, or even design your own WordPress theme from scratch, and have found it to be intimidating or too difficult to understand, this book breaks it down for you in a friendly and easy-to-understand manner.

About This Book

This book starts by walking you through the basics of understanding and setting up WordPress so that you can

Understand the fundamental difference between a blog and a website.

Define what a content management system (CMS) is.

Explore different ways that websites use WordPress.

Get to know WordPress basic requirements.

Explore web- hosting recommendations.

Install WordPress on your web server.

Discover ways to publish and manage your content.

In this book, you also discover the right tools to use for publishing and designing with WordPress, including tools that help you

Write and edit code.

Transfer files from your computer to your web server.

Create, edit, and design graphics.

Choose colors schemes and fonts.

Plan your design strategy.

WordPress Web Design For Dummies, 2nd Edition, also addresses issues related to web design by walking you through some basic design skills, such as understanding and designing with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and HyperText Markup Language (HTML). You also explore basic design concepts, such as color, typography, and layouts.

Finally, this book wouldnt be complete without in-depth information on using the WordPress technology to create dynamic websites. I introduce templates and themes and explain how to use WordPress template tags to create great features. I show how to use WordPress to build all sorts of websites, such as small business sites, e-commerce sites, photo galleries and portfolios, real-estate sites, social communities and discussion forums, and more.

Foolish Assumptions

I made a few small assumptions, and one very large one, about you while I wrote this book. I want to get the large one out of the way immediately: You already know how to use WordPress.

Yes, thats right this book doesnt show you how to use the WordPress software to publish posts, create categories, or use the Dashboard, for example. I assume you have that knowledge already and youve been working with WordPress for at least a few weeks. My other book, WordPress For Dummies , is a fantastic companion to this one because it takes you, starting with step 1, through all the steps you need to know to use WordPress. If you feel you may need a review or a solid introduction to the WordPress software, pick up a copy of that book too.