Running on Canvas

After a detailed research, test drive and many considerations, this blog is now running on a premium theme. Yes, a paid theme for a simple blog, which is uncertain in term of niche and content. To be honest, I’m still undecided about the direction of this blog. I’m flowing with the trend and unfortunately I lost along the wave.

Since migrating from Blogger to WordPress sometime ago, I never think of paying for a theme just to ‘dress’ this blog. But, when limitation (of Free Themes) infuriates me from time to time, I felt that it’s about time to have total freedom of managing my own blog. Just after 2 blogging years, here I am, running on a premium WordPress theme, Canvas by WooThemes.

Why Canvas?

Canvas is the most affected theme to by the Woothemes developers! Every element of Canvas is highly customizable through the options panel, so you can make the design, layout and typography exactly like you want. If you are after a highly customizable blog design or just a starter theme for your next client project, then Canvas will most definitely work for you! For me it does.

Features within Canvas Woothemes that influenced my decision…

• Custom Page Templates – Canvas featured with a Magazine and Business page template which you can choose to set your blog into 3 different themes. Equipped with JavaScript sliders so we can be easily setup the homepage to act as a magazine or business theme.
• Easily customize any element – Canvas will let you customize the style and typography of every element in the design. Packed with 100+ options, it allows you to make your blog look exactly like you want!
• Use your own images in design – The options panel lets you upload your own images for use as main background image and header background image. It’s never been this easy!
• Easy to change width – Canvas lets you easily change between 5 different site widths (980, 960, 940, 880 and 760 pixels) and also has an option to box your layout in.
• 6 different layouts – I can choose between 6 different layouts for and order of content/sidebars (full width, 2 col left, 2 col right, 3 col left, 3 col middle, 3 col right). Canvas also lets you specify individual layouts per post or page!
• Custom Widgets – The theme has 2 widgetized areas in sidebar and 4 widgetized areas in footer (optional), and also some extra Woo custom widgets (Woo Tabs, Flickr, Twitter, Adspace, Search).

All themes developed by the Woo team have standard features within all of their wide range of their available themes. You will be supported with a backend theme option, Cross-Browser compatible, Custom page templates (template included in Canvas is the best out of all themes) and Woo Framework where provide you with easy customization of the template without touching the base code.

I don’t have to worry much about SEO, because this theme has a Built-in SEO option to help propel my site’s search engine ranking. This is an excellent theme for affiliate marketers and business owners because they can immediately focus on creating content other than spending more time tweaking their theme.

Before purchasing a theme, you also can test drive the theme before making up your mind. Experience theme features even before making the purchase. Best of all, for one valid purchase you can have 2 more premium themes (of your choice). Buy 1, Free 2!

So here I go again, venturing into all things necessary to complement my needs. Thesis themes are my actual first choice but this theme (Canvas by Woothemes) is simply irresistible and the price tag is not punching a big hole into your pocket. A big theme for a blog this small is anything you can asked for.

How about you? Ready for a premium theme?