My presentation from the 2010 WordCamp UK. Check it out, love the GPL and hopefully learn something about how we got to where we are to day in the WP theme landscape.

1. How WordPress Themes
Changed The World
byMichael Kimb Jones
for WordCamp UK 2010
http://mkjones.co.uk @mkjones http://base6design.com

2. How WordPress Themes
Changed The World
WordPress Themes haven’t rea!y changed the world.
But over the past 3 years the WordPress theme landscape has changed dramatically.
What started as a few key community members pumping out cool and interesting theme
designs has turned into big business with huge turnovers and a truly worldwide scope.

3. About me
• Work in the NHS
Spoke last year about the use of WP in
the health sector and how I’ve used it
• Design studio ‘base6’
Providing web solutions based mainly
around WP http://base6design.com
• I love WordPress
Started using in 2005 after a long search
for a solid CMS platform (Joomla, Drupal,
PHP Nuke.. etc)
• I love WordPress Themes
For me, its always been about the themes.
My personal site http://mkjones.co.uk

4. WonderThemes / Wonderflux Project
WordPress theme framework and marketplace
community project currently in development
WonderThemes.com

5. About this talk
• WordPress Themes
Why WordPress? Why themes?
• History Lesson
A look back over the past 3 years before
premium themes and how we got to where
we are today.
• Commercial Theme Models
A look at how people/businesses started to
sell is WordPress themes.
• Case Studies/Success Stories
How people/businesses have grown theme
marketplaces and created businesses
My personal site http://mkjones.co.uk

6. Why WordPress, why themes?
• I personally spent years searching for a good
CMS platform to build sites with
• Instantly fell in love with the WordPress’s
intuitive theme system - template tags, the loop,
headers, sidebars, custom page templates ..... etc ....
• When you develop a site with WordPress,
you’re really just making a theme - themes are
the most important part of the WP platform

7. The eureka moment....
If you can design, if you know HTML/CSS and a little PHP, then
chances are you can make a WordPress Theme

8. MY FIRST THEME!
Circa 2005 - personal blog theme - embarrassing!

9. ...and, my 2nd theme...
A few months later - project for a local training company website

10. Why Designers/Developers
love WordPress Themes
• Provides a usable easy to learn platform
• Well supported, lots of documentation, open-
source and FREE
• Anyone with intermediate CSS/HTML skills
can pick up the basics and get theming
• Improving all the time; (ameworks, parent
themes, TwentyTen etc...

11. The evolution of
WordPress themes
• Over the past 3 years the WordPress
theme landscape has changed dramatically
• Thousands of WP users are now developing beautiful
and elegant themes either for themselves, for clients or
as products/services which they can sell
• This movement is significant because IMO it has
helped drive the growth and acceptance of WordPress
more anything else (i.e. plugins, CMS imporvements, core upgrades...)

12. The History Lesson
3 years ago (ish).......
if you wanted a theme, chances are, you would go here

13. Today...
there are a lot places to get themes from

14. WordPress Commercial Themes
How did we get here?
the early days

15. 3 years ago (ish)
• No theme clubs, • Most of the themes were
marketplaces or stores simple blog themes, no
theme options or cool
• WordPress was still features
growing as a platform
and was still seen as • A few individuals
purely a ‘blog’ platform creating ‘premium’
WordPress themes
• 1000’s of FREE themes
in the directory of • One of the first
varying quality to see potential
was a site called
WPDesigner.com

16. WP Designer
The wpdesigner.com website by Small Potato (Yung D0)

17. “So you want to create WordPress themes huh?”
The seminal WordPress theming tutorial (at the time)

18. Example WPDesigner Theme - WPDesigner8
One of the sites first ‘premium’ themes

19. The WPDesigner Themes Club
$5 per-year, 12 themes, support, tutorials, community

20. 6 months in, WP Designer was SOLD
Less than 6 months after launching the theme club, Small Potato sold the site and moved on.
Although the site went on to be a failure (http://blogohblog.com/wpdesignercom-going-down-the-drain/)
its legacy is everlasting.

21. What did this prove?
There was now serious money to be made
selling premium WordPress themes
And since then, the entire WordPress theme marketplace has evolved dramatically

22. Meanwhile....
Other people were becoming well known in the WP theme
arena and putting their own spin on the premium theme model

23. What happened next?
The WordPress Commercial
Theme Explosion TM
2008 - present

24. WordPress Commercial
Theme Vendors
€ase $tudies

25. StudioPress (aka Revolution, Revolution2)
Founded by Brian Gardner. Evolved from the
‘Revolution’ theme.
Revenue Model
Yearly subscription - $249
Access to Genesis (amework
Access to a! child themes (and legacy themes)
Access to support forums
Access to future upgrades for 12 months
Individual Purchase
Genesis (amework - $59.95
Child themes - $80/$100
Access to related support forums
Access to theme upgrades http://studiopress.com

26. StudioPress (aka Revolution, Revolution2)
Other Notes
Brian has changed his business model a number
of times before settling on StudioPress
First theme store to truly embrace the GPL
model preferred byWordPress.org
Revolution2 themes were FREE to download
with optional purchase of support
Genesis framework is a relatively new feature of
the business
Allows for user-submitted child-theme
development via a ‘Featured Designers’
programme http://studiopress.com

27. DIYThemes/Thesis
Founded by Chris Pearson. Centres around a
single, customisable, user friendly theme.
Revenue Model
One-off payment - $164 or $87
Developer or Personal option
Access to support forums
Access to a! future upgrades
Skins/Child/Sub-Themes
Developed using built in custom CSS features
Available though the DIY Themes community
Theme sites such as http://thesisthemes.com also exist
http://diythemes.com

28. DIYThemes/Thesis
Other Notes
One of the first truly popular premium themes
Thesis is a closed-source project and does not
embrace the GPL - This has caused friction
between DIYThemes/WordPress in the past
Thesis is one of the most popular and affiliated
WordPress-related products online
Major selling point is the Thesis advanced
options panel which allows the most novice of
users to create different layouts and quick
designs easily using the product
http://diythemes.com

29. WooThemes
Co-founded by Adii Pienaar (AKA Adii Rockstar).
A WordPress blogger and online personality
known for the ‘Premium News Theme’.
Revenue Model
‘Theme Club’ - $125/$200 joining fee + $15/$20 per-month
Access to ALL themes/upgrades
Access to support forums
Individual Purchase
Single/Standard/Developer - $40 $70 $150
Access to related support forums
Access to theme upgrades
Permanent 3-for-1 on a! single purchases
http://woothemes.com

30. WooThemes
Other Notes
Recently moved into development for other
platforms namely Drupal and Expression Engine
Uses the first real ‘theme club’ model since the
demise of WPDesigner
Initially non-GPL, this was swiftly changed once
the site became more established
In a recent interview with Mixergy.com Adii
announced that the site had taken in over
$2million dollars over the past 2 years
http://woothemes.com

31. ThemeForest
Part of the ‘Envato Marketplaces’ founded by
Collis Ta'eed (Tuts+, Freelance Switch).
Revenue Model
Digital Marketplace - no fixed price structure
User submitted themes
Revenue sharing on single sales
Offers ‘regular’ or ‘extended’ licences on themes but
a! themes are licensed under the GPL
Theme Seller Options
Se!ing Exclusively
- 40% to 70% of every sale
Se! Items Elsewhere
- 25% of every sale
http://themeforest.net

32. ThemeForest
Other Notes
Also sells Joomla, Magento, Drupal and basic
HTML/PSD products
Uses GPL for PHP but not strictly for images,
CSS, HTML - most themes have a mixed licensing
system
Can be highly profitable - Current top user has
2784 sales of theme worth $42 = $116,928
Themes must be of a certain quality standard
before being allowed into the marketplace
The entire marketplace has over 330,000
registered users
http://themeforest.net

33. ThemeForest, a final note
Success stories...
Top sellers can earn up to $25k per-month. Some
high earning examples include:
Display Theme
Makes an Average of $28,000 a Month
LondonCreative+ Theme
Makes an Average of $7,000 a Month
Twicet Theme
Makes an Average of $7,000 a Month
ShareShifter Theme
Makes an Average of $7,000 a Month
BigFeature Theme
Makes an Average of $5,500 a Month
Find out more: http://themeforest.net/winter-wordpress/ http://themeforest.net

34. Recap...
StudioPress DIYThemes
Mixed yearly subscription One-off fee revenue model.
or individual item revenue
model. Based around a single,
strong product.
Based around a WordPress
Theme Framework. Relies on theme support
and future upgrades.
Relies on theme support
and future upgrades. Non-GPL.
Uses GPL licence.
WooThemes ThemeForest
Mixed monthly subscription One-off individual sales.
fees or individual item
revenue model. Community driven products.
Now developing themes for Revenue share.
other platforms.
GPL/Mixed-licence model.
Relies on theme support
and future upgrades. Part of a more elaborate
network of sites.
Uses GPL licence.

35. Recap...
StudioPress DIYThemes
Mixed yearly subscription One-off fee revenue model.
or individual item revenue
model. Based around a single,
strong product.
Based around a WordPress
Theme Framework. Relies on theme support
and future upgrades.
Over just a fewtheme support
Relies on short years these 4 sites alone have
and future upgrades. Non-GPL.
managed to generate millions of dollars in revenue
Uses GPL licence.
all thanks to WordPress themes
WooThemes ThemeForest
Mixed monthly subscription One-off individual sales.
fees or individual item
revenue model. Community driven products.
Now developing themes for Revenue share.
other platforms.
Mixed-licence model.
Relies on theme support
and future upgrades. Part of a more elaborate
network of sites.
Uses GPL licence.

36. Recap...
StudioPress DIYThemes
Mixed yearly subscription One-off fee revenue model.
or individual item revenue
model. Based around a single,
strong product.
Based around a WordPress
Theme Framework. Relies on theme support
and future upgrades.
Each site uses on theme support different business model and
Relies slightly a
and future upgrades. Non-GPL.
each site licence. helped to expand the use
Uses GPL has
of the WordPress platform
WooThemes ThemeForest
Mixed monthly subscription One-off individual sales.
fees or individual item
revenue model. Community driven products.
Now developing themes for Revenue share.
other platforms.
Mixed-licence model.
Relies on theme support
and future upgrades. Part of a more elaborate
network of sites.
Uses GPL licence.

37. So, did WordPress Themes
Change the World?
What do you think?
questions, discussion....