Creating a custom WordPress theme from scratch may be daunting, especially if you need to start with a solid foundation. This is where blank WordPress themes come into play. Often referred to as “starter themes” or “naked themes,” these boilerplates provide a basic structure with essential WordPress PHP, CSS, and HTML code already in place. Unlike theme frameworks, blank themes are designed to be extensively modified to meet your needs.
What is a Blank WordPress Theme?
A blank WordPress theme is a minimalistic starting point for theme development. It includes the fundamental files and code necessary for a WordPress theme to function without any stylistic or functional embellishments that come with pre-built themes. The primary components of a blank theme include:
- Basic WordPress PHP Files: These files handle the theme’s core functionalities, such as loading the header, footer, and main content areas.
- CSS Stylesheets: These basic style sheets offer a foundational layout, which you can customize extensively.
- HTML Code: Simple HTML structures are provided to help you build your theme’s layout.
Why Use Blank WordPress Themes?
Using a blank WordPress theme offers several advantages, particularly for developers looking to create a unique, custom theme without starting from scratch every time. Here are some key benefits:
- Speed Up Workflow
Blank themes streamline the development process by providing a skeletal foundation. This means you don’t need to go through the repetitive initiation process each time you start a new project. With the basic structure already in place, you can focus more on customization and functionality.
- Reduce Coding Efforts
With essential files and code pre-included, blank themes reduce the coding required. This allows you to bypass the initial setup and dive directly into developing your theme’s features and aesthetics.
- Avoid Critical Errors
Starting with a blank theme ensures that you won’t miss out on critical files or code necessary for the theme’s operation. This reduces the risk of encountering functionality issues from missing or improperly configured theme components.
- Integrated Features
Some blank WordPress themes have built-in features such as responsive layouts and sample data. These additions can help you test your theme more effectively and ensure it works well across different devices and screen sizes.
Top Blank WordPress Themes for Developers:
Blank WordPress or starter themes are invaluable tools for developers looking to create custom themes efficiently. They provide a foundational structure, allowing developers to focus on customization and unique functionality. Two top blank WordPress themes stand out in the developer community.
1. Roots
Roots is an outstanding open-source WordPress starter theme built with HTML5 Boilerplate and Bootstrap. It also includes Grunt files for quickly compiling LESS code and combining CSS and JS files. This theme is perfect for developers who want a modern, efficient project starting point.
Key Features:
- HTML5 Boilerplate: Provides a robust, HTML5-based foundation.
- Bootstrap Integration: Includes Bootstrap for responsive design, which can be replaced or removed if not needed.
- Grunt Files: Facilitates the quick compilation of LESS code and the combination of CSS and JS files.
- Theme Wrapper: A unique feature that helps avoid writing the same code in multiple files, streamlining the development process.
2. Underscores
Underscores, or _s, is a free blank WordPress theme developed by Automattic, the creators of WordPress. It offers a solid foundation for building custom themes and includes five layout templates. However, it does not come with a pre-built responsive layout, so developers need to create one themselves.
Key Features:
- Automattic Development: Created by the makers of WordPress, ensuring high standards and compatibility.
- Five Layout Templates: Offers flexibility in design with multiple layout options.
- Lean and Clean: A minimalistic approach that provides only the necessary elements, making it lightweight and fast.
- Extensive Tutorials: ThemeShaper, a significant WordPress theme development company, offers a comprehensive tutorial series to help you learn how to create themes using Underscores.
Learn about nulled themes here.
3. Bones
Bones is a free blank WordPress theme built on top of HTML5 Boilerplate. It’s designed with a responsive layout and developed under the Mobile First philosophy, ensuring your themes look great on all devices. WPtuts+ offers an excellent tutorial to help you get started with this versatile starter theme.
Key Features:
- HTML5 Boilerplate: Provides a modern HTML5-based structure.
- Responsive Design: Ensures your themes work well on various devices.
- Mobile First Philosophy: Prioritizes mobile design for better performance and usability.
- Developer-Friendly: Includes detailed tutorials to help you get started quickly.
4. HTML5 Reset WordPress Theme
The HTML5 Reset WordPress Theme is a blank theme designed to help developers create semantic and structurally sound HTML5 WordPress themes. It includes features like the hNews microformat to enhance search engine understanding of your content.
Key Features:
- Semantic HTML5 Structure: Ensures your theme is built on a sound HTML5 foundation.
- hNews Microformat: Helps search engines better understand your content.
- Optimized for SEO: Built with search engine optimization in mind.
5. HTML5 Blank WordPress Theme
HTML5 Blank WordPress Theme is optimized for web performance and provides useful custom theme functions. It includes a dynamic sidebar and boilerplate code for using WordPress’s Shortcode API, making it an excellent choice for developers.
Key Features:
- Web Performance Optimization: Ensures your theme is fast and efficient.
- Custom Theme Functions: Includes a dynamic sidebar and shortcode API boilerplate code.
- Developer-Friendly: Provides a solid foundation for building custom themes.
6. HTML5 Boilerplate for WordPress
This open-source project converts the popular HTML5 Boilerplate into a blank WordPress theme. It uses a modern HTML5 blog structure based on Opera Web evangelist Bruce Lawson’s recommended structural markup for blogs.
Key Features:
- HTML5 Boilerplate: Provides a robust HTML5 foundation.
- Modern Blog Structure: Uses recommended structural markup for blogs.
- Open Source: Free to use and modify.
7. Naked WordPress
Naked WordPress is an ideal blank theme for those eager to learn WordPress theme development. This theme stands out with its inline comments that explain the code, making it a perfect combination of a tutorial and a starter theme. As you build your WordPress theme, the detailed comments help you understand each step and function, facilitating a more profound learning experience.
Key Features:
- Educational Focus: Inline comments throughout the theme code explain each function and element, providing a hands-on learning experience.
- Simplified Structure: Offers a clean, minimalistic foundation, ideal for beginners.
- Customizable: Designed to be easily modified to suit various project requirements.
8. WP-Flex
WP-Flex is a responsive blank WordPress theme with features developers will appreciate. It includes sample data for unit testing and adheres strictly to the official WordPress theming guidelines, ensuring your theme development process is smooth and standards-compliant.
Key Features:
- Responsive Design: Ensures that your theme will look great on all devices.
- Sample Data for Unit Testing: Includes sample data to help you test your theme's functionality.
- WordPress Guidelines Compliance: Follows strict WordPress theming guidelines, promoting best practices in theme development.
9. JointsWP
JointsWP is a versatile blank theme built on Foundation 5, a major front-end development framework. It offers Sass and plain CSS versions, catering to developers with different preferences. This theme provides a solid foundation for creating responsive, modern WordPress themes.
Key Features:
- Foundation 5 Framework: Utilizes the robust Foundation 5 front-end framework.
- Sass and CSS Versions: Offers flexibility with both Sass and plain CSS versions available.
- Responsive Layouts: Ensures that themes built with JointsWP are mobile-friendly and look great on any device.
10. BlankSlate
BlankSlate is a minimalist, boilerplate WordPress theme that serves as a middle ground between creating themes from scratch and using comprehensive starter themes like Roots or Underscores. It provides a clean slate for developers to build upon without unnecessary bloat.
Key Features:
- Minimalist Design: Offers a simple, bare-bones starting point for theme development.
- Highly Customizable: Provides the flexibility to build a theme exactly as you envision it.
- Lightweight: Free from unnecessary code, ensuring fast load times and easy modifications.
Conclusion:
Blank WordPress themes serve as an essential tool for developers looking to create custom, performance-optimized websites. By starting with a clean slate, these themes provide a robust foundation without unnecessary bloat, allowing for complete control over the design and functionality of a website. Whether you are a novice developer learning the ropes or an experienced professional crafting bespoke sites, blank themes like Underscores, HTML5 Blank, and Naked WordPress offer flexibility, scalability, and ease of use. They enable developers to focus on writing clean, efficient code and implementing best practices, ultimately resulting in faster, more secure, and SEO-friendly websites.
Can I use a blank theme if I’m not an experienced developer?
Yes, blank themes are also suitable for novice developers. Many come with documentation and tutorials to help you understand and modify the code. However, some basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and PHP is beneficial.
How do blank themes impact website performance?
Blank themes typically improve website performance by eliminating unnecessary code and features found in many pre-built themes. This results in faster load times, better resource management, and a more streamlined user experience.
Can I use plugins with a blank WordPress theme?
Yes, you can use plugins with a blank WordPress theme. In fact, plugins are often essential for adding functionality that isn't built into the theme itself. Just ensure that any plugins you use are well-coded and don’t introduce unnecessary bloat.
Where can I find tutorials or resources for working with blank WordPress themes?
Many blank themes come with their own documentation and tutorials. Additionally, there are numerous resources available online, including the official WordPress Codex, developer blogs, and community forums like Stack Overflow and the WordPress support forums. Websites like WPBeginner, Tuts+, and CSS-Tricks also offer valuable tutorials and guides.
