WordPress frameworks are a great way to start developing WordPress blog themes. Frameworks are designed by other developers to speed up your WordPress theme creation and save you a lot of time instead of coding everything from scratch. They often come pre-built with column layouts and widget elements already defined for you. Here’s a look at some great free frameworks to get you started developing WordPress themes.
Constellation
Constellation has an attractive design that creates a base framework for building your WordPress theme. Columns can be easily set up to 12 columns wide. It is optimized to fit different screen widths for use on tablets or smartphones. It uses the latest HTML 5 code, which is ideal for SEO bloggers.
wonder flow
This open source licensed GPLv2 framework means you can use it for personal or commercial purposes. It is available in the Google code project. The code is developed to allow anyone to customize the CSS options and create a stunning layout and implement widgets in the framework. Using an easy drag and drop interface, you can add or remove grids or entire elements quickly and effortlessly.
tall black fur hat
A nice simple layout with clear column headers and menus with an optional image header. Inside the framework is a built-in theme options panel. Busby is set up for SEO options and is primarily aimed at 2 column personal bloggers. Custom style sheets are included and you have full control of the typography.
Thematic
This open source framework is optimized and ideal for SEO. Ideal for beginners and still attractive and functional enough for the most serious professional. Thematic easily extends beyond its initial framework of 2 and 3 column based layouts and supports connection with 13 widget areas and sample grid layouts. Most of the design is based on CSS.
thematize
With Themify, every feature included in the framework has a built-in options panel. This colorful and fun theme offers various skins and allows you to configure CSS. Many configurations are controlled by the XML configuration. The frames also contain Photoshop tutorial guides to help set up the frame.
hybrid core
Although it offers 15 templates for optional builds, Hybrid is essentially a basic framework with additional optional plugins for widgets available. It includes 8 widget areas, including Twitter. Multi-language support is available for more than 10 languages. There are downloadable plugins for SEO settings and navigation menu bars; these plugins are easily configured for Hybrid. As with most frameworks, support for child themes is provided.
Did you have any success developing frameworks using these tools? What is your favorite feature or what is missing from these WordPress frameworks? Leave a comment to let us know.