I having been designing exclusively for WordPress for 4 years, before that, I designed more. I am not the best in visual efforts, but I like to try to work with my clients and make sure they have a more than satisfactory product that they can use.

The problem is that I keep hearing from clients about past encounters with other WordPress designers and developers who will not go that extra step to make sure their client can efficiently use their website. In fact, they are turning to premium themes because they cannot find someone to make their project idea a reality.

Remember, WordPress is no longer a blog platform. It is a full fledge content management system that with coding and imagination, a site can become extraordinary!

Here are a few tips when stepping into designing WordPress themes:

1. Know the code. If you are not familiar with HTML or PHP, you should not be designing as frankly, it makes other designer’s job a pain when they have to step in a correct your errors.
2. Know WordPress. This goes for the coding, and how to use it.
3. Design with the client’s experience in mind. Be prepared to offer them ways to use their WordPress in the easiest and more understandable way. You may need to walk them through it. Not all of your clients will be as WordPress savvy – some may not be as Internet savvy.
4. Design logically. If you are designing for someone else and they have some coding experience, they might be a bit ticked off if your code looks terrible or you took the roundabout way to get to a solution. Streamline it. There will always be a better way to code a site. (Also, make hidden notations in the theme files case your client is familiar enough to make edits, but might not know where exactly to make them.)
5. Be knowledgeable on site tools that will enhance the website. Whether it be an actual design or for search engine optimization, it is important to keep up-to-date on this type of news.
6. If you do not know something, then ask around or do some research. The WordPress community is really friendly. You can either use the WordPress support forums or go to various WordPress related sites to find out.
7. Whether it be WordPress, another CMS or static HTML, check your site in most browsers before handing it off to the client. Not everyone browses the same way as you.

Even if you are not designing for a client, you can take a lot of these suggestions with you.

What other tips can you suggest?

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