For the Total Beginner... 

You'll actually need Wordpress, first!

[Want to skip all this stuff? Jump straight down to the Wordpress Themes!]

Check out a list of the top 10 best Wordpress Magazine Themes, too!

Wordpress, in my opinion, is the best blogging software out there. It's free, you can install it on your own server, and use your own URL. Finding a great Wordpress theme is difficult - I've found the ones from Wordpress's Theme repository to look at little too elementary, and searching for "best wordpress themes" on Google yields a billion results (none of which I truly agreed were the "best" ones, either). I wanted something more professional looking, without having to pay $60+ for a template. So, see below for what I consider the best, most professional, and/or most expendable themes out there right now!

Wordpress.com is the site that hosts a Wordpress blog for you. Pros: Nothing to download, a server account isn't needed. Cons: zero customization, very little expandability. If you're going this route, ignore the rest of this web page, as you won't be able to install themes, anyway! [A tip, however: Use Wordpress.com to register important keyword-entitled pages, and link them to your website!]

Wordpress.org is the site where you can download the Wordpress blog software and run it on your server. You'll have total control over the look and feel of your blog using this method. Pros: 100% design/control over your blog, ability to use a URL for your blog. Cons: You need a hosting account (big deal, they're cheap nowadays!)

Wordpress MU or "Multi User" is a sub-project of Wordpress.org. It's the same exact software, re-structured to allow your visitors to create their own blogs within your blog - turning Wordpress into a massive, unlimited social networking site. Wordpress MU generally uses the same templates and plugins as its regular counterpart, although some plugins have conflicts and must be tested.

Want to hack a Wordpress theme to your liking? Check out the official Wordpress Template Tag/Wordpress Syntax tutorial.

What to Look For in A Wordpress Theme 

Important attributes that shouldn't be ignored!

A Warning about Wordpress Themes! 

I thought you should know this (if you're a Wordpress newbie...excuse the reiteration!): do not download or use old Wordpress themes, you'll regret it! Unless you're a master coder, you may experience ongoing problems as Wordpress releases updates in the upcoming years, that may show some undesirable results with outdated themes. Be wary of themes whose author's home pages no longer exist, or no longer support their own theme. You do not want to put hard work into a site that is going to get chopped to pieces after upgrading Wordpress in the future! It was worth repeating this warning twice, as it is best to eliminate potential headaches before they happen.

Wordpress 2.5 is the current version! (Download it). Make sure your plugins are compatible by checking this official Wordpress Plugin Compatibility List.

My Picks: The Best Wordpress Themes 

These are subjective picks that you may or may not agree with ;)

"2813" WordPress Theme 

Newspaper style Wordpress theme

A truly neat and organized 3-column theme
Made to load fast!

Download 2813 here.

"Alternate 0" WordPress Theme 

Traditional style Wordpress theme

Very structured & organized
Extremely readable, for online newspaper blogs

Download Alternate0 Here.

"Balance" WordPress Theme 

Magazine style Wordpress theme

Structured with a magazine-ish appearance
Multiple sections for blog posts, latest news, flickr and more break up the boredom of typical blogs

This theme is in an alpha stage. There are a few required plugins that are necessary, read about all of this here.
Theme hasn't been updated in some 2 years - use with caution, or if you need a good template to base your edits from!

Download Balance here (direct download).

"CSS Gallery" WordPress Theme 

Gallery Wordpress Theme

If you're looking to focus on making Wordpress an image gallery & rating site, this is the theme for you. Check out a demo of it here.

Clean thumbnail oriented layout
Includes star ratings, tagging and 6 125x125 box ad spaces

Download CSS Gallery here.

"Dark" WordPress Theme 

Traditional style Wordpress theme

Supports flickrRSS, Gravatar
Comments auto-appear on left column

Does not support widgets

Download Dark here.

"Deep Red" WordPress Theme 

Traditional style Wordpress theme

Multiple "boxes" for sidebar content
Two-Column layout
Centered

Will most likely require a degree of code tweaking

Download Deep Red here.

"Falling Dreams" WordPress Theme 

Traditional style Wordpress theme

Thin 1-column/center layout
Compact & neat
Static background
Created for Wordpress 2.0

Download Falling Dreams here.

"Forte" Wordpress Theme 

Traditional style Wordpress theme

A simple yet effective 2-column Wordpress theme. Try the demo, here.

AJAX box on upper right sifts through various default Wordpress features.
Requires various (helpful) plugins, like Get Recent Comments, Popularity Contest, Most Commented Posts and more - which keep your site looking fresh
Adds a new section in the admin panel under "Presentation" for easy modification of the theme!

Download Forte here.

"Fresh" WordPress Theme 

Traditional style Wordpress theme

Clean & well laid out
Tested in Firefox & IE
Compact version w/Widgets also available

Download Fresh here.

"Gabfire" Magazine WordPress Theme 

Magazine style Wordpress theme

This brand new theme features a clean magazine style format with a few noteworthy options. Check out a demo, here.

Has dropdown navigation
Multiple ad spots for Adsense or affiliate box ads
Multiple page & post templates

Footer-based backlinks to the designer are a requirement, there appears to be no donation option to remove them.

Download Gabfire Magazine Wordpress Theme here.

"Gridlock" WordPress Theme 

Magazine style Wordpress theme

No plugins are necessary - all are built in!
Advanced admin panel features.
Recently and completely re-written.
Magazine-style or traditional style, your choice.

Doesn't support Widgets
A centered version would have been nice

Download Gridlock here.

"Illacrimo" WordPress Theme 

Traditional style Wordpress theme

3-column layout
Supports Gravatar, Flickr RSS & Pagenavi
Widget ready version also available

Download Illacrimo here.

"iTheme Blog" Wordpress Theme 

Traditional style Wordpress theme

Looks like a Mac interface, very clean.
Customize the side bar via drag & drop

Requires a footer linkback (might annoy some people).

Download iTheme Blog here.

"Mimbo" Wordpress Theme 

Magazine style Wordpress theme

Clean, well-layed out magazine theme
Easy-to-read text, well done CSS stylesheet
Showcase your current top articles on the left
Assign thumbnails to posts
Overall: extremely neat and organized

Download Mimbo here.

"Morning After" WordPress Theme 

Magazine style Wordpress theme

Magazine-style layout
3-column home page
Associate thumbnails with posts
Asides
"Featured" posts

Not compatible with WP 2.3, needs manual tweaking.
No Widgets
Why is there no demo?!

Download Morning After here.

"Not So Fresh" WordPress Theme 

Traditional style Wordpress theme

Based off of the "Fresh" theme.
24-icon social bookmarking plugin, upper right

Community support may be limited for non-German speakers

Download Not So Fresh here.

"NYC Reds 3.0" WordPress Theme 

Magazine style Wordpress theme

Magazine style layout
Rare 4-column layout

Default design is an eyesore, but its layout is good for those looking to make a custom design. See a demo of it here.

Download NYCReds 3.0

"Pink Kupy" WordPress Theme 

Traditional style Wordpress theme

1 narrow center column
Static background
Extremely neat & organized
Great possibilities for re-design (get rid of the pink!)

Download Pink Kupy here.

"Plain Box" WordPress Theme 

Magazine style Wordpress theme

If you want something a little out of the ordinary, this one's for you: Plain Box would make a great portfolio site for graphic designers or photographers, or someone looking to display a highly visual magazine style Wordpress site. See a demo of it here.

Clean, web 2.0 look

Presents content in a linear single-column layout, with multiple options for content including images, Flickr, menus, recent comments and more.
Download Plain Box here.

"Timeless Perceptions" Wordpress Theme 

Traditional style Wordpress theme

A well designed blogger's template for Wordpress. See a demo of it here.

Compatible with 2.2.1, 2.2.2 and 2.3
Adsense ready

Download Timeless Perceptions here.

"Wave" WordPress Theme 

Magazine style Wordpress theme

3-col homepage, 2-col article pages
Noteworthy Posts column on homepage
Right column auto adds nav links
Dropdown search box

Download Wave here.

"WP-Polaroid" WordPress Theme 

Traditional style Wordpress theme

A clean, organized Web 2.0 blog theme with an attractive header area that puts your most important info (a blurb, links or whatever you want) right in the visitor's prime viewing area. Scroll down for beautifully organized 3-column layout (body area + 2 thin columns on the right) with box ad spaces. See a demo here, although only the front page of the demo seems to work.

Built-in Flickr & MyBlogLog features
Makes everything easy for the reader to find

Download WP-Polaroid here.

The Best Commercial Wordpress Magazine Theme 

Turn Wordpress into a True CMS/Online Magazine Portal!

Wordpress Revolution Theme has gotten net-wide recognition for being the first truly comprehensive magazine style, CMS-like theme for Wordpress. With an all-inclusive and organized front page, it features multiple page templates and layouts for your main sections, sub-pages and individual articles!

Revolution later evolved into three more impressive counterparts: Revolution Magazine (turn Wordpress into a site comparable to enterprise entertainment magazine sites, like MTV.com) - complete with thumbnails assigned to each post for that total "magazine" look; Revolution Sports (turn your Wordpress site into an ESPN fashioned site...it doesn't particularly HAVE to be sports themed), Revolution News (turn your Wordpress site into a CNN.com clone!) and finally Revolution Tech (create a site inspired by TechCrunch).

While Revolution themes all have their individual "theme", you can still modify them to become whatever you want. Personally, I own Revolution and Revolution Magazine, and both have super clean CSS stylesheets and templates - even just a minimal knowledge of HTML and CSS is all you'll need to add or subtract whatever you want to the code.

It's now 2008, and I've yet to see a magazine theme as complex, yet worry-free for the webmaster looking to finally implement that huge idea into a running website, without the fear of its developer vanishing into existence (that will never be an issue for Revolution, as its founder now runs a full time business on the theme). Get Revolution in confidence, and learn how top-notch design is the cornerstone of website credibility!

More Information & Demos of Premium Wordpress Themes: 

Wordpress Premium News Theme

Wordpress goes professional with the CMS-fashioned Premium News Theme family. Turn Wordpress into an authority site with the click of a button, as Premium News transforms your site into a rich portal!

Wordpress Revolution Theme: A Magazine & Newspaper Wordpress Theme

If you're looking for a magazine style theme for Wordpress: look no further! The Revolution Theme family turns Wordpress into a CMS and takes your site "beyond the blog"

Top 10 Best Wordpress Magazine Themes

Wordpress is being embraced as a top candidate for a CMS: clean code, easy to modify and quick to load...all it needs is a great magazine theme to be an attractive portal, news or media site. This page lists the top 10 best Wordpress magazine themes...

Buy a Domain Name for your Wordpress Site! 

At a loss for words when it comes to registering a new domain name? Why not win one in an auction? You might even find some 4-letter domains!

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Submit your comments/suggestions here! 

Thanks for stopping by, and for all of your great recommendations & suggestions. Please post your comments below! Web visitors, you'd need a free Squidoo account to post your comment and/or site here.

poddys Very detailed lens. 5***** from me. I am just starting out with WordPress, struggling right now to find the right theme. So many, yet nothing that really grabs my attention. I'm going to be following your WordPress lenses for sure. Thanks for the info. Posted May 15, 2008

advertsietomarket Well check out a whole new level of web 3.0 social technologies! Limited time founder partner stock option program! Free to join & big pay plan! Free TokSee to TokSee phone calls world wide! get a free voip usb travel phone!* Private label communities * Email invite engine * Mass rss feed syndication * Social bookmark engine * Record & upload video * Mass video blast engine * 4 way video conferencing * Collaberation tools limited pre launch pre registration Get started ahead of the masses! http://newweb30.com/8475384 Posted April 22, 2008

beachbum_gabby gonna bookmark this! WP is one of the CMS I use and sometimes it's difficult to find the perfect theme for the site I develop. Thanks! 5* Posted April 08, 2008

DrMarkJoyce Your succinct critiques were very useful! Posted April 03, 2008

AngelaHarms Hi! Nice lens. These are themes I didn't find through other channels. :) By the way, it's Wordpress 2.5 now. Posted March 29, 2008

 

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