If WooThemes were a work desk, it would be one of those really messy desks littered with sketches and papers at the moment. We have so many theme concepts we are currently working on both in-house and with theme collaborators. It’s most certainly a creative place to be.
A couple weeks back I opened up Photoshop and dusted off the toolboxes to start experimenting with a travel blogging theme design, fresh after my recent holiday to the Greek Islands.
The end result is hopefully the perfect theme for a world traveler eager to share his travel experiences with friends and family around the world. The design has a prominent featured post styled to look like the front and back of a postcard, with a caption overlay on the front and the post meta information styled in the post delivery details section of the postcard.
More recent posts will feature below, together with a Google Maps plugin in the sidebar tracking where each post was written and the journey that has been thus far. There will of course also be lots of widgetized goodness in the sidebar and footer zones.
This theme is still in the initial design development phase and could still evolve, but this post is only to serve as a teaser anyway, to judge the interest in such a design, and to hopefully get some constructive feedback to help improve the usability of it.
About
Nice, really like the look and feel of the theme.
The Google maps plug in looks like a great addition, would this be controlled by adding details to each blog post?
That’s the plan, but we still have a lot of experimenting to do with this, its going to be included in another upcoming theme release too 😉
A couple of custom fields and google maps would work a treat 🙂
Really like the potential of this theme.
Hi There,
Very interested in this Travel Postcard theme and so would our guests. Have many guests who do their own blog/travel journal about Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia and this would be a perfect framework for them, as well as for us at our Wilderness Resort.
Let us know please when it’s released.
Now that’s an impressive travel theme lad!
Are you kidding me, this is brilliant. I want it now!
Not to mention that this will be usable in so many applications other than a simple travel blog.
Nice work dude!
Thanks Paul. With the alternate styles that will be available it will most certainly be flexible enough for any other type of application, other than travel blogging.
Really Really Neat Design,
Let me know when its up and available 😉
I love the attention to detail and the concept. Look forward to the Google Maps implementation. 🙂
Wooow! It’s this sort of theme I’m searching!
A release date?
We don’t do release dates… They’re too stressful… 🙂
Hi Mark,
Really love the new theme concept, I think it’s a great idea and would be perfect for a student on a gap year etc.
You guys should think about combining this with basic hosting and a wordpress installation as a «retail package» for customers who aren’t 100% web savvy.
Cheers
Chris
That is actually on its way as well… 🙂
Very clever layout – love the ‘travel’ bits… well done M
Really great design. Hopefully this will be released soon.
This is great. With a little tweaking this would be awesome for youth group or church mission trips as well.
Looks great!
I like the gravatar/postage stamp idea for comments. Very clever.
Well done!
Great layout! If I would be travelling, I would definitely use it. But unfortunately I’m pretty stuck here. 🙂
But nevertheless: amazing and well done solution for a specific group of users with their demands!
This looks great – I’m not normally a fan of designs with such an obvious graphical theme but this one works really well. Maybe it’s the subtle paper textures and the other little touches that give it depth.
Glad you like this one. Remember there will be a whole heap of alternate styles, less graphical and more plain for user modifications.
Live this concept. Very nice Mark. Can’t wait for this one to make it to production. Keep up the amazing work Woo Crew!
I think this is fantastic! One of the most innovative ideas I’ve seen in a long time in any form of design – I particularly like the recent comments area with the trim on the blocks, very detailed – well done Mark 🙂
Great theme. Can’t wait to see the theme release!
Hmmm, yeah well, I suppose if someone wants to prattle on about their holiday. Lots of these around already isn’t there ?
How about some more business focused themes ? I’d really like to see something targeted at small hotels, boutique resorts, or bed & breakfasts. Couple of galleries, room for a holiday special deal, map space etc etc
Another under-served market imo are small shopfront businesses. A site template that advertised the shopfront business, maybe with a newsletter signup, easy way to add the «latest deal», special offers etc. Also clear area for a picture of the shopfront and a map, maybe a product page with some highlights, some thoughts about optional e-commerce integration.
And how about a wedding-specific theme ? These follow some pretty set patterns and it’d be a big help to have a basic structure set up for gallery, visitors book, video, page for the vows etc.
I don’t want to seem too critical, but I think some of the recent stuff has been tramping over very well-serviced terrain.
Postcard is unique in terms of any of our other themes; so I don’t think this is tramping on very well-serviced terrain. Last week’s two teasers – Delegate & Headlines – where most definitely «remakes & upgrades» of older successful themes, but we’ve got quite a few unique themes coming (Antisocial, Backstage, Postcard etc.).
This has to be one of the best themes available in terms of the goal it is set out to achieve. A great use of social media and google in the areas with a lovely design, everything a traveller needs.
I don’t know if anyone has viewed it in the same light but this theme has really set a standard for WordPress themes. I understand you have to do generic business and media ones but I think it’s time for WooThemes to start hitting niches more and being inventive.
Great work Mark. Dig the postcard / envelope vibe.
The start of the theme looks great! I’d love to utilize it for an outdoor/travel site of mine. Looking forward to it coming out, soon hopefully!
WooHoooo…looks like the pressure is now on Adii after winners from Magnus > Object and Mark > Postcard.
I’m working on a new design titled «iGive» which will be focusing on Non-profit Organizations. Battle is on. 🙂
Alriiight!
I really like this theme! It would have been great for my last vacation. I really like the fact that you are trying to design different themes besides the business related ones. «Variety is the spice of life.» as they say…
Wow man its look awesome
It’s very refreshing to see a WordPress theme that is unique. Well done!
Lovely theme and great concept.
What about different mail envelope border colors on the other color schemes?
Could you place image galleries, as in Object?
About ad spaces, I suggest an 468×60 under homepage’s 1st post (Platos Gialos on the screenshot), and a skyscrapper on the single pages.
I’d probably buy it for my personal travel blog.
Thanks for the suggestions, will definitely consider implementing. You’ll just have to wait and see what is included and what isn’t 😉
I’ll definitely include some sort of image gallery functionality as I know photography and travel blogging goes hand in hand.
You guys keep knocking them out of the park and this one looks to be another home run.
Isn’t it great how a little bit of vacation time can produce huge creativity.
Damn straight. Imagine what I could come up with if Adii and Magnus let me take a longer holiday…. Guys?
Two words: wishful thinking. 🙂
🙁
Adii, Mark…
I re-think that a «City Theme» with a Google Maps integration may be a good idea. A «Photo City Theme» may be like the «Postcard Theme»… very similar…
In fact, if the any schemes of Postcard is orientated to this way… may be used with a «City Theme» to post&map… restaurants, museums, hotels, etc…
——-
Another question:
About the Theme… I think that may be more interested to have more space to the Categories of Blog and separate them from the pages in another line under logo… a big drop dop list of categories is a little ugly…
Thanks and congratulations!!
We have a City Theme in the works and we’ll be previewing that in the next week or two. 🙂
Woooooooooooooooo…
I hope-wish-want-love-buy this «Cuty Theme»…
Can’t wait to see a preview of that one!
Hello Adii!
I wish the City Theme… do you think that this theme relased soon?
I’ll make sure there is an option for a more flexible page/category navigation with a dedicated bar either above or below the logo/header.
Thanks Mark
Really nice looking design here and I am especially intrigued by the Google Maps plugin.
Oh, wow!
It’s absolutely great!!!
This is awesome!! Very original 🙂
I just love this theme. There is no way I’d ever get to use it for it’s intended purpose but I really like the design.
Very promising design; have been thinking of starting a travel blog with a few others, and this would be the perfect framework. Great stuff as usual!
Very promising design; have been thinking of starting a travel blog with a few others, and this would be the perfect framework. Great stuff as usual!
We need this theme and other themes for Drupal! It’s amazing. You are very talented.
Thanks Branndon. We’d love to release some Drupal themes, but unfortunately development on these have taken a little longer than expected.
Awesome looking theme. I’ll put in my order now.
Great idea … I am a world traveler, actually a global nomad across 100 countries since 1988; and currently use Daily Edition. The mapping feature is definitely a must for travel sites ! However, I dislike too much focus on comments – like in the footer, better to have many links, categories,tags, whatever, there.
Regards from Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
You’ll be able to use other widgets in the footer section, so the focus on the comments can be tamed 🙂
Oh, and a great photo gallery or feed – other than Flickr ( Zenfolio, Smugmug, etc ); and an – optional – video box, somewhere, is also necessary on travel site. AND maybe a subtle background images option to have faded maps or passport stamps as the page / post background?
Sure thing. We’ll probably be including a custom gallery based on WP’s core functionality (similar to Object and the upcoming Exposure).
This looks awesome! Can’t wait for this one to launch.
Awesome theme, I digg it already. I am leaving for Australia in 2 weeks and this would make a great travel blog!
Looking forward to this one.
Riordan, Netherlands
Hehe, unfortunately it’s not gonna be ready by then. So you’ll need to save all the photos + stories from Oz somewhere, until Postcard is ready and you can blog about it…
Hehe, yeh I figured. Well until the «Postcard» arrives, I’ll use therapy!