Say Hello to the New ZacJohnson.com Genesis Blog Theme

Written by Zac Johnson
social social social

Since going live with the blog nearly four years ago, I’ve also prided myself to have one of the best themes around. This not only means having a great theme, but also changing it up year after year, and hopefully for the better. The latest theme change is my favorite yet, which a much cleaner, faster and user friendly design. The new ZacJohnson.com theme is run off the Genesis Framework theme from StudioPress and was put together by one of their designers. Rafal.

You can see a comparison of past ZacJohnson.com blog themes below.

As you can see from the screen shots above, the design just kept progressing over time. The first theme was created mainly for content and was the launching theme for the site. The next release was the first test for monetizing the site, and the introduction of banner ads displayed on the site. The last version above was an amazing update, which leads us to the blog theme you see on ZacJohnson.com today. The first theme was created by a designer I used a while back, the previous two themes were created by Unique Blog Designs, and the new theme is from Genesis Framework.

I am proudly promoting Genesis Framework to all of my visitors, as it’s an amazing theme and the customization and design features are just amazing. If you are thinking about redesigning your web site, I would definitely approve of the Genesis Framework, and any other themes available through StudioPress. At the bottom of every post, before the comments, you will see the following:

ZacJohnson.com runs on the Genesis Framework

Genesis Theme Framework

The Genesis Framework empowers you to quickly and easily build incredible websites with WordPress. Genesis provides the secure and search-engine-optimized foundation that takes WordPress to places you never thought it could go.

Check out the incredible features and the selection of designs. It’s that simple – start using Genesis now!

Genesis Framework is more of a foundation for a blog, then a complete theme. You can buy Genesis Framework, then buy other themes at a much discounted rate to which work with Genesis. For more information on how Genesis Framework works, head over to StudioPress and they have a ton of examples and themes to work with. The StudioPress team were also amazing to work with, and I would recommend their services to anyone.

In addition to the new theme going live, I will be working on some new additions on the blog, including some new guides, wordpress themes area, tools references and more. Let me know what you think about the new blog theme. I love it!

(Visited 73 times, 1 visits today)

Wait... before you leave, consider these top resources:

48 Replies to “Say Hello to the New ZacJohnson.com Genesis Blog Theme”

  2. Loving the new theme Zac. It looks great! What's your hand doing in your pocket in the footer though? I guess a new blog theme could be that exciting to the blog owner.

    Also, where's the top commentator love? Hopefully you still plan on adding that widget.

    Keep up the great work!

  4. I can't really tell the difference, it just loads a lot faster
    My recent post Absolute Worst Blog Topics

  7. I will be the first to actually say what I think instead of brown nose you. The last theme was better, had a better flow. The only reason why I like your new genesis blog theme is because it makes it easier to advise on what a good theme should look and do.

    Seriously Zac, I thought you were better than this.

  8. Looks nice! Any resources or suggestions on picking the right blog theme? I'm currently using continuum (a magazine style theme) from woo themes now, but I see many bloggers going with a simpler format.

    1. I go nuts when it comes to blog theme. I actually just picked up the Pro Theme Pack from StudioPress, which costs $247, but it will provide me with enough themes until I grow out other sites with their own custom themes. Either way, I would go with a custom theme when a blog gets large enough, but just find a nice free or cheap one in the meantime.
      My recent post Say Hello to the New ZacJohnsoncom Genesis Blog Theme

    1. I like Genesis a lot so far. I'm terrible with designing themes myself, so I picked up their Pro Theme Pack which has all of their themes so I can still use them on other sites. I'm also a member of WooThemes, but it's still always finding a theme that offers everything I am looking for, so I usually end up getting them custom made for larger sites.
      My recent post Say Hello to the New ZacJohnsoncom Genesis Blog Theme

  15. nice fast load …..what did you change to make it go so fast? did you use a new hosting service?
    your face is cut off on my screen on the left side……. looks nice

  16. Looks good dude. I'm sure the main comparison for Genesis is to the theme Thesis….any thoughts on the differences/benefits?? My site is a work in progress….

    Also bro…did not know you basically live a couple few towns over from me. It's funny…you always see people online making money and you don't think they actually live right by you (if that makes any sense); just gives hope that people everywhere really are making money online. I'm just starting in the affiliate game (trying) – you ever do any local in-person training/seminar/mentor type stuff?

    Keep up the good work man.

    My recent post Sugar Addiction Detox 101

    1. I've seen some amazing sites created with Genesis so far and it seems to have a lot of options. I haven't seen the same for Thesis, their designs usually look somewhat the same. That's just my personal opinion. As for consulting, I usually stay away from that area.

  18. My (brutally ) honest thoughts:
    The module banners look heavy and clunky – though the wrap-around is novel. Drop shadows and gradients? Aren't they a little overused and trite? Perhaps going with a flatter look would be more professional and have the added benefit of the content taking center stage, rather than the theme. We read your blog for your wisdom and insight, not because your designer has chops.

    The color palette has a look more pre-teen and cereal box than confident and authoritative professional blogger. next time you visit the super market, take a stroll down the cereal isle. If you get to WalMart, check the toy section. It will become apparent, if not obvious. And the constant popup that continues even after I register is a bit of a nuisance. (cookies are not blocked on any of my machines)
    Speaking of mastheads. It's 200 px high! On a massive display, that's no big deal, On a laptop or netbook, that'll eat 1/3 or better of the first fold. That's a lot of valuable real estate on every one of your pages. I understand the need for brand development and monetized real-estate, but I don't see this layout as a solid contribution to the user's experience – just to your advertisers and to building your list. You do intend for a site that enhances user experience – right?. There should be a value-benefit to register, other than seeing ads – right?
    480px before we see relevant information. And on your home page, ads and signups are all that exist on the first fold for notebooks and netbooks. Can that be tightened up some?

    I love the feeds at the top of the masthead. Well isolated and easy to spot.
    I like the idea of bread crumbs, but they seem redundant on this site. You rarely have any content more than one level deep. Seems I can get just about anywhere with one click from the top level navigation.

    The design is pretty to look at. The lighting effects in the masthead are tasteful and not over done. Nice work there.
    Overall, the theme seems to the theme designers photoshop skills more than your content and ads. An unsettling trend amongst current template designs.

    Far be it from me to argue with the success you have attained up to this point, but I believe a theme should elevate the content and the user experience, while encouraging the conversion funnel. In this theme, I don't see the conversion funnel first, I see the theme.

  21. Zac,

    Way cool.

    How about a contest where you and Genesis give the winner's blog/ website a makeover AND some one-on-one coaching.

    I voluntary to be the test dummy.

    Cheers, Bill in New Zealand. https://hogsatemysister.com

  23. @John Harris:

    Just shut it buddy. You are acting and definitely sounding like a critic which I am sure you are not. Who are you to talk about conversion to Zac?

    Just sayin'

  25. Congratulations on new theme Zac.
    It looks nice & it loads faster too. clean and beautiful quality theme..
    great design Zac!

  26. I also love Genesis Framework , its awesome wordpress theme
    My recent post Cara Mudah Update Status Dalam Bahasa Inggris

  27. The new theme looks great Zac. I see how much your blog has changed since you started it. I remember the older theme, not the first one, but the one after that. That was the first time I found your site. Anyhow keep up the great work.

    – Robert
    My recent post Day 28 P90x Workout

  28. The genesis theme set is awesome. Although I don't use it on my main site, i have used it on a few other sites that I have built in the past. It is definitely one of the best out there.

    Brandon

  29. From what I saw, ZacJohnson's new design is pleasing to the eyes. If I'm not wrong, this is a very clean and fast theme.

  31. Agreed – looks great! I just did updates to mine too, although not so much a change in the overall layout, but more so in the content & plugins. Mine loads too slow is the only problem now… but I'll go through a big revision like you did later in the year!
    My recent post Who are the New Influentials

  32. Nice new get up for the site Zac. Now I'm thinking if I should already make on overhaul for mine. Hmmm maybe by mid year lol
    My recent post FollowMarcoLee- Fighting WordPress Spam Comments http-supr-2PMxyr

  33. It's all about progress – upgrade the look, refresh the message, keep the brand. You've done all of them Zac and kept the core business intact. Wise move, smart results.
    My recent post Why Our Thoughts Contaminate and Kill

  34. Wow… This is a nice theme…. I also love genesis.
    My recent post 5 Effective Ways to Start Your Online Money Making Career

Comments are closed.