After many weeks of hellish labor, Perishable Press is redesigned with some significant changes to the main structure of the site. Before the 2011 renovation, the site operated from a subdirectory WordPress installation in the following location:

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I finally made the switch from PC to Mac. My previous machine was an old Sony Vaio purchased in 2005. It was top of the line then, and actually worked great until about a year ago, when it inevitably began dying a slow, complicated death. The time to finally buy a new computer was fast approaching..

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Just a note that PerishablePress.com will be migrating to its new home at Media Temple. Thanks for your patience as the DNS propagates. If you encounter anything seriously weird, like unexpected errors or anything, please comment on this post or send an email. As always, thank you for your help.

Okay – here goes nothin’!

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Okay so it’s been awhile. That’s a good thing because it means I’m busy. But it also sucks because life moves too fast to blog about everything that happens. Especially with web design: you get started blogging about your discoveries, and then you find yourself learning and doing too much to post or tweet about even just the big stuff.

But now I have some time to write and share some of the awesome and insane things that have happened since my boring 2009 personal update. So much has happened since then but I will try to stay focused because I value your time.

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Just a note to let everyone know about the new printed editions of Digging into WordPress 3.0. This is the latest version of DiW, featuring revamped core content, new graphics, popouts and asides, as well as a new chapter devoted entirely to WordPress 3.0. It’s certainly packed with WordPress goodness, with nearly 450 pages of practical, hands-on tips, tricks, and information. The PDF is awesome, but seeing it all printed up in full color on quality paper and heavy, glossy card-stock cover is enough to make you drool:

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It’s here! Digging into WordPress Version 3.0 is packed with goodness, including a new chapter on WP3, updated core content, and a super-sleek new cover.

DiW3 cover by Chris Coyier

Updated Core Material

Much has changed with WordPress since our previous book update (v2), so for version 3.0 we went through the book and updated/removed outdated core content. Everything is now hot-wired and fine-tuned to the latest version of WordPress, with new popouts and fresh links throughout the book. Here’s a shot from one of the updated core pages (a flow-chart for page templates – more graphic wizardry from Chris!):

New Chapter on WordPress 3.0

WordPress 3.0 is better than ever. Released on June 17th 2010, WP3.0 features tons of new functionality and CMS capabilities. So much good stuff, that we added an entire chapter covering all the best new WP3.0 features:

• New default theme
• Custom Admin usernames
• How to customize your background
• How to setup and use WP MultiSite
• Custom taxonomies, menus, and post types

Plus other great stuff like how to use the built-in shortlink feature, author templates, comment-form template-tags, and more. It’s 20+ pages of new WP3.0 content.

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The updated book is looking better than ever! A little over 3.5 months after Digging into WordPress v1, Chris and I have updated the book, the site, and everything else for DiW Version 2. Both PDF and printed-version of the book now include two new chapters and two free themes. We have a new “Bonus Tricks” chapter with some awesome theme techniques, and another chapter on “WordPress Updates” that explains how to use all the latest WordPress features. Along the way, we also discuss the two free themes that are bundled exclusively with DiW Version 2. We even updated the printed version of the book, which is now available.

Free Lifetime Updates: If you have already bought the book, you should already have gotten an email with a download link for the new version, which also contains the new bundled themes.

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Congrats to Oliver Edwards for winning the randomly selected book giveaway! Oliver Edwards will receive a complimentary printed edition of Digging into WordPress along with the digital PDF version. Thank you to random.org for the true random number generator.

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I have a free print version of Digging into WordPress to give away to one lucky winner. To qualify for the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post stating your absolute favorite thing about WordPress. The winner will receive a free printed copy of DiW shipped to their door, plus a lifetime subscription to the PDF version of the book. I will announce the randomly chosen winner next week. – Good luck! :)

Nearly six weeks after releasing the electronic version of Digging into WordPress, Chris and I are proud to announce that the printed version is now available.

Beautiful custom design with full-color printing on every page

Beautiful custom design..

Make no mistake, this is a beautiful, custom-designed book that makes it fun and easy to soak in the wisdom and advance your WordPress skills. Every detail has been carefully crafted — from the landscape page-orientation and color-coded chapters to the lay-flat spiral binding and large, easy-to-read text — this book is truly a pleasure to experience.

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New design in effect at Perishable Press. It’s sort of a hybrid between some of the things I like about the Quintessential theme and some of the best parts of the subsequent Requiem theme. So this new theme is named Serious because it represents a renewed commitment to design, blogging, and everything I love about working on the Web. While I have everything fresh in my mind, here are some of the highlights of the latest incarnation of Perishable Press..

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After nearly a year of production, Chris Coyier and I are stoked to announce our new book: Digging into WordPress! It’s nine jam-packed chapters (400 pages!) stuffed with everything you need to take your WordPress skills to the next level and really get the most out of WordPress. We take you through everything — from setting up for success and creating the perfect theme to optimizing performance and tightening security, Digging into WordPress delivers the goods. You’ll learn how to harness the full potential of WordPress with all of the tips, tricks, and code you need to make it happen.

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Happy Halloween!

This year, I thought it would be fun to dress up my site with one of its very first themes. The Lithium theme remains one of my favorites, despite some of the scary code used in a few of the template files. Even so, despite its relative simplicty, this theme features some great little details, and even features some stylish quicktags in the comments area. Incidentally, the Perishable Press logo was designed specifically for the Lithium theme way back in 2006.

So enjoy this blast from the past! Hopefully it doesn’t scare anyone too badly..

Note: Thanks to Chris Coyier for the spooky Halloween-theme idea :)

Another note: To use a different theme, check out the theme library.

Time flies! Perishable Press celebrates its fourth year online during this Fall season. Not really sure what that means at this point, other than a lot of hard work, plenty of great conversation, and a ton of design-related content. How did I get here? Let’s take a brisk stroll down memory lane..

During the site’s first year, I remember being too excited for my own good. WordPress was relatively new and I was completely inspired by the amazing things I could do with it. I spent most of my time building all sorts of different themes, studying web design, and posting useful code snippets. During this first year, Perishable Press was virtually unknown. Late night hours were spent drenched in CSS, (X)HTML, and PHP.

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It’s been awhile since I have taken some time to just blog a little bit about what’s been happening in this crazy little world of mine. Normally, I like to keep my articles focused on web design, social media, and other online topics, but every now and then I like to take some time out and share some personal news. Needless to say, lots of awesome stuff has been happening both online and in my personal life, so here’s a brief summary for the sake of prosperity. I’ll start with the personal drama and then hit the online/design and project-related news.

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Our recent quest to find a publisher has finally paid off. After spending a few weeks checking out different publishers and myriad publishing options, Chris Coyier and I have decided to go the DIY-route and publish the book ourselves as a PDF. The book is titled “Digging into WordPress,” and is due out late Summer or early Fall of this year. It’s going to be packed full of juicy WordPress goodness and I hope that you check it out when it’s released.

In the meantime, while we are busy working behind the scenes to make the book the best it can be, we have launched an accompanying DiW website that focuses on WordPress, the book, and how to take your WordPress-powered sites to the next level. Here is a screenshot of the site, which is located at DiggingIntoWordPress.com:

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Yet another fine reason to celebrate the current Quintessential theme design here at Perishable Press is graciously provided by the fine folks at CSS Perk. CSS Perk features a growing collection of superior CSS-designed websites, and is always a great source of inspiration and ideas for new design projects.

Seeing my current theme showcased at CSS Perk is very inspiring, and a super-cool way to celebrate my upcoming April-9th birthday. Many thanks to the awesome peeps at CSS Perk for sharing Perishable Press with their audience — it is greatly appreciated! :)

So what are you waiting for! Go check it out and kick this old hard-working dog a few stars! ;)

Due to popular demand, I will be switching the site’s default theme back to the colorful Quintessential theme (opens new tab or window). Many people simply felt that the extreme minimalism of the new Requiem theme (opens new tab or window) was just too “plain” or otherwise difficult to navigate due to the single-column design. So, after giving it a go and receiving some excellent feedback, Perishable Press will be rolling with the Quintessential theme — at least for now.. ;)

Those of you who prefer the straightforward usability and minimalist design aesthetic of the new Requiem theme may continue to use it during your visits to Perishable Press. Either click here for Requiem (opens new tab or window), or otherwise scroll down to the footer of the default Quintessential theme to the “Switch Themes” links. Additionally, for the more adventurous surfers out there, you may choose to skin the site with any of my 18 available themes.

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As you may know, Perishable Press was redesigned only several months ago. As much as I enjoy the transparent imagery of the Quintessential theme (opens new window or tab), I find it too distracting and complicated for everyday use.

So I have redesigned, yet again. The new theme is called “Requiem” (opens new window or tab) and is return to my minimalist roots (opens new window or tab). There is something calming and yet energizing about working with a streamlined, no-fuss interface, especially when you are extremely busy. The new theme was completed in December of last year, and I have been using it behind the scenes ever since.

Now I want to know what you think about the new design. Is it an improvement over the previous, more colorful theme? I will be taking your feedback into consideration when deciding whether or not to keep the new “Requiem” theme as the default. Let me know your thoughts! Thanks :)

Go here for a complete list of available themes.

Sometimes I just need to type. To get it out. Small ideas, news, and other mental slices of personal relevance. If this just “ain’t your thing,” by all means, please move on to the next item in your reader. Otherwise, if I may ramble on for a moment with the privileged luxury of your gracious attention, I will attempt to elaborate a few of the recent mysteries swirling throughout the rushing vortex that is my life.

First of all, the site is doing great. I am honored that you have found Perishable Press worthy of your consideration, consumption, and contemplation. Your time is extremely valuable, so I am most grateful that you have chosen to include me in your current stream of consciousness. As the site continues to evolve, I hope the silent majority will decide to reach out and say hello, drop some insight, or even some criticism. After all, “dialogue” is the second part of the site’s official tagline. <smile>

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Yay! Perishable Press is now featured at one of my favorite CSS-design showcase sites, Divine CSS! Divine CSS features a mouth-watering collection of CSS and Flash-based website designs, and is always a great source of inspiration and ideas for new projects. Seeing my current theme (Quintessential) showcased at Divine CSS is very inspiring, and a nice way to celebrate the (relatively) new design. Many thanks to the fine folks at Divine CSS for sharing my site with their audience — it is greatly appreciated! :)

So what are you waiting for! Go check it out (while it’s still on the front page) and kick this old hard-working dog a few stars! ;)

Perishable Press is three years old! I first launched the site during August/September of 2005 using the cutting-edge B2-Evolution blogging engine. Admittedly, for the first year or so, I had no idea what I was doing, but was having a blast absorbing and applying as much design-related information as I could find.

At first, Perishable Press was nothing more than a virtual workshop, a learning tool, and a place to dump notes and ideas. I greatly enjoyed working on the site, and soon found myself hooked on standards-based web design. I began reading every web-design and development book I could get my hands on. I subscribed to all the popular web-design and blogging sites, and spent endless hours reading in-depth tutorials, tips and tricks.

Fortunately, after a few weeks of intense study, I realized that WordPress would probably be a better platform choice than B2-Evolution for customization and development purposes. After making the switch, I began designing theme after theme, studying different techniques, crafting my own solutions, and posting information for future reference.

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First of all, thank you to everyone who provided screenshots, feedback, and ideas for the new design. Your help is highly valued and greatly appreciated. From what I am hearing, the redesign seems to have been well-received, with many readers and visitors taking the time to leave a comment, send a screenshot, or email a message. As hoped, people seem to enjoy the vibrant colors, the translucent panels, and the fancy sliding menus.

Other people have pointed out the site’s oversize width. On screens that are 1024 pixels (or less) in width, the design triggers the hideous horizontal scrollbar. Using a 1024-pixel width was a conscious decision based on sound statistical information and a desire to maximize screen area. Based on my statistics, approximately 85% of visitors view the site through a monitor that is greater than 1024 pixels in width:

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New design in effect at Perishable Press. With this 17th incarnation of the site, I drew heavily upon psychedelic influences, spiked it with the essence of the previous dark minimalist theme, and mixed in a healthy dose of cutting-edge JavaScript and PHP functionality.

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Graham Smith of ImJustCreative.com recently interviewed me on a wide variety of topics, including everything from blogging and web design to theme development and social media. The interview is presented as more of a dialogue between Graham and myself, and will be presented as a three-part series. Check out the first part of the interview here.