[theme-reviewers] Themes With Customizable Logos

[Chip Bennett]

On Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 11:23 AM, Ryan Hellyer <ryan at pixopoint.com> wrote:

> >> That "Food Recipe" is the header logo. The Theme gives
> >> instructions for how to change it. Thus, it would seem that
> >> the developer intends for it to be customizable.
>
> I don't think that should matter. If the theme developer doesn't want
> their end-users having to have a custom header link in their theme,
> they shouldn't have to IMO.
>

Ryan, the developer is *GIVING INSTRUCTIONS FOR CUSTOMIZING THE LOGO*. Clearly,
and obviously, the developer is *INTENDING *for the log to be
customized. What part of that is getting lost in translation? We're not
talking about a Theme that doesn't incorporate a customizable logo. If that
were the case, this thread wouldn't even exist.

>
> I made a site for someone last night for example, and changed the
> header image for them. There's no way I would have chosen a theme
> which had a customisable header image as that would have required me
> having to go in and mess around ripping stuff out of the theme. It's a
> pain in the neck and a time sink just to do something simple like
> remove an image when all I needed to do in the theme I chose was to
> change a single image.
>

Fair enough, but entirely irrelevant.

>
> By forcing inane requirements on people you are stifling innovation
> and making it awkward to create the themes people want. Best to let
> theme developers create the theme they intended for their end-users,
> not the one that fits a rigid set of arbitrary rules.


I call shenanigans.

How is it an inane requirement? The theme developer clearly intends for the
end user to customize the logo. WordPress provides handy functionality to
allow the user an easy way to upload and use custom logos. Users have a
reasonable expectation that Themes downloaded from the repository, that
incorporate core features such as customizable header images, should
implement such features in a standard, consistent manner.

How is it stifling innovation? Again: the theme developer clearly intends
for the end user to customize the logo. Pulling out the "stifling
innovation" canard for circumstances such as this is a specious - nay, B.S.
- argument, and I'm frankly tired of hearing it.

How is the guideline in question either rigid or arbitrary? Theme developers
*are not required* to incorporate customizable header logos. But if *they
choose to incorporate them*, they must implement the core functionality, in
order to provide a consistent user experience.

Chip
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.wordpress.org/pipermail/theme-reviewers/attachments/20100902/f8d4e388/attachment.htm>