The great advantage of block themes is that you can build websites really quickly if you start with the right theme.

However if you choose the wrong starting point, the opposite will be the case. You’re going to be slower, and trust me–a lot more annoyed–then if you had just started from scratch.

And this is the #1 mistake WordPress developers make when choosing a starter theme.

They choose themes that look nothing like the design that they want to build. And in the process they get frustrated with the tools, like the Site Editor.

But block-based building and classic theme building isn’t so different. You wouldn’t have chosen a classic theme design, only to rewrite most of its CSS and templating to transform it into a different design.

So I recorded a video that goes over this mistake in detail. And that shows how to avoid it.

Key points covered:

• 00:15 Why do developers choose the wrong themes to start with?
• 00:55 How choosing the wrong starting point slows you down
• 01:37 An example of how starting with the wrong theme creates issues
• 03:30 The #1 criteria for choosing block themes
• 04:13 Example of using an out of the box theme design
• 04:28 Example of building out variations from a default design
• 05:41 How can you avoid choosing the wrong theme?
• 05:46 Respect the design
• 06:33 Develop an in-depth knowledge of the theme’s design system
• 07:55 Change styles globally

Enjoy,
Fränk

P.S. Thank you for all the kind YouTube comments and email replies. I really, really appreciate it.

And as usual, if you have a question or topic for a future email or video, just let me know.