In my last post, I presented 7 examples of how the same theme can be used on different blogs and still be kept unique, just by changing the colors scheme. I also said that, as a series post I’ll be posting about the necessary features in a theme to make it easily "color-variable", as I call it.

These are some very basic tips that you might want to keep in mind if you are creating a theme to be used on multiple blogs. Even if you are not a designer, you might want to make sure that your designer follows these, so that you can use the theme on multiple blogs.

Avoid Inline CSS

Inline CSS is not something invalid. But, avoiding it is a good practice in general web development. In our particular case we have to completely avoid inline CSS so that our stylesheet will be the only file we need to edit to vary its color scheme.

Avoid Excessive Use of Images

Its a good practice to avoid images, when you want to edit your color scheme. Because, it’ll save you from the need to edit your images to reflect your changed color scheme. Whenever there is a possibility to use CSS instead of images, do it.

Make The Images Simple

There are places where CSS can’t fill in. In such cases you’ll need images. When you are forced to use images, keep them simple. To make sure it’s color can be changed, open the image in Photoshop or your favorite image editor and change its HUE (Ctrl + U in Photoshop) to see if it looks good in other colors.

Pick Color Schemes Wisely

Not all colors schemes can be easily varied. If you are using a set of 10 colors in your design, sure it can look great. But, it is not that easy to change the color scheme. So, if you want to keep it simple, it is best to follow "Your Color + White" scheme. That way, there is not much to change.

These are really simple steps to follow if you follow them from right from the beginning of your design process. Make sure its not too late.

There is another post coming up in this series. In that post I’ll deal with how you can create virtually more than 1000 themes using a single design, just by varying the color scheme. And, doesn’t it take even better if I say that the color scheme can be chosen from the admin panel, instead of installing different themes. Stay Tuned.

Series Posts :

1. Using The Same “Unique” Theme On Related Blogs
2. Creating Easily Color-Variable Themes