Project Details
Client: Reigning Sun
Date: May 4, 2014
Skills: HTML, CSS, WordPress, JavaScript, PHP, Photoshop
View: No longer active
Project Description
The original incarnation of What the Nexus was designed long before the game was set to release. So as it got closer to the game’s launch day, I felt that the website looked a bit dated, and needed a redesign. I had about a year’s worth of experience working with WordPress and running fan sites that I wanted to apply to this new version of What the Nexus.
Project Development
The main reason for this redesign was the release of Divi, by Elegant Themes. I had been a huge fan of Elegant Themes for nearly the entire time I had been using WordPress as my web platform of choice. But for my gaming sites, I was still using the drag-n-drop theme, Headway. So when Divi was released, I was blown away and totally ecstatic to have such a powerful and flexible theme to play with.
Switching to Divi, I was able to add so many more features to What the Nexus. It went from being clunky and amateurish to being sleek, stylish, and just plain amazeballs. It was so impressive, in fact, that it won a contest sponsored by the developers of WildStar (the game that What the Nexus was dedicated to).
Divi Customization
Of course, being me, I wasn’t about to just slap a theme on a website and call it a day. No! I had to customize it and make it my own! Don’t get me wrong, the base Divi is incredibly sexy and great. But I needed it to be even better.
I replaced the default slider module with the more powerful Revolution Slider. I added special code to make the dropdown menu animated. I integrated Google AdSense so I could generate a passive income from advertising. I didn’t do too much in changing the look and feel of the theme, because Divi was perfect for a sleek, futuristic website. But I definitely added some cool features and pushed the limits of what Divi, and WordPress in general, can do.
