Once you’ve requested your site and the Web Content Admin has created it, you have some more decisions to make. The most important is the appearance of the site.
Structure and Themes
In general, there are a few structural elements that come together in different combinations to form various WordPress themes: main content column, left sidebar, right sidebar, top navigation, header (just text), header with image, background with color/pattern/image. Once you’ve decided which elements you’d like on your site, you can look for a theme.
Browse themes currently used by HMH by using your left sidebar Dashboard navigation. Go to Appearance and click Themes.
See popular HMH themes in action on these microsites:
http://hmhtrade.com/bookclubs/
Or search more free options here, that the Web Content Admin can download and install: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/browse/popular/
Colors and Fonts
Many superficial elements of your chosen theme, like colors and fonts, can be customized for you by the Web Content Admin. Think these details over and approach the Web Content Admin with proposed changes.
Header Banners
If your chosen theme has the spaced for an image in the header, that banner must be requested from our Design department, which on average takes about a week to complete but can take longer if they don’t have room for impromptu projects. It is better to request the banner well in advance if there’s a chance it will be necessary, so incorporate that in your plans. Your theme’s info will indicate the dimensions that the banner should be, but typically it’s 900 pixels by 200 pixels with a resolution of 300 dpi.
Once you have made your decision about your site’s appearance, move on to Arranging Content.