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[PROMO] I’ve been WordPressing since 2007, and just released my first open-source theme
I’ve been building sites with WordPress since 2007 or so, but until now I had never released one of my themes publicly. Absolute 2026 has passed review and is now available from the WordPress.org Theme Directory.
It’s a native block theme with complete page patterns and smaller component patterns for building your own layouts. There’s no proprietary builder, custom Project post type, or theme-specific content system.
I’m posting to ask for reviews and suggestions for improvement. The theme is a 1:1 translation of the components and page structures from my portfolio, so I’m interested to see what other practical uses people might find for it — case studies, personal projects, small service-business sites, or TBD. If anyone feels like installing it and kicking the tires, I’d like to hear about bugs, friction, missing features, and suggestions for improvement.
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If you’re interested in the lore behind the design:
I’ve been introducing AI-generated images and vibe coding into my workflow, with reactions ranging from neutrality to blistering hostility. The positives I hear are about speed and convenience, never quality. And especially never about interesting or exciting design.
So I took it upon myself to start with the most banal Claude-meets-Tailwind pablum I could find — the true design voice of 2026 — and see how far I needed to tweak the typography, color, and structure to reach a place outside the bounds of AI slop. I found what I consider a reasonable middle ground and used it for my portfolio site, then thought it would be fun to convert it into a native WordPress block theme.
And imperfect as it might be, it was fun. I hope other folks find something interesting or even useful in it. I mean, it’s open source, so go nuts.
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Getting Started:
https://donschnitzius.com/absolute-2026/getting-started/
WordPress.org Theme Directory:
https://wordpress.org/themes/absolute-2026/
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