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Simple Social Icons is one of the most popular plugins we have built at StudioPress, and it’s currently active on more than 200,000 websites. With this plugin, you can easily choose which profiles to link to, customize the color and size of your icons, as well as align them to the left, center, or rightÔÇöall from the widget form, with no settings page necessary.

We are on the verge of pushing out version 2.0, which is a significant update. Props to Lauren Mancke for her work on integrating the SVGs and Nick Cernis for his work on reviewing the update and providing the snippets below.

Here are three important changes, which we wanted to share with you ahead of time:

• Simple Social Icons 2.0 now uses scalable vector graphics (SVGs) instead of web fonts for better accessibility and legibility.
• We’ve added icons for Medium, Periscope, Phone, Snapchat, Vine, and Xing and also updated the icons for Instagram, Google+, and YouTube.
• WeÔÇÖre deprecating the simple_social_default_glyphs filter, which some developers currently use to change the order or style of icons. If youÔÇÖre using that filter, check out the snippets below to see what youÔÇÖll need to use instead.

The move to SVG

Web fonts are great for rendering text, but using them for icons is a suboptimal approach. Tyler Sticka, Sara Soueidan, Chris Coyier, and other friendly faces in the web community have long been championing SVGs as an alternative that brings improved appearance and accessibility.

The new icons in Simple Social Icons 2.0 are crisper, and theyÔÇÖll now appear for dyslexic visitors and other users who override their default browser fonts. Here are a few good resources about the benefits to using SVGs and how to implement them in your own projects:

• Don’t Use Icon Fonts ÔÇö Tyler Sticka
• CSS vs SVG ÔÇö Sara Soueidan
• Icon Fonts vs SVG ÔÇö┬áChris Coyier

Deprecating a filter

The simple_social_default_glyphs filter allowed developers to modify the order and content of icons. We are deprecating this filter as part of the update. If you use the filter in your themes and plugins, youÔÇÖll need to update your code to change or rearrange icons once 2.0 is released.

These snippets from the pluginÔÇÖs public GitHub wiki may help as starting points:

• Reorder icons in Simple Social Icons 2.0
• Add an additional SVG icon in Simple Social Icons 2.0

Updated 3:00 CST 12/1

Based on a suggestion from Robin Cornett, we have renamed the simple_social_default_css filter to simple_social_default_stylesheet to avoid significant styling issues that may take place with old style sheets being loaded.

Props to Gary Jones on his suggestions/code to improve the accessibility of the SVG icons.

We hope that you enjoy the new version of Simple Social Icons!

(Download: v1.0.13 | v2.0 Beta)

The post Simple Social Icons 2.0 appeared first on StudioPress.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Megan Gray, a passionate — probably one of the most passionate — freelance graphic designers I know. She lives on the edge of a canyon in Orange County, California, where she runs her business, House of Grays.

In this 34-minute episode Megan Gray, Lauren Mancke, and I discuss:

• Starting House of Grays in Orange County, CA
• Designing for the people
• Keeping focused among distraction
• Experience gained while working in a traditional agency
• The onboarding process of custom projects
• Creative outlets beyond the 9 to 5
• Following your own path instead of looking to others
• Filtering out the noise

Listen to this Episode on StudioPress FM

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This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

On this weekÔÇÖs episode, weÔÇÖre joined by Jason Schuller, a designer and maker of things for the web. His MO is always focusing on elegant simplicity, endlessly being inspired by awesome creative people, and relentlessly learning by making mistakes.

In this episode Jason Schuller, Lauren Mancke, and I discuss:

• The creative career of Jason Schuller
• Launching Press75
• The decision behind the sale of Press75
• The allure of side projects
• Prioritizing family in business decisions
• Creating Work/Life balance

Listen to this Episode on StudioPress FM

The post The Creative Entrepreneur: Living the Dream appeared first on StudioPress.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

The days of boring businesses on the web are over! You need a site that clearly demonstrates your business is the best choice in your niche ÔÇö while also conveying taste and elegance.

If upping the wow factor of your website is a priority for you, then Infinity Pro is what youÔÇÖre looking for in a WordPress theme.

Make it your business to stand out

Infinity Pro is an elegant, responsive way to present your online presence. With all the options weÔÇÖve packed into this theme to customize your customerÔÇÖs experience, itÔÇÖs also one of the most flexible StudioPress theme releases to date.

Infinity Pro is WooCommerce-ready, which means building your online store will never look better. We’ve also styled it to make your WooCommerce Memberships and WooCommerce Subscriptions functionality just as good.

Infinity Pro comes stocked with a comprehensive stable of templates, including Author Page, Blog Post, Landing Page, Lead Capture Page, Team Page and more.

Infinity Pro also includes all the reliable features youÔÇÖve come to expect with StudioPress themes:

• A mobile-responsive design that looks amazing wherever itÔÇÖs viewed
• Support, documentation, and the StudioPress community forum
• The best rankings possible because of our clean code and mobile-friendly design
• Super-fast page load times
• One-click theme updates
• Airtight security so you can rest easy

Click here to see everything Infinity Pro offers

The post Infinity Pro: a Beautiful & Stylish Ecommerce Business Theme for WordPress appeared first on StudioPress.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

On this weekÔÇÖs episode, weÔÇÖre joined by Bill Kenney. His unyielding passion for design began at a young age, but has been developed and honed over his decade in the industry. As a business owner, Bill has developed both the design acumen and business knowledge necessary for success. HeÔÇÖs the co-founder and creative director of Focus Lab.

In this episode Bill Kenney, Lauren Mancke, and I discuss:

• Bill Kenney’s path as a creative
• Running a creative agency
• The importance of team
• Using Dribbble to create a creative following
• Repurposing content across platforms
• Complimenting a service based business with products
• Finding your tribe

Listen to this Episode on StudioPress FM

The post Leveraging Social Media to Build a Creative Brand appeared first on StudioPress.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

This week we’re joined by Chris Lema. Chris is a Product Strategist, a people manager, a speaker, and a blogger. He also works with companies to help them build better software products, run better software development teams, improve their marketing messages, and bring their products to market.

In this episode Chris Lema, Lauren Mancke, and I discuss:

• Aligning your work with your areas of expertise
• Making a course correction in your career
• Defining leadership by difficult decisions
• Leveraging WordPress in your business
• Leadership that requires a move beyond good
• Taking the leap to achieving success
• Being sold on yourself to become the leader you were meant to be

Listen to this Episode on StudioPress FM

The post How to Be a Great Community Leader, with Chris Lema appeared first on StudioPress.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

This week weÔÇÖre joined by Seth Spears. SethÔÇÖs company (Spears Marketing) helps small business owners and bloggers build a reliable and profitable web presence that works… even when you’re not working. His primary focus is on digital marketing strategy.

Seth is a husband, a father, and fanatical about the Cincinnati Reds and the Cincinnati Bengals. HeÔÇÖs a staunch free-market advocate and often called a renaissance man. Last, but certainly not least, Seth is a part of the brotherhood I founded two years ago called Brocation, where a group of entrepreneurs take a few days each winter and hang out in the mountains of Colorado.

In this episode Seth Spears, Lauren Mancke, and I discuss:

• The founding of Spears Marketing in 2009
• Focusing on your core competencies
• Tools to build your online presence
• Branching out into the Wellness space
• The power of an effective marketing campaign
• Common marketing mistakes made by small businesses
• Successful marketing for the biggest ROI
• Repurposing content for multiple distribution channels
• The value of networking with like-minded entrepreneurs

Listen to this Episode on StudioPress FM

The post The One Thing That Can Make or Break Your Creative Business appeared first on StudioPress.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

This week, we have the very distinct pleasure of talking to a gentleman who is not only a talented member of the WordPress community … but the one responsible for it.

Matt Mullenweg is the founding developer of WordPress, which currently powers over 26% of sites on the web. The WordPress website says itÔÇÖs “a state-of-the-art semantic personal publishing platform.”

More importantly, WordPress is a part of who Matt is.

In this episode Matt Mullenweg, Lauren Mancke, and I discuss:

• MattÔÇÖs start with WordPress
• Founding Automattic in 2005
• The difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org
• Analysis of the premium theme market
• Generating revenue in the WordPress Ecosystem
• The spirit of GPL in Open Source
• Adding paid themes to WordPress.com
• Making a profit with premium plugins
• The future of WordPress

Listen to this Episode on StudioPress FM

The post How (and Why ItÔÇÖs OK) to Make Money with WordPress, with Matt Mullenweg appeared first on StudioPress.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Today we’re joined by Cory Miller. Cory is a former newspaper journalist turned full-time entrepreneur. In 2008, he started iThemes, which builds web design software and offers cutting-edge web design training for thousands of customers around the globe.

Cory is a passionate entrepreneur who believes in finding and maintaining work happiness (for himself and others) that aligns with your purpose and plays to your strengths, talents and ambitions, while challenging you to do great things with your life.

In this 43-minute episode Cory Miller, Lauren Mancke, and I discuss:

• The founding of iThemes in 2008
• Comradery and Co-opetition in the WordPress community
• What lies beneath the surface of entrepreneurship
• The importance of talking openly about mental health
• How mental health can affect your business
• How to find lasting career happiness

Listen to this Episode on StudioPress FM

The post The Importance of Entrepreneurial Mental Health appeared first on StudioPress.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.

Gallery Pro was designed by Bloom Blog Shop with both clean presentation and e-commerce success in mind.

Minimalism plus warmth ÔÇö a winning combination

Gallery Pro is a theme that features your galleries or pages in a minimalist style that features stunning typography. You can make Gallery Pro your own with options for a styled portfolio, multiple column classes, a flexible front page, and full color customization.

Gallery Pro contains everything you need to showcase and move your goods online. Along with e-commerce options, there are templates for a landing page, a dedicated account login page, product pages, a pricing tier page, and more.

Gallery Pro also includes all the reliable features youÔÇÖve come to expect with StudioPress themes:

• A mobile-responsive design that looks amazing wherever itÔÇÖs viewed
• Support, documentation, and the StudioPress community forum
• The best rankings possible because of our clean code and mobile-friendly design
• Super-fast page load times
• One-click theme updates
• Airtight security so you can rest easy

Click here to see Gallery ProÔÇÖs possibilities.

The post Gallery Pro: A Gorgeous, Lifestyle Theme for WordPress appeared first on StudioPress.

This blog was originally posted on Studiopress.com This post is in no way associated with Kembel.ca. For more posts by this author, please click here.