Beauty Blog Theme
Thank you for choosing a Hello You Designs Theme to build your site. Don’t forget to submit your site when you are finished and please contact us if you run in to any hiccups along the way. Below are the basics on getting your new theme set up to appear like the demo. Here is a link as well to the demo that you can view for reference.
Design Basics
Below are the fonts and colors that are used throughout the theme.
Colors
Midnight – #222
Dusty Blue – #cddfe6
Gold – #b99d58
Various Grays
Blog Featured Image Sizes
It is good practice to always have your Featured Images for your posts be the same size. This theme has the option to use a video for the featured image. If you are a Vlogger and plan to highlight videos and on occassion an image, you will want to use the featured image size of 1000×550. This will keep your image the same width and height as the featured videos. If you do not plan on vlogging you can choose a pinterest style of 1000×1500, or square of 1000×1000. We choose 1000wide so you can use the post slider. If you do not plan on using the post slider, then you can do a smaller image width.
* Before Proceeding *
Create a backup of your current site. Always keep an untouched copy of your theme stored on your computer. You will also want to keep an updated version of your theme files stored on your computer, in the case that you accidentally make a mistake and need to use that copy to fix it. You can also download a copy in your account area (if you purchase on our site, otherwise it is keep on the purchasing site) at any time.
Basic Setup
Plugins used in Demo
If you plan on importing the demo content and widget file you will want to download these plugins FIRST before doing that. If you download the demo content first and a plugin is missing that the demo uses, it will not import the content for that particular plugin and give you a “failed to import” message. You do not have to use all of these plugins, or any of these plugins. Only activate what you will use.
- Genesis Enews Extended– This is used for the subscribe/newsletter areas.
- Simple Social Icons– This is used for the social media icons in the sidebar.
- Social Warfare– This is used for the social media sharing at the bottom of blog posts.
- Genesis Responsive Slider– This adds the post slider to the blog slider widget area
- Genesis Featured Videos– This is the plugin that adds your featured videos.
- Instagram Feed– This is used to show your latest Instagram feed.
- Regenerate Thumbnails– This is used to recrop your images if all your images are oddly sized.
- Widget Importer & Exporter– This is used to import all the widgets from the demo and helps with setting up the theme for the first time.
First Steps
- Install the Genesis Framework and make sure it’s activated.
- Install the Theme and activate it.
- Install the plugins listed above before proceeding (leave off any you don’t plan to use).
- Reset permalinks. Click “Settings” in your admin menu, then permalinks, and save.
- Your theme uses a Widgetized homepage. Go to Settings > Reading > Select Front Page Displays > Your Latest Posts
- Go to Appearance > Widgets and delete old Widgets or Widgets that are located in the wrong section now due to activating a new theme (this applies only if you had an active site, not a new install)
- Run the regenerate thumbnails plugin if you are installing over an existing site. This will resize your images to the proper dimensions. (tools>regenerate thumbnails)
- Install XML file with demo content (only if you feel you need it).
- Install the Widget demo file (only if you feel you need it), this will set the widgets up just like the homepage.
If you are starting from a new install you should be able to start editing the demo content with your information. If you have an active site and are switching themes, you will need to do some “cleaning up” and re-arranging of the widgets to have your theme display right. Go to Appearance > Widgets and then open each widget area and delete or rearrange the widgets that are in places they shouldn’t be.
Logo or Site Title
- Place your blog name in the ‘Site Title’ field
- Place your tagline in the ‘Tagline’ field
Setup your Menus
To setup your Navigation menu go to Appearance > Menus. Your theme comes with a Left Menu (Primary Navigation) and Right Menu (Secondary navigation) that displays on either side of the logo. The “Small Nav” which displays your social icons and search bar as well as menu items if you would like. You can also use any one of the Font Awesome Icons in the Navigation Menu by adding the full icon code before, or after the menu name.
Menu Descriptions
To set the description under the main menu item, select “Screen Options” from the very top right hand corner of the Menu page. There you will see a bunch of options and make sure that “Description” is checked. Once that is checked you will be able to add a small description above your main menu item.
Anchor & Take Me home
The example is for Hello Nouveau but works the same on any Hello You Theme.
Change Your Colors
Your theme comes with few options to customize the site. If you go to Appearance > Customize you will open the theme “Customizer” screen. There you can change the background and main colors to match your brand. Here is a preview of what that screen will look like.
Add or Remove Blog from Homepage
You can add or remove the blog from the front of the homepage by going to Appearance > Customize > Front Page Content Settings. There you will have the option to show or hide the blog as well as rename what the intro says. To adjust how many are shown per page, you go to Settings > Reading > Blog Pages to Show at Most > Then select the number you would like to show on the homepage.
Footer Copyright
Widgetized Homepage
Widget Areas
- Blog Slider
- Blog Featured
- Home Close
- Top Social Menu
- Social Bar
- Site Credits
- Footer 1
- Footer 2
- Footer 3
Bonus Widgets
- Side Widget
- Signature
- Widget Below Content
- After Entry Widget
Blog Template
Slider Setup
To setup the slide like you see in the demo you would want to make sure that you have the Genesis Responsive Slider installed. Then go to Genesis > Slider Settings > and set your slide settings like the image. You only have to worry about what is in the blue circle.
Once you have set your slider settings then go to Appearance > Widgets and place the Genesis Responsive slider widget into the Blog Slider Section.
Trouble Shooting
If your images do not fit, make sure first that they are at least 1000px wide. If they all are, then you will need to run the regenerate thumbnails plugin. After you have done that on your images, they should all fit.
Blog Featured
This widget area is using 3 Genesis Featured Post. Each widget is pointing to a new category and displaying the latest post from that category. The widget title is the vertical wording and the post title the button hover. You do not need to use Featured Posts, if you would like to display custom buttons or boxes. The widgets placed in this spot will all be 1/3 width.
Featured Videos
To add a featured video you need to make sure that you have the Genesis Featured Videos plugin installed and active.
Step 2 – Configure the settings. Go to Genesis > Featured Video and then the Width to 1000px and height to 563px.
Step2 – Go to the post you would like to add your video to. Make sure that you also upload a featured image. This will give your post slider something to display when you have a featured video selected and it will also provide a nice preview for SEO purposes. When the plugin is installed, you will have the option to choose to show an image or video. Select video. Then paste your video URL in the video link box. After you save the post your video will automatically show in the featured image spot.
Post Excerpt – Shop Style Widget
This theme is designed to use the post excerpts for your Shop Style or Reward Style Widgets. You can also use it for affiliate announcments, special guest posters and even optins on a per post basis. To use the excerpt on the post, you first want to make sure that “excerpts” are enabled. You only have to do this once.
Step 1 – Create a post, click on the “settings options” tab in the top right corner
Step 2 – Make sure that “Excerpt” is checked
Step 3 – Scroll down your blog post and find the excerpt box. This is where you would copy paste your shopping widget or other content. The demo is using the built in accent text and a shop style widget.
Accent Text Example
Affiliate Disclosure
Many of you will need to add an affiliate disclosure notice at the top of sponsored or affiliate linked posts. To add your custom message to the post go to the edit the post. Make sure that “custom fields” option is selected. To do this click on the top right hand arrow where it says “Screen Options”, then check off “custom field”.
Next scroll down the page until you the custom field section.
1 – Click “enter new”
2 – Enter the wording “affiliate” in the “name” section
3 – Enter your affiliate message in the “value” section
4 – Click “Add Custom Field” when finished and now that custom filed will show at the top of your post.
Signature Widget
This is one of those features that gets asked for often. We added a signature widget that will show below your posts and above the shop widgets. The signature widget does not have any height or alignment restrictions in the style sheet. So you can design any style signature that you would like. You can even use this widget for an advertisement, CTA or message, it doesn’t have to strictly be used for a signature.
Keep in mind that it will show below every single post, so if you have multiple authors on your site then this probably isn’t the best option for you and should be used for something else.
Home Close – Not shown in Demo
This section was not shown in the demo but can be used for any number of things. In the past themes the Home Close is for a gorgeous image and contact form. It could also be used for a call to action or an about section. Below is how the Home Close widget area is used in the Hello Nouveau Theme. The same code works with all of the themes that have this spot. If you would like to duplicate the layout.
This area was created as the closing to the onepage sections. It is flexible and can be used for anything. The demo is using 3 Text Widgets.
1. Title with the words “Get in Touch”
2. Image code – Copy and past code at the bottom of tutorial
3. Contact Form shortcode for Gravity Forms (gravity forms is the only premium plugin this form uses. There are other free forms available and they all come with their own shortcodes that you would use in place of the gravity forms shortcode)
Footer Section – As Seen in the Demo
Footer 1 2 3
The footer widgets are holding the below
Footer Widget 1 – Custom Menu Widget
Footer Widget 2 – Genesis Enews Extended & Simple Social Icons
Footer Widget 3 – Image with the circle Button
Circle Button
Social Bar & Site Credits
This is where you place the Instagram shortcode in a text widget. To get the IG feed to show up the same as the demo you will need to set the display options in the IG settings. The demo is using 8 images, 8 columns, 2px margin. I’ve also unchecked the features of showing the Header & Load more but left the Follow Button.
Site Credit Widget
This is where you can add a Custom Menu Widget or even social icons. The demo is using random pages but this spot was really designed to add your T&C, Disclosure or other important pages.
The Other Widgets
After Entry Widget
Shows below the post content. Great for a CTA, optin or message.
Accent Text Example
Widget Below Content
This widget area will show below every post and page right above the footer. You can use it for an optin like the image above. Or place custom buttons using the built in column classes like Hello Glam.
Codes used in Theme
Accent Text
You have a built in Accent Text. When you use the code you can create a word or words in Gold, then have a title and description below.
** You can change the gold color in the color customizer – It is listed as Accent Text. Go to Appearance > Customizer >
Insert Images
Image that links
Buttons
Plain Button
Button with heart
– Change <i class=”fa fa-heart”> to any other Font Awesome Icon
Circle Button
This little button was only designed to hold 1 icon, no wording. Though you could put wording in it and you would have an oval icon. The icons you can use can be found here FontAwesome Icons
Blue & Gray Blocks
Both of the Gray and Blue colors can be customized in the color customizer. To get the full width look, you would use the below custom code. If you want to constrain the width of the text that goes in the box, copy it as is. If you would like the text to stretch the full width, remove the Text-box div.
This code will only work on full width pages that do not have a sidebar
Blue Box
Gray Box
Pricing Table
If you are new to WordPress I highly recommend watching the WordPress Video Tutorials. Many of the questions you have will be answered in those videos. The videos are only available to clients who have purchased a theme. If you purchased your theme on Etsy or Creative Market and would like access to the Tutorial section, please contact us.
If you are unable to find your questions answered in the links above, please contact us and submit a support ticket.