Second webinar in the 3 webinar master class, Secrets of a WordPress Web Designer Revealed. One of the reasons aspiring web designers stay swirling around feeling less than competent is that they never stay with a theme and learn to customize it. Of course, they do need to start with the right theme framework for their skills.
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Hi, I’m Judi Knight
@judiknight
Serial Entrepreneur: Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist, CEO of Medical Records
Software Company and Real Estate Developer
Founder and Creative Director of a WordPress Web Design Agency, New
Tricks
Organizer of the WordPress User’s Meetup Group with 3,000+ members
Lead Organizer of WordCamp Atlanta for five years.
Speaker at WordCamps across the country including WordCamp
US and Keynote speaker
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BEFORE WE START
B Turn off your phone, close
your other tabs, and get rid
of any distractions!
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What’s Going to Happen Tonight
• 5-minute intro
• 45-minute training
• 10 minutes to tell you about something
I’ve created just for you
• 15-minute Q and A Session
5. +
TELL ME IN THE CHAT
Are you a current or aspiring WordPress web
designer or developer?
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TELL ME IN THE CHAT
Are you a current or aspiring WordPress web
designer or developer?
8. + What We Covered in Webinar #1
7 Core Competencies of a WordPress Web Designer
Develop a Strong Foundation and Become a True Professional
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Seven Core Competency Framework
• Web Design Agency If you’re working on websites in an agency setting, your work will
be defined by your role on the team: project manager, web designer, web developer,
UX designer, content strategist, copywriter, SEO Specialist
• Freelancer If you’re building websites as a freelancer, no matter what your
background, technician, web designer or developer, you’ll have to play all of these
roles. If you don’t have a particular skill or ability you’ll have to know enough about the
skill you don’t have to know what an excellent outcome is even to hire someone to
partner with for that part of the work. .
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What We Covered in Webinar #1
Conscious Competence Model – Why you may be stuck.
Bermuda Triangle of
Web Designer’s Hell
Pro
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Can You See. . .
• It’s not your fault if you’re in Phase 2 - Conscious Incompetence. It’s a normal
and uncomfortable part of learning any new skill.
• But, the longer you stay in Phase 2 trying to learn these seven competency
areas yourself, the higher the likelihood you’re going to get frustrated and quit.
• Your journey would be far less treacherous and go so much faster if you had a
proven path to follow and a guide to help you along.
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TELL ME IN THE CHAT
Where are you on the Web Designer’s Learning
Curve?
Are you a one, two or swirling around in the
Bermuda Triangle?
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What We Covered in Webinar #1
Some Tips From a Few Competency Areas
• Online Marketing:
The Importance of Having Your Own Branded and Niched Website
• Business and Client Management
Pricing Web Sites Like a Pro
• User Experience and Usability
User Experience Research is Your Secret Weapon
• Web Design Skills
Learning the Rules of Design
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Tonight’s Webinar
• The Biggest Mistake of Broke Web Designers
• How to Build Effective Websites Using a Solid, Trusted Theme Framework - No
Matter What Level You are When You Start.
• How to Choose the Framework Best for You
WordPress Skills
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TELL ME IN THE CHAT
You spend a lot of time searching for the perfect theme or theme
framework for each and every project.
You’ve never got to the point with a theme where you feel like an
expert and can make it your own.
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TELL ME IN THE CHAT
You find a theme and spend a lot of time getting the site to look
great and then you find out something horrible about it.
• The site loads slow no matter what you do.
• There’s an error and the theme developer drops out of sight.
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TELL ME IN THE CHAT:
Does This ring a bell?
You’ve tried going to WP Meetups and attending
WordCamps to develop your skills but you haven’t
had the right information, at the right time, at the
right level and your frustrated.
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AM I CLAIRVOYANT?
NO! I’ve been there.
And, I remember what it was like back then
I now have a small agency making effective websites for our
clients
I’m passionate about helping others get through that period
of conscious incompetence period and on to a successful
career.
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Biggest Mistake of Broke Web Designers
Spending hours obsessing over
finding the perfect theme and
doing it again for each new project
you do.
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Here’s Why It’s Deadly to Success
• Once you find a new theme you spend hours learning
how to use each one of them
• You’ll never get proficient in using and customizing a
particular theme framework
• Never feel confident
• Unknown themes may have issues that come up later
•
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What Pro’s Do
Instead. . .
Choose a premium theme framework.
Learn to customize it.
Use it as the base for all of the
websites you build.
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What Pro’s Don’t
1. Never Use a Free Theme From a Search Online!
2. Never Make a Custom Site from Scratch.
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What type of theme frameworks exist?
Some have many child theme templates that use widget areas for
customization of the home page (StudioPress)
Some are drag and drop Frameworks
(Beaver Builder Theme, Bakery, Layers, Headway, Divi)
Check theme developers out at: https://wordpress.org/themes/commercial
Don’t Use Free Themes from online searches, ever
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Why Use a Theme Framework?
Trusted Development Company
Support with upgrades
Community of people to learn from
Ease of Development
Built-in Functionality
Code Quality
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What is a Theme Framework?
Theme Frameworks use a Parent-Child concept for theme development. The
base code for functionality resides in the Parent theme.
Custom styling and any new functionality is added to a Child theme so that later
when the parent theme is updated, the customizations don’t get overwritten.
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Disadvantages of a theme framework?
The good ones are not free
There is a learning curve
Includes code for features you may never use
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CHOOSING A THEME FRAMEWORK
Depends on Skill Level
General Design
Website Design
User Experience
Branding
Content
31. + CHOOSING A THEME FRAMEWORK
StudioPress GENESIS Theme Framework
Home Page is Based on Widget Areas
32. STUDIOPRESS
• One of the most reputable theme development shops
• User community of over 200,000
• Stellar support and ongoing upgrades and updates
• HOME page design layout flexibility without coding
33. WHY STUDIOPRESS
• Beginners and Non-Designers Can’t Go Wrong
• Start with it to get a feel for web layouts and designs
34. PAGE BUILDERS NOT BEST FOR
BEGINNERS
Offering someone who is not a
skilled web designer unlimited
design possibilities is not the
best idea.
36. CONSIDER WHAT TYPE OF SITE YOU”RE
BUILDING
• Blog
• Simple business website
• Photographer or artist’s portfolio
• Non-profit
• Web design agency
• Feminine or masculine branding
37. IGNORE NICHED THEMES
Foodie Pro is not just for food sites.
Get creative by looking at the styling
and structure of a Child Theme rather
than the title of the theme or the
photos used
in the demos.
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Customization Journey with Genesis for a Beginner or
Non-Designer
Use Built in Theme Options & Client’s Text and Images
Add client’s logo
Choose colors, menus, and other options available in the
theme’s customizer
Choose how to layout the site using or not using home page
widget areas
Add client’s images and content to the site
48. LAYOUT AND CODING STAGE
Use the Beaver Builder Plugin along with
the Dambuster Plugin with StudioPress.
or
Start with one of the templates that comes
with the Beaver Builder Theme.
Well-coded, well-documented, and comes
with a large community of experts.
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Your 4 Month Journey to Pro Includes:
A 10-Module Online Course
5-10 Lessons in each module. Each lesson
includes a video, a transcript, an
assignment, and a quiz.
Weekly, group office-hours coaching
sessions.
Three, individual sessions upon
completing strategic milestones.
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Your 4 Month Journey to Pro Also Includes:
A dedicated Slack Group where you can
share your accomplishments, resources and
challenges, as well as give and get feedback
from your peer community and the New
Tricks Team.
Unlimited Access to the entire StudioPress
Library with 60+ Child Themes and
instructions for the duration of the course.
https://tinyurl.com/masterycourse2018
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A Tested, Systematic Path to Pro
The Mastery Course has been strategically organized to provide you a solid foundation across the Seven
Core Competency Framework,
You’ll learn everything you need to price, close, build, and deliver effective websites for clients who
appreciate your expertise and compensate you for the value of your work.
During the course, you’ll put what you’re learning into practice, step-by-step. While following the course
curriculum, you’ll niche, brand, design, build, and launch your own effective, professional website ( or
build one for a client, friend, or organization). Achieving that alone is more than worth the cost of the
course.
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APPLY NOW FOR NEXT SESSION!
This is the only course of its kind that gives
you what you need to traverse the
dangerous waters to becoming a competent
professional.
We’ve run three sessions of the course with
successful graduates.
It’s the course wish I could have taken all
those years ago. I’m happy to be able to offer
it to you now.
https://tinyurl.com/masterycourse2018
Now these bullets look pretty snazzy. Don’t they. But Stay tuned. I’ll be telling you some tails from the dark side later.
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Developing skills in these seven core competency areas will provide you with the competence and confidence you need in order to transform your ability to attract clients, charge them going rates and build client effective websites that will work to grow their businesses.
Developing skills in these seven core competency areas will provide you with the competence and confidence you need in order to transform your ability to attract clients, charge them going rates and build client effective websites that will work to grow their businesses.
The four stages of competence Noel Burch in the 1970s
Unconscious incompetence The individual does not understand or know how to do something and does not necessarily recognize the deficit. They may deny the usefulness of the skill. The individual must recognize their own incompetence, and the value of the new skill, before moving on to the next stage.[2] The length of time an individual spends in this stage depends on the strength of the stimulus to learn.[3]
Conscious incompetence Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, as well as the value of a new skill in addressing the deficit. The making of mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage.[4]
Conscious competence The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration. It may be broken down into steps, and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the new skill.[3]
Unconscious competence The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become "second nature" and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. The individual may be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned.
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Hazel
Hazel
Hazel
Hazel
Even though there is a learning curve, and they cost a little bit of extra money, in our opinion you should use a theme framework. Overtime, they speed up development time. It allows you to follow industry standards. Last but not least, you get great support from the developing team as well as others who are part of the community.