What Are Stacks?

November 19, 2013

Developed exclusively by Themeco, Stacks are an innovative concept and available only in the X WordPress Theme. We'd like to take a second to explain what they are and how they can help you with the X theme.

First off, the easiest way to think of a Stack would be to think of a theme within a theme. As we all know, when you typically buy ONE theme, you are stuck with one particular style and design. If you are wanting to change the look of your site, the process usually involves browsing through other clubs and marketplaces to find a new inspiring theme that matches your needs.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with this strategy, we feel there is a better way to do it. Aside from the fact that you are completely changing over to a new developers way of doing things (and in so doing having to essentially recreate your entire site), this is extremely time consuming and all around frustrating. We felt this was a problem we could easily address.

Enter Stacks

As you may have noticed, most sites follow a somewhat predictable layout structure. Even though things look drastically different from site to site, it is more a matter of styling those elements as opposed to true foundational changes.

For this reason, we decided to take certain design styles and build an end-to-end solution so you could use one theme (X) while still having access to multiple design options. And don't forget, we're not just talking about unique headers and skins. These are completely unique and fully designed. There are currently four Stacks to chose from: Integrity, Renew, Icon, and Ethos.

  • Our all-purpose design, Integrity is great for business, corporate, or any professional oriented site. This is perhaps our most used Stack due to it's general appeal and timeless styling.
  • If flat is your thing, you will love Renew. This design is built with no gradients or shadows to capture the essence of the flat craze. If you like this design approach, you'll definitely want to use the Renew Stack.
  • Icon is our clean and modern Stack that is great for people who like a more minimal approach to web design. With several unique features including a second sidebar, Icon is a wonderful option if you want to truly let your design get out of the way of your content.

  • Create stunning, engaging, and truly one of a kind magazine sites with Ethos. With several unique features configured specifically for magazine and newspaper sites, Ethos will engage your audience and promote clickthroughs.

FAQ

Q: When I buy the X theme, do I also have to select a Stack?
A: No. All Stacks come included with purchase. You simply select which Stack you wish to use once the theme is activated.


Q: Are Stacks like child themes?
A: No. Stacks are simply the full site designs we have built into X to provide our customers with truly unlimited styling potential.


Q: Can I still use child themes with the X theme?
A: Absolutely. As a matter of fact, we recommend it (as do the WordPress folks).


Q: Where can I see demos of these Stacks?
A: Right here.


At the end of the day, the thing to remember is that Stacks allow you to globally change the full site design while staying within the one and only X theme.

Hopefully this helps provide a little more insight into our Stacks. We provide extensive documentation and training videos for our customers, and we're always a forum post or email away should you have any other questions.