Theme Development

Theme file structure

00_wigmorean-theme/
├── style.css        CSS tokens + typography + layout
├── functions.php    enqueues, supports, widgets
├── header.php       fixed nav + font loading
├── footer.php       one-line copyright + links
├── index.php        fallback template (archives, search, home)
├── single.php       post template
├── page.php         WP page template (wigmorean-pages bypasses this)
├── 404.php          not-found template
└── sidebar.php      empty — the theme is single-column

CSS tokens

Every color, spacing, and typographic value in the theme comes from CSS custom properties defined at the top of style.css:

:root {
  --white:       #fff;
  --cream:       #faf8f5;  /* page background */
  --sand:        #f0ece4;  /* subtle surfaces */
  --text:        #1a1a1a;
  --text-2:      #6b6560;
  --text-3:      #9a958f;
  --rust:        #c4572a;  /* brand accent */
  --rust-light:  #e8734a;
  --gold:        #b8943e;
  --border-soft: rgba(0,0,0,0.05);
  --border:      rgba(0,0,0,0.08);
}

Fonts: DM Serif Display (headings) and Outfit (body) — both from Google Fonts.

Template hierarchy

The theme follows standard WordPress hierarchy with these active templates:

• Single posts → single.php — eyebrow ("Article") + title + date + content
• Pages → page.php — title (optional) + content. Note: wigmorean-pages intercepts matched pages via template_redirect, so page.php only renders for WP pages that aren't in the static-HTML map.
• Archives, search, blog home → index.php — list of .wig-post-item cards
• 404 → 404.php — italic rust 404 glyph + title + lede + Back button

Why wigmorean-pages bypasses the theme

The marketing pages (home, platform, solutions, pricing, docs, etc.) are themeless — they're served by wigmorean-pages directly. This lets each page have custom layout, gradients, and grid systems without fighting the theme's single-column default. The theme handles everything else — the blog, admin previews, search, 404.

Forking the theme

1. Duplicate the theme folder and rename (cp -r 00_wigmorean-theme my-theme)
2. Update the header in style.css — change Theme Name and Description
3. Modify tokens, fonts, and templates to taste
4. Activate in Appearance → Themes

If you want your fork to stay up-to-date with upstream improvements, consider making it a child theme instead — a one-file style.css with Template: 00_wigmorean-theme and overriding only the templates you change.

Using the tokens in custom content

Since tokens are CSS variables, you can use them in Gutenberg block additional CSS, custom blocks, or inline styles:

.my-custom-block {
  background: var(--cream);
  color: var(--text);
  border: 1px solid var(--border-soft);
  border-radius: 12px;
  padding: 2rem;
}