Updated June 14, 2025
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Last week WordPress Twenty Fourteen was released. For those of us in the WP community, the event was noteworthy for several reasons. If you’re new to WordPress… welcome to a wonderful world. In this post I’ll explain why the double release of a new theme and version 3.8 is a reason to celebrate.
Parker: Version 3.8
In case you’re wondering why a software release would be named Parker, it’s due to Matt Mullenweg (co-creator of WordPress). He’s a big fan of jazz and it’s his homage to Charlie Parker, an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Gotta love a coder with style. 3.8. has introduced a modern design to its dashboard, including:
- More color replacing various shades of grey. For those of us who spends hours every day in WordPress, this is a welcome change. There are eight new admin color schemes to fit anyone’s taste palette.
- Easier to read font that aids viewing on both desktop and mobile formats.
- Increased speed so pages load faster (an SEO ranking factor).
- Improved widget management making it easier to streamline the widget screen.
To put things into perspective, WP Engine released an infographic on WordPress Stats. 30% of Adults who use the internet have heard of WordPress. While it might not be a household name like Kleenex or Coco Cola, it is impressive to know that 1/3 of online users are aware that WordPress is the largest open-source Content Management System (CMS).
WordPress Twenty Fourteen Theme
WordPress celebrated its 10th birthday this year. Each year Automattic releases a new free theme. In years past, these themes were rolled out a year behind. WordPress Twenty Fourteen marks the first time a release occurred before ringing in the New Year. Twenty Fourteen boasts pure simplicity:
- Magazine styling where you can feature specific content on your home page (e.g., a slider or grid of text/graphics).
- Customize with three widget areas
- Two page templates to style your website layout
WordPress Twenty Fourteen is a great choice for users who maintain their own website. While it has many customizable bells and whistles, its relatively simple to manage.
What WordPress theme to do you use?
Schema for SEO