Using WP as backend without using a WP theme for the design. Possible?

[ThreadKiller]

So I am fed up with the limitations of WP themes. To the trained eye, a WP site always looks like a WP site. No matter how much you customize it.

Thinking, is it possible to use WP as a backend only, for the plugins and such, and build the HTML for the site, manually in notepad, like I used to do in the old days. Like... Is there some kind of WP "theme" that is nothing but a 100% wide blank canvas, for me to do what I want with?

Guess I might need to learn a WP framework, and go from there. Do you guys agree? Was really looking to start something with less of a learning curve.

 

[BlueZero]

Yes, it is possible.

But maybe you just need to change the theme by yourself.

 

[methylenebl]

Ahhh it seems like you want to learn how to create a custom theme in WP, yes alot of WP themes do look the same but as they just have a theming system that at the end of the day is just PHP/HTML/CSS you can make WP look like anything you want it to. I think there are a lot of base Bootstrap 3 or Foundation 4 themes that you can use as starter themes and then just customize them to look like anything you want it to. I would just use these front end frameworks in your starter theme because they are both mobile first and amazing for helping with responsive design.

 

[nanavlad]

There's a plugin to change a html theme to wordpress
So go ahead and make your html theme and convert later

Though check it out first

Heres a tutorial

http://thethemefoundry.com/blog/html-wordpress/

 

[Freeopkiller]

I agree with you. I was a big xoops fan back when, but the themes were always 'blocky'. Wordpress has it's own sig. There are a lot of howtos on building a wp theme from scratch.. I've ripped some cool sites and was amazed to see a wp-admin. There out there, I think the good ones are just too good and you don't recognize them..

There might be a learning curve with Wp themes but once you get the hang of it, your set. Your time invested in learning it will not be wasted.. I'm amazed at how far Wp has come, plugins especially. I think it would be easier to start from scratch then hack up another theme. Move into learning taxonomies and custom fields and skys the limit. Its pretty amazing really..

 

[keltichiro]

What plugin would that be?

There's a plugin to change a html theme to wordpress
So go ahead and make your html theme and convert later

Though check it out first

Heres a tutorial