10 Resources to Improve your WordPress Skills

I have to thank @gracesmith on twitter for posting these 10 resources for improving your wordpress development skills.  These are mostly all tools that are already in my aresenal but I don’t think that in all of the blogging I have done about WordPress that I have ever blogged about them before. 

A couple of these resources that I use on a daily basis are Nettuts, Blueprint CSS, and WordPress Codex. I am also a fan of the Web Designer Wall as well.  If you work in WordPress you know well that it can quickly draw you in because there are so many resources available in the community. 

1. WordPress Codex: I’ve learned virtually all my WordPress tricks from the codex. It also contains some great examples, which you can apply to your WordPress themes for infinite customization.
2. Blueprint CSS: A great CSS framework that can greatly reduce design time by giving you “a solid CSS foundation to build your project on top of, with an easy-to-use grid, sensible typography, and even a stylesheet for printing.”
3. Printable Graph Paper: This is probably my favorite resource to date. The paper is made for visual designers, interaction designers, and information architects who do wire framing and design sketch ups.
4. JQuery for Designers: JQuery is an amazing javascript framework used on many amazing websites. It also powers some of the features of the WordPress admin panel. Learn how to apply JQuery functionality to your site at JQuery for Designers.
5. Web Designer Wall: Some really great tutorials and inspiration for building visually engaging Web sites. Heavily read, big community, lots of great info.
6. Net Tuts: A thorough and constantly updated blog containing everything from WordPress tutorials, to PHP intros, to instruction on implementing the functionality of numerous javascript libraries.
7. Lightbox Clones Matrix: A useful list comparing various scripts that display images and other multimedia objects.
8. Protect your CSS Modifications: If you modify your theme’s css, you might want to consider using this approach to help future proof your theme design.
9. Smashing Magazine: Everything from icon sets, theme reviews, tutorials, with lots of freebies thrown in for good measure.
10. A List Apart: If you make Web sites, you must bookmark this site. The Web Gods tell me it is mandatory.

What are your favorite WordPress and design resources?

Ten Resources to Improve your WordPress and Design Skills | Graph Paper Press