Second webinar in the 3 webinar master class, Secrets of a WordPress Web Designer Revealed. One of the reasons aspiring web designers stay swirling around feeling less than competent is that they never stay with a theme and learn to customize it. Of course, they do need to start with the right theme framework for their skills.

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@JudiKnight
Biggest Mistake of
Broke Web Designers
Webinar Series #2
Web Designer’s Secrets
Revealed

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Hi, I’m Judi Knight
@judiknight
Serial Entrepreneur: Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist, CEO of Medical Records
Software Company and Real Estate Developer
Founder and Creative Director of a WordPress Web Design Agency, New
Tricks
Organizer of the WordPress User’s Meetup Group with 3,000+ members
Lead Organizer of WordCamp Atlanta for five years.
Speaker at WordCamps across the country including WordCamp
US and Keynote speaker

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BEFORE WE START
B Turn off your phone, close
your other tabs, and get rid
of any distractions!

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What’s Going to Happen Tonight
• 5-minute intro
• 45-minute training
• 10 minutes to tell you about something
I’ve created just for you
• 15-minute Q and A Session

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TELL ME IN THE CHAT
Are you a current or aspiring WordPress web
designer or developer?

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TELL ME IN THE CHAT
Are you a current or aspiring WordPress web
designer or developer?

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What We Covered in Webinar #1
•

8. + What We Covered in Webinar #1
7 Core Competencies of a WordPress Web Designer
Develop a Strong Foundation and Become a True Professional

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Seven Core Competency Framework
• Web Design Agency If you’re working on websites in an agency setting, your work will
be defined by your role on the team: project manager, web designer, web developer,
UX designer, content strategist, copywriter, SEO Specialist
• Freelancer If you’re building websites as a freelancer, no matter what your
background, technician, web designer or developer, you’ll have to play all of these
roles. If you don’t have a particular skill or ability you’ll have to know enough about the
skill you don’t have to know what an excellent outcome is even to hire someone to
partner with for that part of the work. .

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What We Covered in Webinar #1
Conscious Competence Model – Why you may be stuck.
Bermuda Triangle of
Web Designer’s Hell
Pro

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Can You See. . .
• It’s not your fault if you’re in Phase 2 - Conscious Incompetence. It’s a normal
and uncomfortable part of learning any new skill.
• But, the longer you stay in Phase 2 trying to learn these seven competency
areas yourself, the higher the likelihood you’re going to get frustrated and quit.
• Your journey would be far less treacherous and go so much faster if you had a
proven path to follow and a guide to help you along.

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TELL ME IN THE CHAT
Where are you on the Web Designer’s Learning
Curve?
Are you a one, two or swirling around in the
Bermuda Triangle?

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What We Covered in Webinar #1
Some Tips From a Few Competency Areas
• Online Marketing:
The Importance of Having Your Own Branded and Niched Website
• Business and Client Management
Pricing Web Sites Like a Pro
• User Experience and Usability
User Experience Research is Your Secret Weapon
• Web Design Skills
Learning the Rules of Design

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Tonight’s Webinar
• The Biggest Mistake of Broke Web Designers
• How to Build Effective Websites Using a Solid, Trusted Theme Framework - No
Matter What Level You are When You Start.
• How to Choose the Framework Best for You
WordPress Skills

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TELL ME IN THE CHAT
DOES THIS
SOUND LIKE
YOU?

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TELL ME IN THE CHAT
You spend a lot of time searching for the perfect theme or theme
framework for each and every project.
You’ve never got to the point with a theme where you feel like an
expert and can make it your own.

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TELL ME IN THE CHAT
You find a theme and spend a lot of time getting the site to look
great and then you find out something horrible about it.
• The site loads slow no matter what you do.
• There’s an error and the theme developer drops out of sight.

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TELL ME IN THE CHAT
WHAT ABOUT
THIS ONE?

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TELL ME IN THE CHAT:
Does This ring a bell?
You’ve tried going to WP Meetups and attending
WordCamps to develop your skills but you haven’t
had the right information, at the right time, at the
right level and your frustrated.

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AM I CLAIRVOYANT?
NO! I’ve been there.
And, I remember what it was like back then
I now have a small agency making effective websites for our
clients
I’m passionate about helping others get through that period
of conscious incompetence period and on to a successful
career.

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PATH TO BECOMING A PRO
Competency: WordPress Skills

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Biggest Mistake of Broke Web Designers
Spending hours obsessing over
finding the perfect theme and
doing it again for each new project
you do.

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Here’s Why It’s Deadly to Success
• Once you find a new theme you spend hours learning
how to use each one of them
• You’ll never get proficient in using and customizing a
particular theme framework
• Never feel confident
• Unknown themes may have issues that come up later
•

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What Pro’s Do
Instead. . .
Choose a premium theme framework.
Learn to customize it.
Use it as the base for all of the
websites you build.

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What Pro’s Don’t
1. Never Use a Free Theme From a Search Online!
2. Never Make a Custom Site from Scratch.

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What type of theme frameworks exist?
 Some have many child theme templates that use widget areas for
customization of the home page (StudioPress)
 Some are drag and drop Frameworks
(Beaver Builder Theme, Bakery, Layers, Headway, Divi)
 Check theme developers out at: https://wordpress.org/themes/commercial
 Don’t Use Free Themes from online searches, ever

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Why Use a Theme Framework?
 Trusted Development Company
 Support with upgrades
 Community of people to learn from
 Ease of Development
 Built-in Functionality
 Code Quality

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What is a Theme Framework?
Theme Frameworks use a Parent-Child concept for theme development. The
base code for functionality resides in the Parent theme.
Custom styling and any new functionality is added to a Child theme so that later
when the parent theme is updated, the customizations don’t get overwritten.

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Disadvantages of a theme framework?
 The good ones are not free
 There is a learning curve
 Includes code for features you may never use

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CHOOSING A THEME FRAMEWORK
Depends on Skill Level
General Design
Website Design
User Experience
Branding
Content

31. + CHOOSING A THEME FRAMEWORK
StudioPress GENESIS Theme Framework
Home Page is Based on Widget Areas

32. STUDIOPRESS
• One of the most reputable theme development shops
• User community of over 200,000
• Stellar support and ongoing upgrades and updates
• HOME page design layout flexibility without coding

33. WHY STUDIOPRESS
• Beginners and Non-Designers Can’t Go Wrong
• Start with it to get a feel for web layouts and designs

34. PAGE BUILDERS NOT BEST FOR
BEGINNERS
Offering someone who is not a
skilled web designer unlimited
design possibilities is not the
best idea.

35. 60+ CHILD THEME DESIGNS

36. CONSIDER WHAT TYPE OF SITE YOU”RE
BUILDING
• Blog
• Simple business website
• Photographer or artist’s portfolio
• Non-profit
• Web design agency
• Feminine or masculine branding

37. IGNORE NICHED THEMES
Foodie Pro is not just for food sites.
Get creative by looking at the styling
and structure of a Child Theme rather
than the title of the theme or the
photos used
in the demos.

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Theme Customization
Steps to Design Pro

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Customization Journey with Genesis for a Beginner or
Non-Designer
Use Built in Theme Options & Client’s Text and Images
Add client’s logo
Choose colors, menus, and other options available in the
theme’s customizer
Choose how to layout the site using or not using home page
widget areas
Add client’s images and content to the site

42. BASIC STAGE

43. BASIC STAGE EXAMPLE 2

45. STYLING STAGE

47. LAYOUT STAGE

48. LAYOUT AND CODING STAGE
Use the Beaver Builder Plugin along with
the Dambuster Plugin with StudioPress.
or
Start with one of the templates that comes
with the Beaver Builder Theme.
Well-coded, well-documented, and comes
with a large community of experts.

50. CODING STAGE

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Your 4 Month Journey to Pro Includes:
 A 10-Module Online Course
 5-10 Lessons in each module. Each lesson
includes a video, a transcript, an
assignment, and a quiz.
 Weekly, group office-hours coaching
sessions.
 Three, individual sessions upon
completing strategic milestones.

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Your 4 Month Journey to Pro Also Includes:
 A dedicated Slack Group where you can
share your accomplishments, resources and
challenges, as well as give and get feedback
from your peer community and the New
Tricks Team.
 Unlimited Access to the entire StudioPress
Library with 60+ Child Themes and
instructions for the duration of the course.
https://tinyurl.com/masterycourse2018

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A Tested, Systematic Path to Pro
 The Mastery Course has been strategically organized to provide you a solid foundation across the Seven
Core Competency Framework,
 You’ll learn everything you need to price, close, build, and deliver effective websites for clients who
appreciate your expertise and compensate you for the value of your work.
 During the course, you’ll put what you’re learning into practice, step-by-step. While following the course
curriculum, you’ll niche, brand, design, build, and launch your own effective, professional website ( or
build one for a client, friend, or organization). Achieving that alone is more than worth the cost of the
course.

54. +
APPLY NOW FOR NEXT SESSION!
This is the only course of its kind that gives
you what you need to traverse the
dangerous waters to becoming a competent
professional.
We’ve run three sessions of the course with
successful graduates.
It’s the course wish I could have taken all
those years ago. I’m happy to be able to offer
it to you now.
https://tinyurl.com/masterycourse2018

55. + THAT’S IT FOR NOW