That would be awesome =) Also I like as many bells and whistles as possible

LOVE THE DESIGN… and thanks for your hard work!

would be nice to have the ability to not have the front page a blog but more of a website then you click through to the blog section..

the only versions that i have seen like this are premium templates that cost a lot of money.

Just wanted to let you know I think simply ornate is a very attractive theme. I wouldn’t have guessed that there are people who don’t like it.

Thanks again for the email,
-Chris

The kind of wordpress I am looking for is a wordpress theme that thinks about monetizing the site that goes there, i have seen beautiful themes that I couldnt use because they had no banner space, ideally i would want a three row theme, with clearly defined space for at least a top horizontal banner.

As beautiful as your designs are, it has to be readable above all else.

And since you asked direct questions, here are the direct answers:

Simple and minimal themes or illustrated? Either, both if both are beautiful
Plugins or no plugins? No plugins are easier
Easy to set up and get running or more advanced with extra bells and whistles? Easy to setup un;ess the bells and whistles are easy to manage
Horizontal or vertical? Irrelevant
One post, excerpts or limited posts on the home page or everything? one MAIN post with links to everything else.
News and blog style layouts or something a little more unique?v Unique is nice as long as its beautiful.

I think the main thing that Simply Ornate lacked was usability. Yes, it was a great groundwork for building upon, but many WP users looking for a theme are looking for an all-inclusive deal–something where all issues are addressed, and nothing important (such as simple admin access) is left out.

The aesthetic design of anything is completely subjective, so don’t take it personally if even the majority doesn’t appreciate something you’ve done. There are people out there who will like it. (I personally love the SO style.) However, don’t forget things such as adding a bg to the content divs, so as to make sure the design doesn’t drown out the content.

Having written for SM and not gotten the responses expected, I know your frustration. But, don’t let it get you down. Just take the critiques as constructive criticism and know that your already good work can now become great.

All I can say is you can’t please ‘em all. Some people prefer to use a basic minimal theme while others want to be bombarded with visuals. If you ask me, with explosion of the premium theme market lately it’s nice to see there are still those who are releasing awesome themes free of charge.

I’ve developed a few free themes myself, and the one thing I’ve found is the more your theme will “work out of the box”, the less problems people will have setting it up. But I suppose that goes without saying.

Btw, the typography of “Simply Ornate” is jaw-droppingly delicious. Nicely done.