Just my 2 cents, imo this is a bad idea, especially when it comes to scale, updating, maintenance, security, etc.
What are the requirements of the project that a custom theme would be necessary to be installed?
Typically I would encourage you to use a strong page builder, like Breakdance (altho support is waning lately) or Beaver Builder.
If you are still convinced to create a custom theme, you can start with a base theme like Underscores:
https://underscores.me/
You could also teach yourself FSE like this,
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2022/10/wordpress-full-site-editing/
Ultimately, anything in tech that starts with the word custom is generally high-risk, and for 99% of the projects not necessary. Every client thinks they’re site is “special” enough to require custom – but that’s almost never the case! Lol.
🙂
Good luck!
@corrinarusso Well , probably the only thing that made me decide to go with a custom theme is the animations , there some specific and a bit complexe animations that the client is looking for. For the other design changes I was thinking starting from scratch would be easier but I suppose I can just modify the files of the current theme ?
Thank you anyways for the suggestions !
If you choose a Block Theme https://wordpress.org/themes/tags/full-site-editing/ you’ll be able to use the Site Editor https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/site-editor/ to customize almost everything, that might be all you need.
If you really do need to build a custom theme though, you can get started at https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/
@kaminske49
It will definitely not “be easier”. Especially if you’re referring to animations. Animations are created based on the libraries available to you – which is not necessarily theme specific. There should be a gap of separation between content + design + functionality.
Except for starter themes like underscore_S, you should never modify a theme’s source code if it’s subject to periodic updates. Instead make a child theme and keep your modifications and custom code there.
If you can find an acceptable theme whose only lack is the animations you need, adding the animations via child theme may be a good approach. Depending on how the animations are implemented, they might instead be added via a custom plugin.
Starting from scratch for a single site is almost never the right choice. Better is to find an existing theme that meets most of your needs, then modify via child theme or plugin. Next best choice if modifying an existing theme becomes too cumbersome is to develop from a starter theme like underscore_S. Starting from scratch is absolutely the last resort when all else fails. I’ve developed custom WP sites for over a decade and have never built a theme from scratch.
