WordPress 3.8 now available

I meant to post about this the day it was released (Honest! It’s been in my drafts the entire time!), but I’ve been busy working on some special projects and never got around to hitting that Publish button. WordPress version 3.8, “Parker”, is now available. This update brings some great (and much needed, in my opinion) aesthetic updates to the backend interface. Refinements include more contrast, greater attention to typography which strengthens hierarchy and balance, and a more modern overall feel. The admin side is also responsive, meaning it looks great on mobile and tablet devices. Icons are now vector, which provide several benefits—viewing pages on high resolution devices (i.e. iPads, etc.) won’t result in loss of clarity, and SVG graphics are generally a smaller file size which will result in a quicker overall page load. In addition to the beautification of the admin side, 3.8 ships with a fantastic default theme, Twenty Fourteen. Twenty Fourteen is a magazine-style theme designed by Takashi Irie, and really steps up the default theme design. This might be the first default theme that I wouldn’t immediately switch out for a more custom option—it really is that good. The white divs overlaying large images reminds me of Fast Company Design’s website, which I’ve always been a fan of. What are you waiting for? Upgrade today!