Custom Design
With the Custom Design upgrade, you can make your blog look and feel exactly the way you want. Easily customize the fonts in your theme with fonts from Typekit, and dive into CSS (Cascading Stylesheet) to make all the presentational changes you desire.
Custom Design is a paid upgrade that costs $30.00 per blog, per year.
The Custom Design upgrade replaces the Custom CSS and Typekit fonts upgrades.
You can find the Custom Design section in Appearance → Custom Design in your dashboard.
After you click on “Custom Design”, the Custom Design welcome screen will load:
Custom Fonts
The Fonts tab allows you to customize the fonts on your blog without any coding knowledge. There is a wide variety of fonts available from Typekit. For more information on customizing your fonts, please read the Custom Fonts page.
Custom CSS
The CSS tab allows you tweak the appearance of your blog to get it looking exactly how you want, using CSS code. This section requires CSS knowledge. If you don’t know CSS, you can get help from our support team as well as from the many resources on the web. For more information on working with the CSS editor, please read the Custom CSS page.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m already using Typekit fonts on my blog. How will the Custom Design upgrade affect me?
You can still make changes to your Typekit fonts, but only via the Typekit.com website — like before, as long as you don’t change your “Kit ID” — the number that ties your account to Typekit. If you want to change that later you’d need to upgrade, but you can leave it as is if you’re happy with your fonts and don’t mind managing them on Typekit.com. Purchasing the upgrade would give you access to the visual font preview and chooser tools, so you can apply the fonts right from your WP.com dashboard.
If you choose to stay as you are, you’ll be grandfathered in forever.
If I switch themes, will my fonts and CSS carry over to the new theme?
Yes, your fonts and CSS will carry over to the new theme if you switch. Custom CSS written for one theme might not work properly with another, so you may need to modify it after you switch themes.
Does the Custom Design upgrade let me edit HTML?
No. The Custom Design upgrade allows you to edit fonts and CSS only. You can change the appearance of a theme, but not its HTML markup, PHP code, or content. You can choose to apply your custom fonts or custom stylesheet to any of the themes available on WordPress.com. Some themes, like the plain but versatile Sandbox and Toolbox, are blank canvases waiting for your custom fonts, CSS and images.
Does the Custom Design upgrade let me upload themes?
No. Uploading custom themes is not supported on WordPress.com. Read more about this here.
May I remove the ‘Blog at WordPress.com’ credit in my site’s footer?
Although the Custom Design Upgrade certainly grants you the capability to hide the credit from your site’s footer, you are not permitted to do so. Even our VIP bloggers are required to maintain the credit.
I’m not sure if the Custom Design upgrade is for me. Can I try before I buy?
Yes! Go to Appearance → Custom Design in your dashboard. Click on the “Fonts” tab to customize your fonts, and click on the “CSS” tab to write or paste your own CSS into the box provided. Use the preview buttons to see how your fonts or CSS will look with your current theme.
In the CSS tab, you can write or paste your own CSS stylesheet into the text box provided, and use the Preview button to see how it will look with your current theme. The CSS changes you try with the Preview function will only be visible to you, so you can test and edit to your heart’s content.
We highly recommend using the Preview function to try your fonts, stylesheet changes, and CSS techniques before deciding whether or not to upgrade.
If you’d like to preview your custom fonts and CSS with a different theme, but without changing the appearance of your live blog, you can register a second blog and use it for testing. Just make sure you choose the right blog when you decide to upgrade!
I purchased the Custom Design upgrade and changed my mind. Can I get a refund?
Yes. Please check our refund policy on upgrades.
What happens if I unsubscribe from my Custom Design upgrade?
All upgrades on WordPress.com are renewed yearly. Should you choose to cancel your subscription, your custom fonts and CSS will no longer be applied to your blog. We’ll keep your last saved changes around, but if you would like them applied to your blog you will need to resubscribe.
Last modified: November 15, 2011
