Premium for Free, the WordPress Theme HC Blog is a Must-Have

Sometimes, you find true gems in the depths of the internet when looking for themes. One of these gems is the new free premium WordPress theme »HC Blog«, which offers a whole bunch of interesting features. HC Themes is the name of a new theme provider. To raise its popularity HC Themes makes this free theme with premium features available to the public. It seems like a promotion for the distribution of a new framework, which is currently in the works, is what they are aiming for. The HC Blog WordPress theme is supposed to advertise that new product. This is not a disadvantage, just another good reason to take a closer look at the theme.

The HC Blog Theme - Free, But Premium Nonetheless

It's rare to find themes that are not only free but also come with advanced features. Features that render some other themes superfluous. But first, let's talk about the purpose: the HC Blog Theme is a theme for personal blogs, portfolios and friends of photos. Of course, it is responsive and Retina ready. It is fully compatible with WordPress 4.4 and available for download from the following website: HC Blog Theme Download | HC Blog Theme Demo | Documentation

What HC Blog Offers

An overview of the most important features:

1 - The Extended Page Options

Every single page can be equipped with different layouts. This allows you to distribute a custom logo for every page, set a custom menu and much more. This way, it is possible to create unique landing pages.

2 - A Slider With Many Features

The theme provides a slider with a lot of effects and designs. A third-party slider is not needed anymore, as the internal slider can be used wherever you want to. Transition effects, an unlimited number of images and different ways of presentation for each slider round off the picture.

3 - An Integrated Shortcode Generator

The integrated shortcode generator offers many additional features like buttons, Font Awesome icons, contact forms and nicely formatted code blocks. This means that the plugin that you needed to highlight code blocks is now oblivious.  

4 - The Extended Gallery Features

Choosing between many unique versions of galleries allows you to always present your photos in the best possible way.

5 - Multiple Layouts

Multiple layouts allow you to choose a different design for each article.

6 - The Custom Post Type Builder

Custom post types are needed now and then. Whether you want to set up an area for cooking recipes or extend any other sector. The implemented generator allows for fast execution.

A Quick Overview of the Feature Set

HC Blog's Theme Options

The theme options can be accessed via their menu item and offer quite a lot of settings. The interface has been designed to feel modern and clean. It is easy to work with. The different menu items are partially hidden in sub-menus that, just like in standard WordPress, only appear after touching them with the mouse (or the finger). The layout manager is comprehensive. You can use it to create separate layouts for the landing page, the posts, the pages and the taxonomies. There are three preset layouts and a unique slider, allowing you to edit the landing page.  

The Complex Contact Page

HC Blog comes with a contact form. This means that you won't need an extra plugin for this feature either. The contact page is equipped with an interactive map. Freelancers or self-employed people, which depend on being found, will be very happy with this feature.

Conclusion

The »HC Blog Free Premium WordPress Theme« is one of the most convincing free themes that I was able to test in a while. If you need a professional looking blog, a portfolio or a photo page, you should definitely take a closer look at HC Blog. Web designers and developers will especially like that as it comes with a code highlighting by default. But other users should also look at HC Blog as it impresses with its unique adaptability and many small features that even expensive premium themes don't offer. (dpe)