Dec 12 / webecta

50 Startlingly Impressive Tumblr Themes

Tumblr is a small blogging platform compared to the behemoths like Blogger and WordPress, but it provides a unique solution to a common problem: blogging shouldn’t be hard. With Tumblr, anyone can quickly create video, text, photo, or audio posts, without the need to use additional plugins, and the entire process of creating a photo post can take less than twenty seconds.

Some would say that the platform is quite similar to Twitter, although the latter focuses solely on text and you can’t publish photos outside of third-party services. However, Tumblr also has the “like” and “reblog” features, which are the closest features compared to Twitter. If you really want to retain a following, there is an 85% retention rate, compared to 40% for Twitter.

While there aren’t too many additional features beyond what you can do with basic post editing, the platform allows you to customize your theme or use some of the default themes, some of which are already remarkably good.

In this showcase, we have brought forth some of the best Tumblr themes that you can use on your blog today. We’ll get around to showcasing themes for other platforms in the near future, so please consider returning to check them out.

50 Tumblr Themes Worth Using

Please enjoy the showcase of Tumblr themes we have compiled below. We strongly encourage you to check them out and use them on your blog today. All of the images link to the page where you can find a download link.

Note: Many of the themes are free, others require a donation, while others have been released as “premium.” As this is a showcase, we have only vaguely noted the pricing.

Polychrome by David Kang

With a wide sidebar, this theme features a gray and blue color scheme.

Franklin Street by P.J. Onori

A focused, brown and tan theme for Tumblr.

Smoke & Tumble by Obox Design

A classy, easy-to-modify micro-blogging theme.

Slider.Press by Obox Design

Features cool jQuery effects and a side-scrolling layout. You can insert your personal details into the sidebar.

Slider by Obox Design

Another theme from Obox Design with a scrolling layout and vCard integration.

Micro-Press by Obox Design

A minimalist blog theme for Tumblr users.

Hash Two by Obox Design

An extremely detailed theme that supports all the common Tumblr features.

Field Notes by Manasto Jones

Theme displays posts in a simple, five-hundred pixel wide one-column layout that’s easy to read.

CSS Gallery by Konrad Hawro

A theme for web design showcases, utilizes an automatic screenshot tool.

Nigredo by Redfield

A simple, dark theme (white color also available).

Strict by Marcus Olovsson

An easy-to-use and customize theme, ideal for any type of content.

Linear by Peter Vidani

A clean, professional theme.

Letterpress by Kevin Holesh

Completely customizable, full of Microformats, and with a unique slab font for the title.

Paper Walls by ueberleben

A unique theme with a “torn paper” look.

Adaptation by Danny Garcia

A clean, red and modern theme with bold titles.

Astronaut by Peter Vidani

A modern theme that is suitable for a lot of content.

Whispers by Rory Marinich

Let your readers focus on your content, rather than the graphics.

Simpleboard 2.0 by Michelda Cruz

A simple theme with a wide sidebar.

PhotoBoard by Ben Delaney

Like the name states, you can place your photos in this theme with a bulletin board-like look.

Fluid by Andrew Wilkinson

A popular, but well-designed theme.

Vertigo by Matthew Buchanan

A unique, dark theme utilizing a contrasting color scheme.

One Very Important Thought by nostrich

A modern theme with a gray background and complementary colors.

101 by Jarred Bishop

A clean theme with alternating formats for different post types.

Knight by Elliott Cost

A straightforward theme designed to give your content the ideal appearance.

Sofa King by Pixelspread

A clean theme with white text on a dark background.

Easy Reader 2 by cubicle17

An extremely minimalistic theme with a focus on your images/content.

Penguin Classics Recycled

An old-fashioned looking theme with a single column.

Solstice by Jake Paul

A theme with a simple focus and clean design.

The Radio Station by Kay Schroedelsecker

Color Shades by gondaba

A vibrant theme, which allows your visitors to choose their own color scheme.

Helvetica by Marco van Hylckama Vlieg

This theme can handle both Twitter and Disqus comments.

White Space by Heather Rivers

A theme that makes up for the millions of other sites that don’t use white space.

Graph the Museum by sublimeabsurdity

A graph paper-inspired theme with a block-based post format.

Munich by Prashanth Kamalakanthan

A clean, modern theme designed with a gray/yellow/white color scheme.

Black and Blue Eyes by Hunson

A clean, black and white theme for Tumblr users.

Buggy by Novembird

A clean theme with a one-column layout.

Box Factory by Heather Rivers

Just another theme featuring the “box” look on the main page.

Dashed by Cameron Kenley Hunt

A gray/black/green theme designed specifically for Tumblr.

Stationery by Thijs Jacobs

A clean theme that focuses on a single-column approach.

New York by ueberleben

A clean, modern theme with a gray/black and white color scheme.

Sleek by The Best Family

Obviously, a sleek and clean theme.

Not Quite by Peter Vidani

A clean and minimalistic theme for Tumblr.

Cavalcade by Peter Vidani

A clean and elegant theme with two columns.

Futura by Matt Stubbings

A clean, simple theme.

Helvetica by MetaLab

A bright, clear, and informative theme that allows you to display your content while also promoting yourself.

Vintage Scrapbook by MetaLab

A whimsical, highly detailed theme inspired by the colors, textures, and styles found in old documents.

Future by MetaLab

A slick theme that takes advantage of many cool effects and CSS animations.

M82 by Airspace Workshop

Customizable fonts, colors, and images are included within the theme.

Esquire by Matthew Buchanan

A free theme designed and inspired by the art direction of Esquire magazine.

Nine of Nine by Marco Giusti

Last, but certainly not least, this theme is clean and features a modern look.

Additional Resources

While we have tried to provide a lot of information within the post, we also hope that you want to explore the topic. The links below provide great, additional resources.

Conclusion

Please share your favorite themes with us in the comments area, and which of the above themes you like the most.

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