The stunning imagery and design legacy behind two new themes

Sept 30, 2020 by

Diane Kern

Take your website to new heights with themes that pay homage to deep roots.

Let’s go back about nine years to the time eCatholic first revealed free themes for easier website designing. Free themes were a hit, and among those pioneer designs, Summit was, and has been, a beloved favorite. Known for its customizable header region, Summit allowed users to pick one of 12 pre-built Catholic images to accompany their organization name and slogan.

Although a tried and true classic, Summit’s aged technology has not allowed it to carry some of the modern features, such as Sections Layouts, found in the latest eCatholic free theme designs. So our team came together and created two Summit-inspired free themes as we prepared to retire a longtime favorite.

As a continuation of Summit’s beloved legacy, we couldn’t help but name these new designs after famous mountains found right within Holy Scripture.

Introducing free themes Tabor and Sinai

While both offer pre-built Catholic imagery, Tabor and Sinai still have their own distinct characteristics and style that make them uniquely attractive.

Let’s break them down and tell you about our favorites.

Bold styles and hover effects of Tabor

Scripture fact: Mount Tabor was the spot where the Transfiguration occurred. (Luke 9:28-36)

1

Larger image banner

Similar to Sinai, Tabor implements a large feature region that stretches the entire width of your website. Whether you choose to keep the color overlay or remove it altogether, these beautiful pre-built Catholic images will brighten your site and give it a crisp, bold style.

Tabor Design Example: Tablet and mobile view with prebuilt Catholic option Monstrance 1.

2

Customize your own image banner

Tabor also allows you to upload your own image layered underneath the homepage feature region. This is unique to only the Tabor theme. Simply select a color-only theme option in the Design Studio, and then click to upload your image using the Header Settings on your homepage.

3

Fun hover effects

Tabor Design example: Navigation Menu with prebuilt Catholic option Holy Spirit

Another small, but fun detail is the subtle movement found in your site navigation when scrolling over menu buttons and page titles. As your mouse hovers over a menu button, a small line emerges beneath the text, bringing attention to the page your visitor is about to select.
 

Colorful details and elegance of Sinai

Scripture fact: Mount Sinai is traditionally held as the spot where Moses received The Ten Commandments. (Exodus 34:27-29)

1

Colorful imagery create a feature region backdrop

A stylish moderate-fit homepage feature region sits centered on the screen with a beautiful banner fashioned behind. Website admins can choose from 21 different Catholic images to display on the banner, each with their own color overlay that adds both an elegant and bold touch.

2

Well-rounded details

Sinai's design also includes a variety of elements such as circular image details within certain modules. Discover beautiful rounded images that appear in news and event lists when adding news or event modules. This style is unique to content modules since the news and event section layouts display horizontally with rectangular thumbnails.

Sinai Design Example: News and Events modules in a twin column layout (gold color palette).

3

Attractive interior page images

That beautiful banner situated behind the homepage feature region is carried throughout your website as a featured image atop of all interior pages. Easily change the image by uploading your own photography under the page settings options, and continue to enjoy the same beautiful color overlay.

So what do you think? Ready to take your website theme to new heights and transition over to one of our latest free themes? With pre-built Catholic imagery, some of the styling work is already taken care of for you. Go directly to the Design Studio and test them out on your website today!