• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Fancy Girl Designs

Bespoke Brand and Web Design for Female Creatives

  • Home
  • About
  • Design Services
  • Portfolio
    • Interior Design Websites
  • Articles
    • Resources
  • Work with Me
  • Home
  • Meet Patricia
  • Brand and Web Design Services
  • Portfolio
  • Articles
  • Resources
  • Testimonials
  • Inquire

My Favourite Genesis Plugins

July 18, 2014 by Patricia Leave a Comment

The Studiopress community is the most awesome community of developers and designers.  They have made Genesis the absolute best premium framework for WordPress there is, not just because of the fantastic features, but also because it continues to evolve to make it better and easier to use.  (On a side note, have you updated to the latest version yet? You should.)

It is very easy to add functionality to your Genesis-powered site without having to learn how to code.  (If you are reading this and you are my client, then your site is running on Genesis.)  The best part about these plugins is that most of them are free.  If you were to choose between a plugin created by  non-Genesis developer, or one that’s been created specifically for Genesis, do choose the Genesis one.  You’ll make your life easier.

These are my top picks for plugins created for and by the Genesis community. (Most of these I install on client’s sites when I install the theme. )

 
genesis-plugins

 

1. Genesis Simple Hooks

This plugin creates a new Genesis settings page that allows you to insert code (html, php or shortcodes) and attach it to any of the action hooks throughout the Genesis Framework. Instead of creating functions in your theme files (which you might be scared to do), this plugin gives you an easy-to-use interface for modifying your Genesis theme via the hook system.  The hooks are listed in order, and are very descriptive.  Need to place an ad above your header? Paste the code in the genesis_before_header hook.

2. Genesis Enews Extended

Easily add mailing list sign up forms on any widget area.  Guaranteed to work with Mailchimp, Aweber, Feedburner, Feedblitz, and Constant Contact. I normally style this from within the theme so that it matches the overall look of the site.

3. Genesis Responsive Slider

This plugin allows you to create a simple responsive slider that displays the featured image, along with the title and excerpt from each post. Or just the image if you prefer. You have control over the maximum dimensions of your slideshow, whether to display posts or pages, what category to pull from, and even the specific post IDs of the posts you want to display.  It includes next/previous arrows and a pager along with the option to turn both on or off.  The slideshow is also responsive and will automatically adjust for the screen it is being displayed on. Place it on any widget area. Most of the time I place this on the top homepage widget, above the featured posts.

4. Genesis Featured Widget Amplified.

I’ve already blogged about this last week. It’s an awesome plugin that extends the functions of the Genesis featured post widget.

5. Genesis Easy Columns

This is a new favourite.  I love working with Genesis column classes when styling a page, but sometimes dealing with all those <div style…> codes can be cumbersome.  This plugin allows you to do that with the click of a button. It’s amazing, really.

6. Simple Social Icons.

When you want to display social media icons on any widget area that are linked to your social media profiles.  Easily customizable (you can change the background color and icon color; align them left, right or center; open to a new page, etc. ).  I sometimes tweak this further by changing the order of the icons via the plugin files, but that’s another matter altogether.

7. Genesis Simple Share Buttons Adder

This fantastic plugin adds share buttons to your posts and pages. It’s simple to use, and you can even upload your own custom buttons!

divider

Those are the seven plugins that I absolutely recommend. Are there any plugins that you recommend that are not on the list? Let me know in the comments.

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks Tagged With: blogging, genesis framework, plugins, studiopress, tips, wordpress

About Patricia

Front-end web developer, graphic designer, artist, work-at-home mum living in Singapore. I blog about my passions, which range from interior design, art, colours, typography, and all things pretty!

Previous Post: « The Prettiest Calligraphy Fonts
Next Post: 8 Tips for a Fab Sidebar »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hello and Welcome!


Hi, I’m Patricia, the girl
behind Fancy Girl Design Studio.
I love pretty things, clever words, fonts, colors, the Oxford comma, and exclamation points!
Won’t you grab a cup of tea with me and stay a while?
Let’s talk all things pretty.
ABOUT ME

Looking for Something?

DROP YOUR EMAIL BELOW AND GRAB THE FREE GUIDE TO WEBSITE IMAGERY

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

Categories

  • Art & Illustrations
  • Branding
  • Branding & Website Resources
  • Everyday Fancy
  • FancyGirl Finds
  • Featured Projects
  • Freebies
  • Freelance Diaries
  • Inspiration
  • news
  • Styling
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Uncategorized
  • Workshops

latest Freebies

Free Floral Phone Wallpapers

Opal, Marble, & Agate Lockscreen Wallpapers

Spring Lockscreen Wallpapers

Navigate

  • Get a Quote
  • Brand and Web Design Services
  • Art Direction & Styling
  • Semi-Custom Website Design
  • Meet Patricia
  • Testimonials
  • Articles
  • Resources

Let’s Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

How it Works

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Questions and Answers
  • Work with Me
  • Resources
  • Brand and Web Design Services
  • Back to Main

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @FANCYGIRLDESIGNS

What do you want the world to think of when they h What do you want the world to think of when they hear your brand name?

Your brand is your manifesto, your one-word or symbol declaration of who you are and what you stand for. It doesn't have to be true yet, but it's what you want to be, and how you want people to see you. If you're successful, your brand's perception will become its reality.

How do you want your clients to feel when they think of your brand? What perception are you trying to shape? Let me know in the comments!

#branding #quotes #brandvision #creativeentrepreneur #launchpadgroupsg #luxurybranding #fancygirldesigns
Step into the new world of Fancy Girl Design Studi Step into the new world of Fancy Girl Design Studio! The new website is a reflection of my brand's evolution. It's more sophisticated and polished, and it better represents my brand values and commitment to providing customers with the best possible experience. (I do miss the pink though!)

I owe a big thank you to my amazing brand photographer, @zebrajojophotography , for capturing the essence of my brand perfectly. I think she can read my mind now! 

Visit the website today and experience the difference. Oh, while you're there, do try out the brand personality quiz, and share your results!

#webdesign #branding #websitelaunch #launchparty #DigitalElegance #fancygirldesigns #luxurybranding
Creatively adventurous, bold, upscale, and establi Creatively adventurous, bold, upscale, and established. Not an easy set of keywords to visualize, but here's the moodboard and color palette for this talented workplace designer. 

The color palette has very midcentury modern vibes, and one that I am excited to render in a logo design as it's quite unusual! 

#moodboardmonday #moodboard #colorpalette #inspiration #branding #creativeentrepreneurs
I launched my website even though it wasn't 100% r I launched my website even though it wasn't 100% ready. ⁣😳

You know why? It will never be 100% ready. It will never be 100% perfect. Or bug free. Your website will need tweaking, updating, and a zhuzhing up here and there every now and then (as I do with cushions every time I pass by the couch). 

You have more portfolio galleries to share? Post them later. Google will love you for producing fresh content frequently. You want to change your headshots? Go ahead and update them every season if you wish. You can even tweak your copy to make sure it's up to date with your latest offerings. You should be making these updates anyway, even if your website was perfect when you launched it. (but realistically, no website ever is.) 

Have you checked out my new website yet? Don't forget to sign up for fancy mail and get my free guide to website images. 💖

#websitelaunch #fancygirldesigns #brandphotos #launchpadgroupsg #collaborationovercompetition #creativeentrepreneurs #happycreativelife #DigitalElegance 

Photo by the incomparable @zebrajojophotography
gorgeous fringed cushions from @templecandles 
hair and makeup by @gayathrimenon
Guess what, my new website is live, and I've got a Guess what, my new website is live, and I've got an amazing freebie for subscribers! Head over to fancygirldesignstudio.com and sign up for fancy mail to grab this guide. 

As a creative, having amazing images on your website is a non-negotiable. But it can get overwhelming when you don't know where to start. What sort of images do you need? How do you name your photos? How many gallery images should you include? How do you optimize images for SEO?

That's why I created this guide for my clients. Now you can have access to it too. 💖

And once you've checked out the new website, tell me what you think! 

#launchparty #launchweek #fancygirldesigns #fancymail #freebie #webdesigner #launchpadgroupsg #creativeentrepreneur
It is unbelievably easy to use the Generative Fill It is unbelievably easy to use the Generative Fill tool on Photoshop 2024! The latest version of the software has a much more powerful version of the AI and is capable of doing so much more than just remove backgrounds from photos. 

Here are step by step instructions on how I changed the art inside the frame using this tool. All in a matter of seconds. 

And then of course I tried doing it manually and ended up liking the result more. 😂 but that's just me! It really is a very easy tool to use. 

Have you tried it? And can you tell which one is not AI generated? 

Photographed by @zebrajojophotography 

#photoshop #toolsandtricks #photoshoptips #graphicdesign #interiorphotos #styling #aiart #psgenerativefill
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · FANCY GIRL DESIGN STUDIO