We are currently putting together a list of features that will start getting added to our Joomla template framework in the next few weeks - that is once the Joomla 1.6 version and templates have been released. So I thought this would be a good time to canvas for some features, changes, improvements or whatever you would like to see incorporated into the zen grid framework.

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Our April Joomla template release, Easy business, is a solid and simple business base template that is going to be perfect for those of you who need an easily configured and easily customisable Joomla business template for your clients. The big focus is of course on the slightly outlandish sidebar but beneath that is a stylish design that draws upon soft gradients, with edgy bevels and some bold colour schemes. We are gradually reigning in our release time frames so Im hoping to have this one ready early next week.

For a screenshot of the current work in progress check out the grab below.

A note on Joomla 1.6 compatibility.

Over the last few months we have been working on porting the framework, templates and extensions across to Joomla 1.6 but due to a few factors its taken a little longer than we had anticipated. The good news is though that we hope to be able to roll out the core build templates starting from next week and ideally we will start to be able to have some of the recent Joomla 1.5 templates released for Joomla 1.6 either at the end of next week or the start of the following week.

A few of our smaller extensions are going through last minute testing and so Im hoping to be able to bring you some Joomla 1.6 extensions hopefully as soon as tomorrow.

We know that you are itching to try out our designs in Joomla 1.6 so we are very appreciate your patience ... check out the screenshot below.

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It's been sometime since we released an ecommerce Joomla template and i've certainly had some fun exploring what two "newish" commerce extensions for Joomla have to offer Joomla users. Shop Ignition is another inspiring David Vuu creation that comes with two tailor made templates for both Tienda and Redshop as well as the obligatory k2 template for those that want to extend their Joomla 1.5 content.

The template itself is a simple theme with some subtle css3 shadows (for those browsers that are brave enough to display them) which combine with some sparing and yet bold splashes of colour used in key places to give your online shop a little lift.

You can see the Tienda version of Shop Ignition or checkout the Redshop template version of the template as well. Or if you have seen enough checkout the Shop Ignition feature overview, documentation or download area.

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When I was looking at which template to use for March Joomla template, I couldn't quite decide whether to go ahead with the Project theme that I announced last week, or the Shop Ignition theme that you can see in this blog post. And so in the last few days I have decided to switch these template releases around so that the Shop Ignition template is now scheduled for release in March - hopefully sometime this week. And the Project template will be released in April.

It's been sometime since we released an ecommerce template - last one was in May last year with the Shopfront Joomla template, and so it's been quite exciting to dig into Tienda again - working with that component is certainly a very rewarding experience for a designer. The good news for hard-core virtuemart fans is that we will also be including styling for virtue mart via the K2 Mart shop extension.

Update - Rather than trying to wrangle Virtuemart into the Shopignition design we have decided to work with the Red Shop component which promises to offer a lot more flexibility and finesse from a design point of view. The Redshop features look awesome as well.

For a full preview of the Shopignition Joomla template check out the screenshot after the jump. (Update - Ive just added a screen grab of the product page)

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Our March Joomla Template, called Project, is going to revolutionise the way you approach project management from within Joomla. Project is a simple, slick and fast loading Joomla template that will come with a Project Fork theme, a K2 Wiki-style theme and a custom skin for the new forum on the block - Ninja Board. Add into the mix a new Joomla admin template and you have, what we think, is the perfect way to run and manage projects and intranet sites from within Joomla.

Development has been progressing well despite the late release of the Lacuna Joomla template so we expect to have this release ready for you by the middle of this month.

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I've just released the update for both the Shopfront template and the Zen Simpleshop Joomla templates which make them compatible with Tienda 0.7.0. The folk at Dioscouri have added some nifty new stuff to this release as it creeps closer and closer to the Version 1.0.

If you haven't seen Tienda you can see it in action on the Shopfront demo site or checkout the information overview on the Tienda product page. Club members can download the new packages from the Shopfront Download page and view the changelog with upgrade instructions on the Shopfront changelog.

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After a slight delay - well a long delay really - I'd like to introduce the Lacuna Joomla template. The Lacuna Joomla template is a fun Joomla theme with a rich array of bold colours, mixed with smooth gradients and subtle textures that combine to create a beautiful and elegant design for your Joomla website. Lacuna comes with a slick new K2 template as well as the usual flexibility of the Zen Grid Framework.

For a full run down of the features you can check out the Lacuna features page, or go straight to the Lacuna demo, or read the documentationdownload the template.

Please note that as per our usual policy when templates are released late, that if your subscription expired in between the first of the month and the release dat we will be honour the terms of the subscription and supply you with the files for the template you are entitled to. All you need to do is contact us via the contact form and we will set you up with the necessary links to the template, quickstart and extensions required for Lacuna.

A small update to the Zen Grid Framework

I have also just released a minor update to the Zen Grid Framework - v1.1.12. This fixes a few minor issues with some of the core framework logic. You can read the changes from the changelog or club members can download the latest files from the Zen Grid Framework download page.

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Our february Joomla template is a colourful and lighthearted design that uses some bold colours, subtle textures and a few carefully crafted edge highlights. The screenshot should give you a good idea of where we are headed this month and while the demo content is geared towards mediation or church website, the final template will be flexible enough to be the perfect addition to personal or creative business websites alike ... ok enough of the spin - see the design for yourself.

Lacuna should be available early next week.

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I've just rolled out a minor update to the Zen Grid Framework which fixes a few things but adds some of the lovely new fonts available via the Google Font directory. I was a little bit skeptical about the range of fonts available when the directory was first rolled out but these new additions certainly provide for quite a range of options that should cover most needs for font replacement.

You can see a full list of the fonts now available with all Zen Grid compatible Joomla templates here or go directly to the web font directory here to see what's on offer. Not all fonts have made it to the list but I think we have grabbed the essential fonts and provided a good spread across the various serif, san serif and more creative typographical styles to cover all of your bases.

In future versions of the framework I'll be changing the way that we implement font choices and I plan to open up the selectors available for font replacement so that the process is a little more flexible. But for now I hope you enjoy the addition of these new and very worthy fonts.

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Once again Im happy to announce the availability of our latest Joomla template. Cultivate is the perfect blend of relaxed professionalism for a slightly left of center Joomla business. The demo content on the live preview is geared towards yoga but it's suitable for all sorts of eco inspired, natural medicine based or relaxed business type websites.

It features five base colours that are combined in to 20 different theme variations, as well as another elegant template for K2. For a full demonstration please visit the demo, or view an overview of the features or read the documentation.

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This post has been a long time in the making and as such I'm very happy to announce that we have released v1.1+ of the Zen Grid Framework. All previous Zen Grid Framework templates,except for Zen Simple Shop which will be available tomorrow, are now shipping with the new version of the framework. This update is a significant update with a slew of new features and some bug fixes so its worth checking the full changelog on the forum for a run down on what's new.

A while ago I published the roadmap for the Zen Grid Framework and while we pushed some of the potential features back I'm pleased with what we have added to the framework. My main aim is to keep the user interface intuitive and to avoid unnecessary bloat. I think there is a fine line between making a tool feature rich and keeping it stream lined to enhance a users workflow and so while we have added some great new features working with Zen Grid compatible templates is effectively the same.

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In the spirit of Elevate, Elevate2, Ecolift and perhaps Avanti the first Joomla template for 2011 is going to be an earthy, serene and clean template release. I'm pretty fond of merging slightly textured patterns with other cleaner elements and so this David Vuu design fits the bill perfectly. While the demo content for Cultivate will be focussed on Yoga and natural or wholistic medicine this Joomla template could really be used for any manner of businesses that are targeted at tapping into the eco friendly and environmental conscious market place.

I hope you like this - check the full screenshot after the jump.

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