# Absolute 2026

**Absolute 2026** is an opinionated, design-forward WordPress block theme for portfolios, case studies, service businesses, personal work, and focused brochure sites. It provides a complete visual system and a curated collection of native WordPress patterns without imposing a custom content model.

The theme is based on the design system developed for [donschnitzius.com](https://donschnitzius.com/). Its default typography, spacing, color, and compositions are intentionally distinctive, while Global Styles and standard blocks remain available for customization.

## Highlights

- Full Site Editing with native WordPress templates, template parts, blocks, patterns, and Global Styles.
- Complete starter-page patterns for Home, Work, Case Study, About, Personal Project, and Contact.
- Two style variations: the opinionated Default design and the quieter Inter-based Generic design.
- Reusable heroes, calls to action, cards, media grids, results, quotes, section introductions, and text-and-image layouts.
- Polished page, post, blog, archive, search, index, and 404 templates.
- Default and full-width page canvases for ordinary content or pattern-built compositions.
- Responsive automatic light and dark color palette.
- Locally bundled Big Shoulders, Atkinson Hyperlegible Next, and Inter variable fonts with no external font requests.
- Progressive reveal effects that preserve content without JavaScript and respect reduced-motion preferences.
- Accessible structural defaults, visible focus treatments, responsive layouts, and semantic landmarks.
- Focused publishing support without an extensive magazine or editorial variation system.

## Starter pages

The **Absolute 2026 — Pages** pattern category contains six complete, unsynced starter pages:

- Home
- Work
- Case Study
- About
- Personal Project
- Contact

Insert a starter page into **Post Content**, then replace its sample copy, links, and bundled placeholder images. The blocks remain directly editable and can be reordered or removed. The **Full Width** template is recommended for these compositions.

Work and project pages are intentionally pattern-built. **Absolute 2026** does not register a Project post type, project taxonomy, or dynamic portfolio feed.

### Page links

The links in each starter-page hero form a compact table of contents for that page’s substantive content sections. Footer calls to action and standalone quote or testimonial bands are intentionally excluded.

Replace the sample link labels with concise descriptions of the finished sections. When adding, removing, or reordering sections, update both the page link and the corresponding block anchor. Numbered anchors such as `section-one` are designed to remain stable unless deliberately changed.

The Featured Panels pattern remains structurally flexible, but its default copy presents it as the preferred pattern for highlighting case studies or selected projects.

Bundled placeholder images intentionally use empty alt text. Give replacement images meaningful alt text when they convey information; decorative replacements can retain empty alt text.

## Style variations

**Absolute 2026** includes two complete visual directions:

- **Default** is the opinionated **Absolute 2026** design, using Big Shoulders and Atkinson Hyperlegible Next with the theme’s original color system.
- **Generic** uses Inter with a quieter Zinc and Indigo color system.

Both variations automatically follow the visitor’s light or dark color preference. Choose a variation under `Appearance > Editor > Styles > Browse styles`.

## Requirements

- WordPress 7.0 or later
- PHP 8.3 or later

## Optional contact form

The theme works without a companion plugin. The separately packaged **[Absolute Contact for Absolute 2026](https://wordpress.org/plugins/absolute-contact/)** plugin adds one fixed Name, Email, and Message block and enables the **Contact Form Section** and **Contact** starter-page patterns.

**Absolute Contact for Absolute 2026** processes submissions but does not configure outgoing mail. Before publishing a form:

1. Install and configure a WordPress mail service such as **WP Mail SMTP**.
2. Confirm that the Administration Email Address under `Settings > General` is a real receiving address.
3. Activate **Absolute Contact for Absolute 2026**.
4. Send a successful test message.

Messages are delivered to the WordPress administration email address, with the visitor’s address assigned as `Reply-To`. SMTP credentials and delivery settings remain outside the theme and **Absolute Contact for Absolute 2026**.

## Getting started

1. Install and activate **Absolute 2026**.
2. Configure the site header, navigation, and footer in `Appearance > Editor`.
3. Choose **Default** or **Generic** under `Appearance > Editor > Styles > Browse styles`.
4. Create a page and assign the **Full Width** template when using a complete starter page.
5. Open the pattern inserter and select **Absolute 2026 — Pages** or another theme pattern category.
6. Replace sample content, placeholder images, page-link labels and anchors, and `#` links before publishing.
7. Review the result at narrow, medium, and wide viewport sizes.

## Content model

Templates provide shared structure. Patterns provide reusable layouts. Page-specific copy, images, links, and composition choices belong in **Post Content**.

**Absolute 2026** favors core blocks and portable page content. Ordinary page patterns do not depend on **Absolute Contact for Absolute 2026** or another plugin, and the theme does not bundle site-critical content types or business data.

## Fonts and licenses

**Absolute 2026** is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0 or later.

- **Atkinson Hyperlegible Next** — Copyright 2020–2024 The Atkinson Hyperlegible Next Project Authors. Licensed under the SIL Open Font License 1.1.
- **Big Shoulders** — Copyright 2019 The Big Shoulders Project Authors. Licensed under the SIL Open Font License 1.1.
- **Inter** — Copyright 2016 The Inter Project Authors. Licensed under the SIL Open Font License 1.1.

See `readme.txt` for source and license links.