The official Gutenberg demo page on WordPress.org may soon be getting an update that better reflects the editor’s capabilities and showcases the design creativity available through patterns.
Automattic-sponsored designers Beatriz Fialho and Kelly Hoffman have submitted a prototype for consideration with explorations of both light and dark modes and three different variations for typography.
“Now that Gutenberg has been a part of WordPress for a few years, it makes sense to update it, shifting the message from what used to be the new post editor to the editor that can power all parts of your site,” Fialho said.
Practically speaking, this works out to a more polished landing page with less focus on the demo being a playground that can be manipulated by visitors. Headings like “Say Hello to the New Editor” are now outdated, as the editor is no longer new. It has been nearly three years since Gutenberg was introduced in WordPress 5.0.
Since the time the demo page was first launched, the use of pattens has become a centerpiece in designing pages with Gutenberg. The updated demo will highlight blocks and patterns and will add a new section dedicated to helping new users get connected to resources for learning WordPress.
“It is intentional that the page looks more like a landing page rather than an open canvas ‘playground’ page,” Fialho said. “While it can still be interactive, allowing people to click around and explore, it shows what is possible to achieve with the editor, remaining ultimately informative.”
A few contributors have commented on the post to offer critical feedback. Some refinements in wording on the page may be necessary to be appropriate for newer audiences. Dan Soschin, an Automattic-sponsored marketing team member, suggests rephrasing terms like “WordPress Editor” and “blocks” and “patterns,” so that understanding them is not a requirement for choosing WordPress as a CMS.
Soschin also suggested the design include more variety of visuals for showing different types of websites, such as e-commerce, media portfolios, and news sites, to demonstrate the flexibility of the platform beyond just blogging.
Feedback on the proposal will be open through November 5 before the next iteration. Contributors are also welcome to jump in on the Meta Trac ticket where previous discussions have been held.