Download Farah - AJAX Creative Portfolio WordPress Theme

Why I needed an AJAX portfolio that doesn’t get in the way

I rebuild portfolios for studios that want motion without mucking up conversions. My last client—a small creative duo—had a slow site with jittery page loads and case studies buried under clumsy navigation. I switched to the Farah WordPress Theme because it balances smooth AJAX transitions with a practical editor experience. The goal was simple: ship a site where work loads instantly, storytelling blocks feel editorial (not gimmicky), and contact stays one thumb-tap away. Bonus: it’s GPL-licensed, so my child-theme tweaks stay safe across updates.

Install & setup (what I actually did)

I spun up a clean WordPress on staging, installed Farah, and created a child theme to control typography tokens and a couple of template parts. I imported only essentials: the portfolio index, single project, about, and contact—no demo sliders. Global styles: content width ~1200–1280px, base font at 17px for legibility, one accent color that complements muted project imagery. I mapped routes early: /work/, /about/, /contact/. The header is stripped to three items plus a compact CTA (“Start a project”) that remains visible on mobile. That’s it—no animated nav that steals focus from the work.

Feature-by-feature notes from real use

AJAX page transitions. Farah’s smooth push-state navigation removes white-flash reloads, so hopping between projects feels like a deck you can skim. I dialed the transition to ~220ms to keep motion subtle. The browser Back button works correctly and preserves scroll—crucial when a client jumps in and out of the grid.

Project grid & filters. Masonry can turn messy fast. I used a disciplined three-column grid on desktop and one column on phones, with category chips (Brand, Web, Motion). Farah’s filter is instant because of AJAX; I kept chip labels short to avoid line wraps.

Single project layout. I treated each case like a mini feature: short problem statement, two or three large images (explicit width/height to kill CLS), a results line (“+18% signups after pricing page redesign”), and a credits block. Farah’s media blocks behave on small screens—no sideways scroll surprises.

Typography & microcopy. Title length capped at ~60 chars; decks 1–2 sentences. I added small captions for context (“mobile checkout, step 2”) and used pull quotes sparingly. The theme’s type scale is quiet, which makes bold color accents feel intentional.

Contact path. Two-step form (basics → project scope) with human prompts and a “what happens next” line. The header CTA scrolls to this anchor; I avoided pop-ups so the AJAX lifecycle stays predictable.

Performance & SEO (what moved the needle)

• Static hero images (~1600px, ≤200KB); no video headers on the homepage.
• Explicit image dimensions on thumbs and full-width figures to flatten CLS.
• Font discipline: preload one WOFF2 display font; let body fall back to system UI for first render.
• AJAX hygiene: defer non-critical scripts; ensure each view updates <title> and meta so search and share previews stay correct.
• Heading hygiene: one H1 per view; H2s follow the outline (“Challenge,” “Process,” “Outcome”).
• Alt text that describes change (“checkout form condensed from 12 to 6 inputs”), not “image1.”

When I sanity-check hero density and reliable patterns before locking a layout, I cross-reference sober baselines under Best WordPress Themes to keep my first screen honest and CTAs unmistakable.

Pitfalls & fixes (the small things clients notice)

• Overlong transitions. Anything past ~300ms feels like lag. I trimmed motion and respected prefers-reduced-motion.
• Filter overload. Five chips max. If a tag appears on only one project, it’s not a filter—make it a detail inside the case.
• Image bloat. Export consistent widths (hero 1600px, inline 1200px). I rejected all >220KB images unless the asset’s detail truly needed it.
• Auto-play anything. I kept motion to short, muted loops embedded within the case, never in the hero.
• Contact invisibility. The CTA travels with the header; on mobile it becomes a thumb-friendly pill.

Alternatives & when Farah wins

Multipurpose “agency” themes can fake portfolios but usually ship carousels and heavy scroll effects that punish Core Web Vitals. Bare-bones starters give ultimate control but cost weeks of building grid logic, history state, and view transitions. Farah hits the middle: native AJAX navigation, a calm editor experience, and blocks that let work speak first.

Limitations worth noting

If you need complex commerce (SKU grids, carts) or a long-form magazine with dozens of templates, Farah isn’t the starting point. It’s a presentation engine for projects, studios, freelancers, and small agencies who sell by showing outcomes, not by animating menus.

Verdict & who should pick it

Choose Farah if your portfolio’s job is to load instantly, keep readers inside the work, and funnel to a clear conversation. Keep the hero still, write decks like promises, limit filters, and measure outcomes you can defend. For predictable updates and a stable baseline, I source builds via gplpal and keep all customizations in a child theme so the site stays fast and future-proof.