SkullX Theme v0.0.4 - Polish Pass Release

🎨 Major Design System Overhaul

This release represents a complete "Polish Pass" transformation of the SkullX theme, implementing a unified design system with consistent layout, typography, and visual elements across all page types.

✨ New Features

Unified Layout System

• Single Layout Shell: Implemented unified container and grid system in default.hbs
• Responsive Design: Two-column grid (desktop >980px) / Single column (mobile ≤980px)
• Clean Member Pages: Preserved sidebar-free layout for signin, signup, and account pages

Enhanced Home Page

• Featured Post Hero: Prominent hero section for the first featured post
• Smart Feed Logic: Hero post automatically excluded from main feed to prevent duplication
• Full-Width Cards: Removed artificial width constraints for better content utilization

Consistent Card Design System

• Unified Styling: Consistent background, borders, radius, padding, and shadows
• Typography Hierarchy: Card titles at 22-26px with proper line heights
• Line-Clamp Excerpts: 2-3 line excerpt truncation with fallback support
• Responsive Layout: Horizontal layout (desktop) / Vertical layout (mobile)

Optimized Editorial Content

• Optimal Reading Width: Content limited to 70 characters for better readability
• Koenig Card Support: Standardized margins and sizing for all Ghost content blocks
• Wide/Full-Width Content: Proper handling of .kg-width-wide and .kg-width-full elements
• Vertical Rhythm: Consistent spacing between all content elements

Comprehensive CSS Token System

• Layout Tokens: Container widths, sidebar dimensions, gaps, and gutters
• Typography Tokens: Font sizes, families, line heights, and letter spacing
• Spacing Tokens: Consistent scale from xs (8px) to xl (48px)
• Responsive Typography: Fluid font sizing with clamp() functions

Streamlined Sidebar

• Component Stack: Organized sidebar with consistent spacing
• Conditional Components: Author card and newsletter based on theme settings
• Removed Clutter: Eliminated all tag clouds and tag lists for cleaner design

🗑️ Removed Features

Table of Contents (TOC)

• Complete Removal: Eliminated TOC functionality that was causing scrollbar issues
• Cleaner Sidebar: Simplified sidebar without TOC widget
• Reduced Dependencies: Removed tocbot library and related CSS/JS
• Better Performance: Lighter theme with less JavaScript and CSS

Tag Display Cleanup

• Hidden Tags: Removed tag display from post and page headers
• Preserved Functionality: Tags still work for organization and tag archive pages
• Cleaner Design: Focus on content without tag clutter

🔧 Technical Improvements

Build System

• Rollup Configuration: Maintained existing build pipeline with PostCSS
• Production Optimization: CSS/JS minification and source map generation
• GScan Compatibility: Passes Ghost 6.0+ validation requirements
• ZIP Distribution: Automated theme packaging for easy installation

Theme Customization

• 16 Custom Options: All existing theme customization options preserved
• Font System: Complete support for Monospace, Serif, and Sans-serif fonts
• Layout Options: Full-width, 1220px, and 960px container options
• Card Customization: Image ratios, heights, radius, and shadow options
• Author Overrides: Custom name, bio, avatar, and social links

Code Quality

• Consistent Structure: Unified template structure across all page types
• Clean CSS: Organized stylesheets with proper component separation
• Responsive First: Mobile-first approach with desktop enhancements
• Performance Optimized: Minimal JavaScript and efficient CSS

📱 Responsive Design

Desktop (>980px)

• Two-column grid layout with sticky sidebar
• Horizontal card layout with image thumbnails
• Optimal typography scaling
• Full sidebar functionality

Mobile (≤980px)

• Single column layout with sidebar below content
• Vertical card layout for better mobile experience
• Touch-friendly interface elements
• Optimized font sizes and spacing

🎯 Design Philosophy

This release embodies a "less is more" philosophy, focusing on:

• Content First: Clean, distraction-free reading experience
• Consistent Design: Unified visual language across all pages
• Performance: Lightweight and fast-loading theme
• Accessibility: Proper contrast, typography, and responsive design
• Customization: Flexible options without overwhelming complexity

🔄 Migration Notes

From v0.0.3

• Automatic: No manual migration required
• Settings Preserved: All existing theme customization options maintained
• TOC Users: Table of Contents functionality has been removed
• Tag Display: Tags no longer appear in post/page headers (still functional for archives)

Theme Settings

• Removed: show_toc option (no longer needed)
• Removed: show_tags option (was unused)
• All other customization options remain fully functional

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed card width constraints that prevented full content area utilization
• Resolved TOC scrollbar issues by complete removal
• Improved responsive behavior across all breakpoints
• Enhanced member page layout consistency
• Corrected typography hierarchy inconsistencies

📦 Package Information

• Ghost Compatibility: 6.0+
• File Count: 68 files (optimized from 70)
• Dependencies: Reduced (removed tocbot)
• Build Size: Optimized CSS and JS bundles
• GScan Status: ✅ Passes validation

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Full Changelog: v0.0.3...v0.0.4

Download: skullx-v0.0.4.zip

SkullX Theme v0.0.3 - Typography and Spacing Improvements

SkullX Theme v0.0.3 - Typography and Spacing Improvements

Overview

This release focuses on improving typography and spacing in post headers, enhancing readability and visual hierarchy. The changes make the post meta information more prominent and create better separation between elements.

🎯 Key Improvements

Typography Enhancements

Post Meta Improvements

• Increased font size: Meta information (date, reading time, author) font size increased from 12px (--fs-0) to 14px (--fs-1) for better readability
• Better visual hierarchy: Meta text is now more prominent and easier to read
• Improved legibility: Larger font size makes the information more accessible

Spacing Improvements

• Increased spacing between meta and title:

  • Spacing increased from 1.5rem (24px) to 2rem (32px)
  • Creates clearer visual separation between post meta and title
  • Improves overall readability and visual flow

• Better visual separation:

  • Enhanced spacing creates a more comfortable reading experience
  • Clearer distinction between different elements in the post header
  • Improved visual hierarchy throughout the post header section

📝 Technical Changes

CSS Updates

• Updated .gh-post-meta font-size from var(--fs-0) to var(--fs-1)
• Updated .gh-post-meta margin-bottom from 1.5rem to 2rem

Files Modified

• assets/css/index.css - Typography and spacing adjustments for post meta

🐛 Bug Fixes

• None in this release

✨ What's New

• Larger, more readable post meta information
• Better spacing between post meta and title
• Improved visual hierarchy in post headers
• Enhanced overall readability

📱 Mobile Experience

All improvements apply seamlessly across all device sizes, maintaining consistency in the mobile experience.

🔄 Migration from v0.0.2

No breaking changes. This is a drop-in replacement that improves typography and spacing. Simply upload the new version and activate it.

Installation

Via Ghost Admin

1. Download the latest release ZIP file from the Releases page
2. Navigate to Settings → Design → Change theme
3. Click Upload theme and select the downloaded ZIP file
4. Activate the theme

Via Git

cd content/themes
git pull origin main

Restart Ghost and the new version will be active.

Requirements

• Ghost CMS 6.0 or higher
• Node.js v22 or higher (for development)

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, please visit the GitHub repository.

License

This theme is released under the MIT License.

Copyright (c) 2025 runawaydevil

Fixed some stuff.

Full Changelog: v0.0.1...v0.0.2

SkullX Theme v0.0.1 - fixed small bug

Fixed small bug with responsive stuff

SkullX Theme v0.0.1 - Initial Release

Overview

SkullX is a premium editorial-style Ghost theme designed for content-focused publications. This initial release provides a clean, readable layout optimized for long-form content with full support for Ghost CMS 6.0+ features.

Features

Design and Layout

• Editorial-style layout with optimized reading width (72ch)
• Fully responsive design for mobile, tablet, and desktop
• Premium sidebar with author information, latest posts, and tag cloud
• Consistent styling across home, post, and page templates
• Controlled feature image display with proper aspect ratios

Content Features

• Automatic table of contents (TocBot) for posts
• Syntax highlighting with Highlight.js
• Support for Koenig editor wide and full-width images
• Gallery support with responsive grid layout
• Beautiful typography with proper spacing and hierarchy

Ghost Integration

• Full members and subscriptions support
• Search functionality
• Multi-language support (i18n) with complete translations for:
  • Portuguese (Brazil)
  • English
  • Russian
• Customizable theme settings via Ghost Admin

Technical

• Modern CSS with CSS Grid and Flexbox
• Optimized performance with minimal dependencies
• Clean, maintainable codebase
• GScan compatible

Installation

Via Ghost Admin

1. Download the latest release ZIP file from the Releases page
2. Navigate to Settings → Design → Change theme
3. Click Upload theme and select the downloaded ZIP file
4. Activate the theme

Via Git

cd content/themes
git clone https://github.com/runawaydevil/skullx.git

Restart Ghost and select the theme from Settings → Design.

Requirements

• Ghost CMS 6.0 or higher
• Node.js v22 or higher (for development)

Customization

The theme includes extensive customization options accessible via Settings → Design → Theme settings:

• Font selection (Monospace, Serif, Sans-serif)
• Layout width (Full-width, 1220px, 960px)
• Content width (720px, 760px, 820px)
• Grid gap, card styling, and image ratios
• Widget visibility controls

Documentation

Full documentation is available in the README.md file.

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, please visit the GitHub repository.

License

This theme is released under the MIT License.

Copyright (c) 2024 runawaydevil

Full Changelog: https://github.com/runawaydevil/skullx/commits/0.01