Divi is more than just a theme; it’s a complete design framework created by Elegant Themes that has become a top choice for building custom WordPress sites. Its versatility and user-friendly approach make it a favourite for crafting unique Divi layouts that suit a wide range of website styles. Whether it’s a personal blog or a complex business site, Divi’s adaptability has made it a go-to solution for those looking to design distinctive layouts with minimal hassle.
What sets Divi apart is its innovative visual builder, which offers a real-time design experience. The builder is drag-and-drop, allowing users to create Divi layouts on the fly, seeing their changes instantly. This hands-on editing style has become popular among website designers and developers who want to experiment with different layouts and bring creative concepts to life without diving into complex coding.
Over the years, Elegant Themes has consistently refined the Divi builder, adding more features and expanding its library of Divi layouts to cater to modern design trends. However, the upcoming Divi 5 aims to take things further by overhauling the theme’s core for better performance and scalability. Despite the extended development period, Divi continues to be a strong player in the WordPress space, with its extensive collection of pre-made layouts and a thriving community of developers creating new designs and extensions that keep it fresh and relevant.
View of the Divi Den Pro Layout Finder from the Plugin Dashboard
1. Who makes the Divi theme?
Elegant Themes, the creator of Divi, has been a major player in the WordPress theme market for over a decade. Founded by Nick Roach, the company has grown from a small team to a widely recognised brand with a strong community of website designers and developers. Known for its innovative approach, Elegant Themes has shaped the way people build WordPress websites, offering tools that make design more accessible and enjoyable. Divi, their flagship product, is at the core of this success, helping both beginners and experienced designers build professional sites with ease.
The origins of Divi and Elegant Themes
Nick Roach, the founder of Elegant Themes, began his journey as a solo entrepreneur, creating a range of themes for WordPress when the platform was still in its early days. His vision for a flexible and powerful theme led to the development of Divi in 2013. It quickly stood out due to its visual builder, which changed the traditional approach to website design by allowing users to create layouts in real-time. Nick’s commitment to innovation and user-focused design has been the driving force behind Divi’s success.
A brief history of the company and its impact on the WordPress community
Elegant Themes started small but grew rapidly, thanks to its focus on user experience and community support. Over the years, the company has released various themes and plugins, but Divi has remained its most influential product. The theme’s widespread adoption has led to a strong community of enthusiasts, designers, and developers who have contributed to a marketplace of layouts, extensions, and tutorials. This ecosystem has cemented Elegant Themes’ position as a leader in the WordPress space, making Divi a staple for anyone looking to create custom WordPress sites.
Why Divi stands out among other themes
Divi’s standout feature is its powerful visual builder, which makes it easy to create unique layouts without any coding knowledge. Unlike traditional themes that often require a steep learning curve, Divi’s drag-and-drop interface allows for intuitive design, making it accessible to beginners while still offering advanced options for more experienced designers. This combination of flexibility and ease of use has made Divi a preferred choice over other themes, enabling anyone to build dynamic and visually appealing websites.
2. What is the Divi theme used for?
Divi is a versatile theme that can be used for a wide range of website types. It is popular for its flexibility and ability to adapt to different design needs, making it suitable for everything from small personal blogs to large, complex business websites. Because of its visual builder, Divi is particularly well-suited for those who want more control over their site’s design without needing to learn coding. The theme’s popularity also stems from its extensive library of pre-made layouts and modules, which makes it easy to get started quickly and customise designs to fit specific requirements.
Beyond just its design flexibility, Divi has become a reliable choice for many professional website creators due to its ease of use and rich feature set. The theme allows website developers to create visually appealing sites that are fully responsive and look great on any device. It also includes built-in tools for optimisation and customisation, making it a complete package for anyone looking to establish a strong online presence. This adaptability has made Divi a go-to solution across different industries and professions, helping businesses and individuals alike create stunning websites with minimal fuss.
Popular use cases: from personal blogs to complex business sites
Divi’s versatility makes it perfect for a variety of use cases. It can be used to build personal blogs where the focus is on content presentation, as well as complex business sites that require more interactive elements, such as eCommerce functionality and portfolio showcases. Divi’s design options also make it suitable for landing pages, one-page sites, and even full-fledged company websites that need a more polished and professional look.
Its appeal for freelancers, agencies, and businesses
Freelancers and agencies are particularly drawn to Divi because of its time-saving features and reusable design elements. The visual builder’s drag-and-drop interface means they can create mockups and prototypes for clients quickly. Agencies benefit from the global elements and styles feature, which allows them to apply design changes across multiple pages with a single edit, saving time on larger projects. Businesses, on the other hand, appreciate Divi’s scalability, as it can grow with their needs, making it easy to add new content, pages, or even entire sections as their business evolves.
The ability to create unique designs with minimal coding
One of Divi’s standout benefits is the ability to create unique designs without needing to write custom code. While experienced developers can take advantage of the theme’s CSS support to fine-tune their designs, beginners can still build visually compelling layouts using only the visual builder. This makes it accessible for those who are new to website creation while still offering the depth needed by more advanced users. The combination of flexibility and ease of use ensures that anyone can achieve a professional look, regardless of their skill level.
3. Key features of Divi
Divi is known for offering a wide range of tools that cater to different design needs, making it a flexible choice for building custom WordPress sites. Its visual drag-and-drop builder is designed to simplify the design process by allowing users to build and edit directly on the page. This hands-on approach makes it possible to experiment freely and create designs that suit a variety of requirements, whether it’s a single-page site or a complex multi-page project. Combined with its built-in global elements and responsive editing, Divi provides website creators with the versatility to bring their design ideas to life in an intuitive way.
These features have made Divi a favourite for those looking for a straightforward way to handle both small and large projects. The visual builder, responsive editing, and global styles allow for designs to be created faster while maintaining quality and coherence across different devices and pages. This combination of ease of use and flexibility has positioned Divi as a reliable solution for everyone, from beginners experimenting with design to professionals looking for a comprehensive toolkit.
Visual drag-and-drop builder
The visual drag-and-drop builder is one of Divi theme’s defining characteristics, allowing website creators to build layouts in a what-you-see-is-what-you-get environment. Instead of the traditional backend editing approach, Divi’s builder operates entirely on the front end, giving real-time feedback on each change. It also includes a wide selection of content modules, such as sliders, galleries, and contact forms, which can be easily customised and arranged, making it possible to build unique layouts without relying on extra plugins.
Responsive editing and preview
Divi’s responsive editing and preview ensure that websites look good on any device, from desktops to smartphones. Within the builder, users can switch between different screen views and adjust specific settings to fine-tune the look and feel for each device type. This feature removes the guesswork from creating mobile-friendly sites and helps maintain design consistency across various screen sizes, which is particularly useful for businesses needing a polished look across platforms.
Built-in global elements and styles
Divi theme’s global elements and styles feature is a great solution for keeping a consistent look throughout the entire site. Users can create global elements, such as a common header or footer, and apply these elements across multiple pages. If any changes are made to a global element, those changes automatically update everywhere the element is used. This simplifies the design process, making it easier to manage and maintain brand consistency without needing to manually edit each instance on every page.
4. Best properties of the Divi Theme
The Divi theme is appreciated for its flexibility, making it an ideal choice for website designers who want full creative control over their projects. Unlike many traditional themes that lock creators into pre-set layouts, Divi allows for unlimited customisation with its visual builder and modular system. This means that users can create anything from a minimalist portfolio to an interactive business site without being limited by rigid design structures. The theme’s extensive customisation options also ensure that creators can adapt the design to suit different branding needs, making Divi suitable for a wide variety of projects.
Another strength of Divi lies in its rich library of pre-made layouts and modules. This library gives website creators a solid starting point, allowing them to choose from a variety of designs tailored for different industries and page types. Whether it’s a landing page for a product launch or a contact form for a local business, these templates can be customised further to suit individual preferences. Additionally, Divi’s compatibility with third-party plugins and integrations makes it possible to expand its functionality even more, whether for eCommerce, SEO optimisation, or advanced styling. This adaptability is what makes Divi a popular option for those looking for both versatility and ease of use.
Design freedom and flexibility
Divi’s design freedom is one of its strongest qualities, as it empowers website creators to build completely custom layouts without restrictions. Users can mix and match modules, adjust sizes, and experiment with various styles to achieve a design that perfectly suits their needs. This flexibility is further enhanced by the ability to save custom designs and reuse them across different projects. For professionals who often work with multiple clients, this makes Divi a time-saving option that still delivers high-quality results.
Library of pre-built layouts and modules
The library of pre-built layouts and modules gives users access to hundreds of professionally designed templates that can be used as-is or adapted to fit a particular project. These layouts cover a wide range of categories, from business and creative portfolios to online stores and blogs. Each module—whether it’s a slider, gallery, or testimonial section—comes with its own customisation settings, making it easy to tailor the design to match a specific aesthetic. This library is continuously updated, keeping Divi in line with the latest design trends.
Support for third-party plugins and integrations
Divi’s support for third-party plugins is a big plus, allowing it to work seamlessly with tools like WooCommerce, Yoast SEO, and more. This compatibility opens up endless possibilities for adding extra features, such as advanced eCommerce functionality or complex forms. Website creators can integrate new capabilities without sacrificing performance, ensuring that the site remains smooth and fast. This makes Divi suitable not only for standard websites but also for more complex projects that require unique plugins and custom functionalities.
5. Why the Divi Theme is popular
The Divi theme has become a popular choice among website designers due to its user-friendly approach, extensive features, and a strong community that supports its development. One reason for this popularity is Elegant Themes’ commitment to regularly updating Divi, ensuring it stays relevant and compatible with the latest WordPress releases. These updates not only introduce new features but also improve performance and address security concerns, making Divi a reliable long-term option. Additionally, the community around Divi is active and engaged, with designers and developers often contributing resources, tutorials, and plugins that enhance the overall experience.
Another factor behind Divi’s widespread use is its marketplace of premium child themes and extensions. This marketplace offers a variety of pre-designed child themes that cater to specific industries, making it easy for creators to get a head start on projects. Along with these child themes, Divi’s extensions allow for additional functionality, such as advanced animations, custom forms, and unique layout packs. This ecosystem of add-ons and themes has made Divi adaptable for a broad range of projects, giving website creators more control and flexibility in designing sites that meet their exact specifications.
Regular updates and strong support community
Divi’s regular updates have helped it stay ahead of the curve by introducing new features and keeping it compatible with WordPress core changes. This ongoing development also provides users with a sense of stability, knowing that Elegant Themes is committed to maintaining and improving the theme. The community behind Divi, including forums, Facebook groups, and dedicated blogs, offers invaluable support for beginners and experienced designers alike. This strong support network ensures that users have access to solutions, tutorials, and inspiration whenever they need help or want to learn something new.
A marketplace of premium child themes and extensions
The Divi marketplace is a hub for child themes and plugins that expand the functionality of the base theme. These premium child themes are tailored for various niches, from photography portfolios to business websites, helping designers kickstart projects with pre-designed layouts and styles. Additionally, third-party extensions can add more advanced features, such as custom headers, mega menus, or enhanced animation effects, which are not available in the standard Divi toolkit. This wide range of options allows website creators to mix and match different elements, creating a unique website that still retains the core ease of use that Divi is known for.
Customisation potential for both beginners and advanced website creators
Divi’s customisation options cater to a broad audience, from those new to website creation to seasoned designers looking for a more advanced toolkit. For beginners, the intuitive visual builder makes it easy to start experimenting, while the extensive module options and pre-designed templates help speed up the process. Advanced users, on the other hand, appreciate the level of control Divi provides, with custom CSS, advanced settings, and integration capabilities allowing for deep customisation. This balance between simplicity and depth is what makes Divi accessible yet powerful, making it suitable for a wide variety of website projects.
6. Divi 5
Divi 5 represents a significant evolution of the Divi theme, aimed at overhauling the entire framework to deliver better performance and scalability. Unlike previous updates, Divi 5 is not just about adding new features—it’s about rebuilding the theme’s core to address limitations in the current architecture. This foundational change is designed to make Divi faster, more stable, and easier to expand in the future. Currently, it is only available in its Alpha stage, meaning it’s suitable for testing but not yet ready for use on production sites. This long-term project has required Elegant Themes to focus all their development resources on Divi 5, which has caused a delay in releasing new features for Divi 4.
The decision to focus on Divi 5 has meant that there have been no major updates to Divi 4 for some time, causing some frustration among long-time users. However, the developers have been transparent about their progress and the challenges of such a comprehensive rebuild. The Alpha stage has been released to gather feedback and iron out any issues before moving to a full public release. As part of this process, Divi 5’s backward compatibility has been a top priority to ensure a smooth transition for existing users. The end goal is to allow website creators to upgrade without losing any of their current site elements or functionality.
Divi 5 has been in development for several years and is currently only in its Alpha stage.
The project began as a response to limitations in the original Divi framework, which made it difficult to add certain modern features and optimise performance. Elegant Themes decided to invest the time and effort into building a completely new version from the ground up, focusing on creating a solid foundation that can be expanded upon for years to come. This approach has delayed the release but aims to future-proof Divi for upcoming web technologies.
The focus is on rebuilding the core for improved performance and future scalability.
Divi 5’s main objective is to provide better performance through a leaner and more efficient codebase. By rebuilding the core, the developers aim to reduce the loading times and enhance the overall responsiveness of the theme, making it capable of handling more complex layouts and interactive features. Scalability is another key factor, with the new structure allowing for easier integration of upcoming features and third-party add-ons.
No major updates have been made to Divi 4 during this period, causing a delay in feature releases.
Since the majority of development resources have been focused on Divi 5, Divi 4 has only received minor updates for compatibility and maintenance. This lack of new features has been a downside for some users, especially those looking forward to improvements in the current version. However, Elegant Themes has communicated that this delay is temporary and necessary to ensure that Divi 5 is a success.
Divi 5’s backward compatibility is being prioritised to ensure a smooth upgrade path.
A big concern for existing Divi users is whether their current designs will be compatible with Divi 5. To address this, the developers have introduced a backward compatibility mode that allows old modules and elements to work seamlessly within the new version. This means that website creators can upgrade to Divi 5 without having to rebuild their sites from scratch, maintaining both the look and functionality of their existing pages.
The official release is expected after several public testing phases.
Currently in its Alpha stage, Divi 5 is set to go through multiple testing phases before its full release. Each phase—Developer Beta, Public Alpha, Public Beta, and finally the Official Release—will involve extensive testing and feedback from the community to refine the theme. The exact timeline for the final release is not set, but the development team aims to deliver a stable and polished version once all feedback has been incorporated.
Conclusion
The Divi Theme’s popularity is built on its ability to make professional website design accessible to a wide range of creators. Its visual builder, extensive library of layouts, and strong support community offer website designers the freedom to bring their ideas to life without getting stuck in the technical side of things. The theme’s flexibility means that users can start small and expand as needed, making it suitable for everything from hobby blogs to full-scale business sites. This versatility has cemented Divi’s place as a reliable choice for anyone looking to create custom WordPress websites with minimal fuss.
Another reason for Divi’s success is its ongoing development and support from Elegant Themes. Regular updates ensure that the theme remains compatible with the latest WordPress releases and incorporates new design trends. The addition of the Divi marketplace, which offers child themes and extensions, has expanded its functionality even further, giving users more options to customise their sites. With the introduction of Divi 5, Elegant Themes is looking to take the theme to the next level, promising even better performance and scalability to meet the demands of future projects.
In essence, Divi has supported website designers by providing them with the tools to create visually stunning sites with ease. Whether it’s the drag-and-drop builder for intuitive editing or the global elements for maintaining design consistency, Divi’s features make it an ideal solution for both beginners and advanced users. As Divi continues to evolve, it remains focused on delivering a design experience that balances creativity and practicality, ensuring that anyone can build a site that looks great and functions smoothly.
FAQs
1. What is Divi?
Divi is a WordPress theme and page builder developed by Elegant Themes that allows users to build custom websites using a visual drag-and-drop editor.
2. Who created Divi?
Divi was created by Nick Roach, the founder of Elegant Themes, which has been a prominent player in the WordPress community since 2008.
3. What makes the Divi Theme different from other themes?
Divi stands out due to its visual builder, which lets users design layouts in real-time without needing to code.
4. Is Divi suitable for beginners?
Yes, Divi is designed to be user-friendly for beginners while offering advanced options for more experienced designers.
5. Can the Divi Theme be used to create eCommerce websites?
Yes, Divi is compatible with WooCommerce, making it suitable for creating fully functional eCommerce sites.
6. Does Divi support third-party plugins?
Yes, Divi supports a wide range of third-party plugins, allowing users to add more functionality to their websites.
7. What is Divi 5?
Divi 5 is the next major version of the theme, focusing on improving performance and scalability by rebuilding the core.
8. Is Divi 5 available now?
Currently, Divi 5 is in its Alpha stage, which means it’s available for testing but not recommended for live sites.
9. Does the Divi theme offer pre-made layouts?
Yes, Divi comes with a large library of pre-made layouts that can be customised to suit different industries and styles.
10. Is there a community for Divi users?
Yes, Divi has a strong community with active forums, Facebook groups, and dedicated resources for support and inspiration.
