If you’ve been around my blog long, you know I’m a fan of the Genesis Extender Plugin. It’s a nifty tool kit that lets you go all MacGyver-like on any child theme for the Genesis Framework.
Yesterday Cobalt Apps, the makers of Genesis Extender, made a big announcement. In short, they’ll no longer be selling the Catalyst Framework and will shift their product foundation exclusively to the Genesis Framework. In addition to the Genesis Extender Plugin, their other product focus is the Dynamik Website Builder.
Since I’ve already talked about cool things you can do with Genesis Extender, I thought I’d give you a quick rundown of what the Dynamik Website Builder can do.
* Side note: If you’re an existing Catalyst Framework user, I highly recommend you watch this quick video from founder Eric Hamm. He’ll answer questions and generally set you at ease. 
What is the Dynamik Website Builder?
Think of Dynamik as a crazy-flexible child theme for the Genesis Framework. You install it, just like you would any other theme and you’ll see some new options appear in your Genesis menu to control settings, design, and custom code.
Do you remember the “More Cowbell” skit from SNL (if not, do yourself a solid and go watch it)? Christopher Walken as The Bruce Dickinson walks into the studio and says:
Easy, guys.. I put my pants on just like the rest of you — one leg at a time. Except, once my pants are on, I make gold records.
So, you install the Dynamik child theme just like the rest. Except, one it’s installed, it makes gold websites.
It comes with almost 50 homepage configurations, a ton of design options (one-click setup for backgrounds, colors, fonts, etc), easy access to Google fonts, and more.
Who is Dynamik Website Builder for?
Dynamik is a great choice for what I call the Shy DIY-er, the beginner to intermediate level WordPress developer.
You want to do things yourself, like change out fonts, colors, backgrounds, and re-arrange home page layouts, but you’re timid when it comes to messing with code or CSS. Dynamik gives you the power to do this through a friendly user interface. You can make a beautiful custom WordPress site without ever touching the code.
When you’re ready to build your confidence working directly with the CSS, or changing things around via hooks and filters, you can do that, too. All of the features of the Genesis Extender Plugin are baked right into the Dynamik theme.
Do I Need Dynamik AND Genesis Extender?
On the same website, no. If you’re using Dynamik on a site, you definitely don’t need Genesis Extender since that functionality already exists within the theme (think of Genesis Extender as a portable, mini-version of Dynamik that you can use on any Genesis Child Theme).
If you build a lot of sites with the Genesis Framework, it could make sense to have both. For instance, you’re familiar working with and love Dynamik on your site, but you get a project where you don’t need a new child theme. In that case, it’d be good to have Genesis Extender handy for your customizations.
Go put your pants on and make gold…websites
Click here to learn more about the Dynamik Website Builder or the Genesis Extender Plugin.
If you have any questions, just leave a comment!