Go-Live Date: May 26, 2009 (Approximate)
Project Overview
Carnival Cruise Line uses this site to manage all their press releases.
Front End Description
I had done some work with this client previously and the theme needed for this site was very similar to the theme for the other site but with some slight modifications.
Back End Description
For the other Carnival theme, I used a third party theme to start with (Carnival provided). Since there were a lot of customizations on the backend needed, I ended up rebuilding the theme, stripping a lot of unused functions out, adding a lot more admin panels for easy content manipulation, and focusing on giving the client full control of their content. There are several custom functions in place with this site (featured box (can either be video, slideshow, or single image), sidebar widgets, custom admin panels to control almost all images, logos, and text.
Lessons Learned/Random Thoughts
It is almost always easier and more efficient to work with something that you built than to try and troubleshoot as long as you are committed to simplicity and documentation – and I will be happy to continually develop this theme.