F
Utilities Free WordPress.org

Fourteen Colors

4.8 (48 reviews)
· 8K+ active installs · By Nick Halsey
Active Installs
8K+
Rating
4.8 / 5
Version
v1.6
Last Updated
Jul 2024
Share

Plugin Review

AI-Researched

What is Fourteen Colors?

Fourteen Colors is a specialized plugin for anyone using the Twenty Fourteen default theme. It lets you change the theme’s color scheme without creating a child theme. Developed by Nick Halsey, this plugin has been available for 13 years and remains a focused tool for a single purpose. It currently has 8K+ active installs and holds a 4.8/5 rating from 48 reviews. 90% of those ratings are five-star, reflecting strong user satisfaction.

The plugin works through the WordPress Customizer. It provides two color pickers that control the header, sidebar, footer, and featured content backgrounds. It also adjusts link colors, search bars, navigation menus, and text highlights. The plugin automatically maintains contrast levels to keep your site accessible. This is useful for anyone who wants to customize their twenty fourteen color palette changer without technical overhead.

Key Features of Fourteen Colors

  • Two-Color Control System – Manage both a main background color and an accent color for the entire theme layout.
  • Accessibility-First Contrast – The plugin automatically adjusts your choices to meet minimum contrast requirements for readability.
  • Header and Sidebar Background Control – Change the dark sidebar and header area to any color you prefer.
  • Link and Navigation Hover Colors – Set distinct colors for links and menu hover states to match your brand.
  • Featured Content Background – Adjust the background of featured posts independently from other page elements.
  • Audio and Video Player Integration – Color schemes for media players update to match your chosen palette.
  • Text Selection Highlight Color – Customize the highlight color users see when selecting text on your site.
  • Child Theme Compatible – Works with child themes, though color settings are stored per active theme.

Who Should Use Fourteen Colors?

This plugin is ideal for site owners running the Twenty Fourteen theme who want to change twenty fourteen theme colors quickly. It suits beginners who do not want to edit CSS or create child themes. With 8,000+ active installs and a 4.8 rating, it clearly serves a specific audience well. The plugin requires no coding knowledge. You simply open the Customizer and pick colors.

It also works for developers who build child themes based on Twenty Fourteen. The plugin includes hooks that child theme developers can use to extend its functionality. If you need to customize twenty fourteen color scheme for a client or personal brand, this plugin handles the heavy lifting. It stores settings per theme, so switching between a parent and child theme requires re-setting colors. This design keeps the plugin simple and predictable.

Installation & Setup

You can install Fourteen Colors directly from the WordPress plugin installer or by uploading the unzipped folder to /wp-content/plugins/. After activation, go to Appearance > Customize. The color controls appear automatically when Twenty Fourteen is your active theme. The setup is beginner-friendly and takes less than two minutes.

Support & Community

The support data for this plugin shows a mixed picture. Over the last two months, there were 0 open support threads and 0 resolved threads, resulting in a 0% resolution rate. This likely means very few users are asking for help. Given the plugin’s age and simplicity, most questions may be answered by the FAQ or changelog. The rating breakdown is strongly positive: 90% five-star ratings versus only 2% one-star. Users who need to know how to change colors in twenty fourteen WordPress generally find the plugin works as described. The developer recommends reading the FAQ and changelog before posting, which suggests most common issues are already documented.

Pros & Cons

What's Good
  • With over 8K+ active installs and a 4.8 rating from 48 reviews, it is a trusted solution for recoloring Twenty Fourteen.
  • 90% of its 48 ratings are 5-star, reflecting strong user satisfaction with its two-color-picker system.
  • It automatically adjusts color choices to maintain WCAG contrast requirements, preserving Twenty Fourteen's accessibility.
  • The plugin controls header, sidebar, footer, featured content, link, search bar, and navigation hover colors from a single interface.
  • It was built to address concerns that led to the removal of the accent color feature from Twenty Fourteen core, filling a specific gap.
Drawbacks
  • It only works with the Twenty Fourteen theme, offering no support for other default or custom themes.
  • With zero total support threads and zero resolved threads, there is no public record of troubleshooting or community help.
  • The plugin does not allow independent color control for individual elements like audio/video players, linking them to the main color pickers.

Technical Details

Requires WordPress
3.6+
Tested up to WP
7.0.2
First Released
2013 (13+ years)
Support (last 2 months)
0 threads

Feature Tags

bundled-theme custom-colors customizer default-theme twenty-fourteen

Frequently Asked Questions