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Brian Gardner

Head of Community at WP Engine

@bgardner Phoenix joined Dec 2011

briangardner.com github.com/bgardner slack: @Brian Gardner
    Teams Core

    Bio

    Hey, I’m Brian Gardner—a designer inspired by simplicity, fueled by espresso, and refreshed by running. I love to write in my free time.

    On January 6th, 2025, I moved into a new role at WP Engine: Head of Community. I work alongside our customers, agency partners, and the greater WordPress community—leading strategic initiatives, supporting events, and pursuing sponsorship opportunities.

    I’ve been working with WordPress since 2006, and while I’ll advocate for the software, it’s the people who matter most to me. Community is its heartbeat, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to stand with those passionate about shaping its future. Speaking of WordPress…

    I’m the creator of Simple SEO, Thoreau, and Powder—the premier block WordPress theme for designers and developers. Powder features an extensive pattern library, versatile templates, and tailored color palettes.

    WordPress Origin Story

    My journey as a creative entrepreneur started in 2006 when I was working for an architectural firm as a project manager. I had a good job, but it wasn’t a great job.

    I taught myself how to use WordPress and was the first person to sell premium WordPress themes. I revolutionized the market. In my first month, I made $10,000, which grew to $20,000, $40,000, and $80,000 the following months.

    Some days I feel as though it was pure happenstance—that it was merely a stroke of luck and I was in the right place at the right time. Other days, I embrace the fact that I was smart enough to seize the opportunity which presented itself.

    Badges

    CODE
    5 badges
    Core Contributor '22 Meta Contributor '22 Pattern Author '22 Plugin Developer Theme Developer

    Current Job

    Head of Community
    Present
    WP Engine

    Recent impact

    Score weights high-impact work (commits, releases, approved translations, props) at 3x routine activity.

    Last 30 days
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    Last 90 days
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    Last 12 months
    1contribution
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    Specializations

    evenly split across 1 team · no team-attributable activity in the last 365 days

    Core 100% of attributed activity

    Contributions

    Type
    June 2025
    Jun 12 Thu · 21:04
    Forums med
    Created a topic, Pure front-end magic, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    It’s like flipping a switch and watching my site come …
    July 2024
    Jul 17 Wed · 16:16
    Forums med
    Posted a reply to Minor updates to prep for WP 6.6, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    Lastly, and likely the most significant change, I have redefined the spacingSizes in theme.json to…
    Jul 17 Wed · 16:10
    Forums med
    Posted a reply to Minor updates to prep for WP 6.6, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    In the spirit of bringing color and more vibrant energy to Powder (out-of-the-box), a few…
    Jul 02 Tue · 23:38
    Forums med
    Posted a reply to Minor updates to prep for WP 6.6, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    As of v1.1.9, all color palettes have shifted to darker shades, making the contrast ratios…
    June 2024
    Jun 14 Fri · 22:12
    Forums med
    Posted a reply to Padding from header, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    While not idea, have you tried adding !important to that margin-top in the additional CSS?
    Jun 12 Wed · 17:24
    Forums med
    Posted a reply to Padding from header, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    It looks like you need to apply margin-top: 0 to your outer Kadence group block.
    Jun 12 Wed · 13:26
    Forums med
    Created a topic, Minor updates to prep for WP 6.6, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    I’m putting this out there for Powder users. I’ll make…
    Jun 04 Tue · 18:34
    Meta high
    Received props from @meher in Slack:
    Props to @fabiankaegy @huzaifaalmesbah @naeemhaque @shiponkarmakar @courane01 @hellofromTonya @arambdev @ajithrn @shailu25 @mukesh27 @akshayar @bgardner @joemcgill…
    May 2024
    May 08 Wed · 17:33
    Forums med
    Posted a reply to sticky header, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    @snoop23 Out of curiosity, is there a particular reason you don't like/want it? Just trying…
    March 2024
    Mar 13 Wed · 01:51
    Forums med
    Posted a reply to patterns, on the site WordPress.org Forums:
    @snoop23 Any chance you can mark this issue as resolved?

    Contributor