I tend to review more plugins than themes here on WPMU. After all, you can use multiple plugins on a website, but only one theme.

But every now and then, I find a theme that I can’t help but review. Something that gives me a proverbial slap around the face and demands my attention.

Today I have received such a slap, from a premium responsive portfolio theme available on ThemeForest called BigBang. If you’re in the market for a new theme, this is something you need to take a close look at.

The Homepage

At first glance, BigBang looks like just another portfolio theme (albeit rather attractive):

Minimalistic design – check. Tagline – check. Slider – check. The first time you get an inkling that you’re dealing with something a little more sophisticated is when you scroll down the page:

For starters, I am a big fan of the floating top navigation menu (a winner in terms of usability). And the natty hover effects demonstrate that this theme has been lovingly crafted, rather than merely slapped together.

Taking the theme for a test drive on mobile devices reveals a tastefully responsive design. Whilst the iPad can still handle the full design, the theme adjusts gracefully for smaller screens:

Blogging with BigBang

If you liked the minimalistic style of the homepage, you’ll love the blog design:

The theme offers up no less than six different ways to present your blog, with changes to the placement of certain elements and the featured image.

Other Pages

BigBang comes complete with various templates for different page types, including:

• About
• Contact
• Clients
• Portfolio

Each page is well-designed – there isn’t a rush job in site. Here’s a screenshot from the About template page:

Widgets and Shortcodes

BigBang is not lacking in extras. Everything from social icons, to buttons, to check lists, to photo streams are included:

It seems that no stone has been left unturned in making this a truly awesome theme.

You can give BigBang a test drive here, and also read through all of the features and purchase it here. At just $45, it is an absolute steal.