NC State Theme Release 4.10

We’re excited to announce the release of version 4.10 of the NC State Theme. This update represents a comprehensive revamp of our theme’s architecture and design system, rebuilding fundamental structures while maintaining visual continuity. This major overhaul prepares our digital ecosystem for future growth while significantly enhancing current functionality.

Key Improvements

Typography Refinements

• Enhanced Roboto Implementation: While Roboto has been part of the theme for several years, we’ve now refined its implementation with more intentional sizing, line heights, and spacing specifically designed for this typeface.
• Consistent Visual System: We’ve standardized text sizes, spacing, and visual elements throughout the theme using CSS variables, creating a more cohesive and harmonious visual experience.

Comprehensive Design System Revamp

• Twelve-Column Grid System: The theme has been completely rebuilt on a consistent twelve-column grid layout, creating a unified framework for all theme elements and improving visual harmony across pages.
• CSS Variables Implementation: We’ve implemented CSS variables throughout the theme to ensure consistent sizing and spacing of not just text, but all blocks and visual elements.
• CSS Grid Adoption: We’ve leveraged modern CSS Grid techniques that weren’t available during previous major updates, resulting in more robust and flexible layouts.
• Removal of CSS Floats: Deprecated floating elements have been replaced with more modern approaches to improve responsiveness and maintainability.
• Enhanced Responsive Design: The theme now better supports larger display sizes with intentional design decisions at different breakpoints.

Block Improvements

• Fancy Paragraph Block: The formerly separate Floated Fact and Floated Spotlight blocks have been migrated into the unified Fancy Paragraph block, providing better control over how content displays on mobile devices.
• Improved Mobile Experience: These consolidated blocks now display more consistently across all device sizes, particularly at challenging breakpoints where floated content previously caused issues.

Preparation for Brand Refresh

• Foundation for Visual Identity Updates: This release establishes a solid technical foundation for implementing the university’s upcoming brand refresh, enabling smoother rollout of visual identity adjustments in the coming months.

Migration and Testing

Thorough Compatibility Testing

We’ve conducted extensive testing to ensure this update doesn’t break functionality on existing sites. However, as with any significant update, there’s always a possibility of unexpected visual issues.

Reporting Visual Bugs

If you encounter any visual issues after updating to v4.10, please report them through one of these channels:

• Visual Bug Form: https://go.ncsu.edu/ncstate-theme-visual-bug
• Email: wordpress@help.ncsu.edu
• Help Request: https://university-communications.ncsu.edu/documentation/get-support/#help-request

Legacy Functionality Audit

Site administrators should use the Legacy Functionality Audit feature (introduced in v4.9) to identify deprecated blocks on their sites:

1. Navigate to NC State Settings -> NC State Theme -> Legacy Functionality Audit in your site’s backend
2. This tool will locate instances of deprecated blocks like the Floated Spotlight and Floated Fact blocks
3. While these blocks will continue to display correctly, we recommend proactively updating them:
   • Open pages containing these blocks
   • An automated migration will convert them to Fancy Paragraph blocks when you save the page
   • Review the converted content to ensure visual balance between the paragraph and supplemental content

What’s Next

This release is part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining a modern, accessible, and user-friendly theme for NC State websites. The architectural improvements implemented in v4.10 set the stage for exciting visual updates that will align with the university’s forthcoming brand refresh.

We appreciate your patience and collaboration as we continue to evolve the NC State Theme to meet the university’s digital needs.

For more information about previous updates, see the v4.9 release notes.