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Ardeidae

A Hugo blog theme that adds generative art to each post, with configurable email and GitHub links.

About this template

Ardeidae is a Hugo blog theme that pairs every post with an automatically generated artwork, giving each article a unique visual header.

What is Ardeidae?

Ardeidae is a static-site blog theme built for Hugo, the open-source static site generator. It takes standard Markdown blog posts as input and renders a homepage listing of posts plus individual post pages, each accompanied by a generative art composition. The theme is developed by Luis Sousa Rego and published in the GitHub repository LuisSousaRego/Ardeidae.

Key Features

  • Generative art per post — Each blog post receives its own procedural artwork, so no two articles share the same visual.
  • Hugo-native — Installs as a Hugo theme via the standard quick-start workflow; content is written in Markdown and built to static HTML.
  • Configurable via config.toml — Supports an email address, a date format string, and a GitHub URL as theme parameters, which control footer contact details and post date display.
  • Live demo — A running example at luisrego.com/ardeidae-demo shows both the homepage layout and a sample post with its art.
  • Minimal setup — Requires only three optional parameters to get started; the theme works with a default configuration.
  • Open on GitHub — Source code is publicly accessible for review, forking, or customization.

Who is it for?

  • Bloggers seeking a distinctive look — Use Ardeidae to give each article a one-of-a-kind generative header instead of relying on stock images.
  • Hugo users — Those already familiar with Hugo can install and configure the theme quickly using the official theme installation steps.
  • Developers curious about generative art — The theme's source code serves as a practical example of how to integrate procedural imagery into a static blog.

What can you do with Ardeidae?

  • Launch a visual blog fast — Install the theme, set email and GitHub parameters, and publish a blog with algorithmic art on every post.
  • Preview before committing — Explore the demo site to see exactly how posts and the homepage look before installing the theme.
  • Customize the footer — Use the email and github config parameters to display your own contact details and profile links on the generated site.

How does Ardeidae work?

Install Hugo using its official quick-start guide, then add Ardeidae as your site theme. Modify config.toml to include an email address, a date format, and a GitHub URL. Finally, write Markdown posts; Hugo builds the site and Ardeidae injects a generative artwork into each post's layout.