Handsomely Theme is a minimal Jekyll template by Deenesh Chowdhary that builds static websites using pure HTML5 and CSS with no JavaScript. It is designed for lightweight personal sites and runs entirely on Jekyll's static site generator.
What is Handsomely Theme?
Handsomely Theme is an open-source Jekyll theme that produces static HTML output from Markdown and configuration files. Its core function is to provide a clean, minimal starting point for building a website without client-side scripting. The theme takes as input the Jekyll source directory, including _config.yml, and outputs a fully built website that can be previewed locally or deployed. The author, Deenesh Chowdhary, released it under the MIT License, and a live demo is available at deeneshchowdhary.github.io/handsomely.
Key Features
- Responsive design — The layout is built with Skeleton, a lightweight CSS boilerplate, so the theme adapts to different screen sizes without extra framework dependencies.
- Google Font typography — Text styling uses a Google Font, giving the site a consistent, web-optimized typeface across pages.
- Pure HTML5 and CSS — The theme contains no JavaScript whatsoever, which keeps the generated pages simple and reduces the chance of rendering issues.
- Lightweight and clean design — The codebase is intentionally small, making it straightforward to inspect and customize by hand.
- Full Jekyll environment — The repository includes a complete Jekyll setup, so after cloning you can run
jekyll serve --watchto build the site and watch for source file changes. - Simple configuration — The README instructs users to edit _config.yml before publishing, allowing site-level fields to be updated in one place.
Who is it for?
- Jekyll users — Developers already working with Jekyll can use this theme as a minimal starting point for personal portfolios or content sites, editing _config.yml to set site-wide values.
- Developers who prefer no JavaScript — People who want a pure HTML/CSS site can use this theme to avoid shipping any JavaScript to the browser.
- Designers experimenting with Skeleton CSS — Because the responsive layer comes from Skeleton, it works as a base for prototyping responsive layouts in Jekyll.
What can you do with Handsomely Theme?
- Personal website — Publish an about page, contact information, and simple content sections using Markdown files that Jekyll compiles to static HTML.
- Portfolio — Showcase projects or work in a minimal layout that prioritizes content load speed, with no script tags to block rendering.
- Local development playground — Use the bundled Jekyll environment to test content edits, layout changes, and Skeleton grid classes in a live-reloading local server.
FAQ
Is Handsomely Theme free to use?
Yes. The theme is open source under the MIT License, so you can use it for personal or commercial projects, and you retain the license text from the repository.
Does it use JavaScript?
No. The theme is built with pure HTML5 and CSS only, with no JavaScript files included. This means interactions are limited to standard HTML and CSS behaviors.
How do I run the theme locally?
Clone the repository, navigate to its directory, and run jekyll serve --watch in the command line. This builds the site and automatically reloads when you change source files.
What CSS framework does it rely on?
It uses Skeleton, a responsive CSS boilerplate from getskeleton.com, for the grid and responsive behavior. This keeps the CSS footprint small compared with full frameworks.
How do I customize the site?
The readme specifically says to edit _config.yml to update fields for your website. For deeper styling, you can modify the theme's HTML and SCSS/CSS files directly, since the theme is meant to be simple.
