Activating Pixelgrade LT

A proper setup is crucial for a right-foot start into the WordPress world. This article will walk you through the process of accurately activating your theme and getting your Pixelgrade LT site ready to design and add content.

Heads up: Please keep in mind that this stage comes after the installation, not the other way around. If you haven't installed your theme (Anima) yet, do that first, then come back here.

A quick word about "Anima"

Pixelgrade LT is built on a block theme called Anima. So when you look at Appearance → Themes, seeing Anima is completely normal — it's the block theme your Pixelgrade LT site runs on, not a wrong install.

Step 1 — Activate your theme

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance → Themes.
2. Find the theme you just installed.
3. Hover over it and click the Activate button.

That's it — your theme is now live on your site.

Step 2 — Install Pixelgrade Assistant and open the hub

Right after you activate the theme, WordPress prompts you at the top of the dashboard to install the Pixelgrade Assistant plugin — this gives you a single place to set everything up.

1. When the prompt appears, click to install Pixelgrade Assistant, then activate it. (If you dismiss it, you can add it anytime from Plugins → Add New — search for Pixelgrade Assistant.)
2. Go to Appearance → Pixelgrade Design.
3. You'll land on the Home tab. Across the top you'll find tabs such as Design System, Starter Sites, Layouts, Page Patterns, Setup, Account, and Help. (The exact set of tabs can vary depending on which Pixelgrade plugins you have active.)

Everything you need to set up and design your site lives right here.

Step 3 — Install the recommended plugins

Your Pixelgrade LT site works best with a couple of companion plugins — for example Nova Blocks for the layout blocks and Style Manager for colors and fonts.

1. In the Pixelgrade hub, open the Setup tab.
2. Under Recommended plugins, install and activate anything that's missing.

The hub installs and activates these for you, so you're ready to design in a click or two.

Step 4 — Design your site

Pixelgrade LT is built on a block theme (Anima), so you style your site visually in the Site Editor and Style Manager.

1. Open the Site Editor at Appearance → Editor.
2. To change colors, fonts, and spacing, open Style Manager — click Open Style Manager on the Design System tab of the Pixelgrade hub (the Home tab's Open Design System quick link does the same), or go to Appearance → Editor → Styles.

From here you can edit your header and footer, menus, logo, and page layouts visually. Your changes save and go live as you work.

Step 5 — Add starter content (optional)

Want your site to look like the demo so you can edit instead of starting from a blank page? You can import a ready-made starter site.

1. In the Pixelgrade hub, open the Starter Sites tab.
2. Pick a starter that matches your Pixelgrade LT site and click to import it.
3. When it finishes, use the View your site step to see the result.

For the full walkthrough, see our separate article on importing starter content.

FAQs

Do I need to start with specific plugins? Yes. We highly encourage you to activate the recommended plugins. Open Appearance → Pixelgrade Design → Setup, then install and activate everything under Recommended plugins. They unlock the blocks, styles, and starter content your Pixelgrade LT site is built around.

How do I add the demo (starter) content? Use the Starter Sites tab in the Pixelgrade hub (Appearance → Pixelgrade Design → Starter Sites). We wrote a specific article about how to easily import starter content.

Where do I change colors, fonts, and layout? Your colors, fonts, and spacing live in Style Manager, and your header, footer, menus, logo, and page layouts live in the Site Editor (Appearance → Editor). Open Style Manager from the Design System tab of the Pixelgrade hub, or from Appearance → Editor → Styles.

Where do I manage my license or premium features? Open the Account tab in the Pixelgrade hub to connect your pixelgrade.com account. Premium features and licensing are handled by Pixelgrade Plus, which appears in the Pixelgrade Plus section of the Account tab once Plus is installed (the Account tab also shows a small PLUS badge then).

Need help setting things up? We're happy to help — reach out through the Help tab in the Pixelgrade hub. If you'd prefer we handle it for you, check out our services and we'll set everything up in no time.