If you use Wordpress and your blog looks good, you probably have Theron Parlin to thank. One of the most downloaded designers of Wordpress themes, Theron is currently at Start Us Up, a start up based in Framingham, MA that writes and releases cool web applications and helps other companies bring enterprise level success to their ideas while building lots of relationships.

Theron recently gave away his Technorati Top 10 blog, Thought Mechanics, and started a new, more modest blog called ZeroRule, where he talks about web development, technology and things generally related to Theron.

It is our pleasure to present his top ten best designed web sites of 2006... with his comments... after the jump

http://www.drivl.com/
Drivl is a cool blog with dark colors and nice fonts. The overall layout is pretty straight forward, but there's a lot of subtly going on. I first found this site when I was searching for something related to digg and found this article which sums up exactly how I feel about digg ( http://www.drivl.com/posts/view/465).

http://www.exozet.com/
Exozet Games is a game development studio from Germany. I picked this site for the great colors, great imagery and I like the side navigation tabs.

http://veerle.duoh.com/
Veerle's blog is probably one of the best blog designs I've ever come across. It's a little busy for my personal taste, but it was flawlessly built with obvious attention given to every last detail.

http://www.enigmind.com/welcome.php
I personally don't care for flash sites. I did at one point, but now I just think most of them are way over done. That said, enigmind is a best of breed flash website with a killer design, and fluid animation.

http://www.artypapers.com/ap.log/
Artypapers is the site and blog of R. Marie Cox, a Web Developer & Designer. The site is simple with a bright look and feel. You can't help but smile while looking at it.

http://www.emilychang.com/
Emily Chang is a designer from San Francisco. I picked Emily's site because I love the simplicity, colors and whitespace. I also like the flash image thingy at the top of the page.

http://crowdctrl.com/
At CrowdCtrl, the word is definitely grunge. If you're a fan of grungy and distressed looking sites, this one is for you. Great use of graphics and fonts.

http://www.thebeststuffintheworld.com/
"The Best Stuff in the World is an open, organic, polymorphous site which, depending on the user, could take on diverse forms and meanings." I chose this site because I love the layout and colors.

http://www.kcrevolution.org/
I'm not someone that people would point to and say, "now there's a religious fella." However, Revolution Church, Kansas City pulled out a top notch design that I think is more than worthy of making the list.

http://hicksdesign.co.uk/journal/
Hicks Design is the perfect blend of simplicity, whitespace, intricacy, color, fonts and elements. Jon Hicks continues, with each iteration of his site, to be one of the best designers on the planet.

detail of a photo by Meanest Indian