Why We Built Beacon — A Directory Theme for Ghost CMS
The story behind Beacon: why we created a purpose-built directory theme for Ghost CMS and the design decisions that shaped it.
The Problem We Saw
Ghost CMS is an excellent platform for content businesses, but the theme ecosystem is dominated by blog and magazine layouts. When we wanted to build a resource directory on Ghost, we had to hack a blog theme into something it was never designed for. The result was always a compromise.
What Was Missing
- Card-based grid layouts optimized for scanning, not reading
- Category browsing with visual navigation
- Hero search that invites exploration
- Featured listing badges and highlighting
- Membership-gated reviews and exclusive content
Our Design Philosophy
Beacon was built around three principles: scannability, discoverability, and trust.
Scannability
Directory users are browsers, not readers. They want to scan categories, compare options, and drill into details on demand. Beacon uses a card grid layout with consistent metadata — title, excerpt, category, and visibility badge — so users can evaluate resources at a glance.
Discoverability
The homepage hero search and category grid encourage exploration. Users who come for one resource discover three more. Tags work as navigable categories with their own landing pages and descriptions.
Trust
Professional typography (DM Sans headings, Inter body), consistent spacing, and a clean color system signal quality. The membership model reinforces trust — if you are paying for access, the reviews must be worth it.
Built by KONTEMI
Beacon is part of the KONTEMI Ghost theme collection, alongside themes for education, SaaS, documentation, and more. We build themes that turn Ghost into a platform for specialized content businesses — not just blogs.