Yes, WordPress is by far the most popular blogging platform. But that is not a reason to discount the others. Tumblr has kept on its steady growth as well.

It's one of the easiest, straightforward blogs, and it's got an impressive array of themes. We already discussed the Top 10 Free Themes To Create a Tumblr Portfolio, but now it's time for the actual bloggers to get a treat.

Below are ten of the most amazing Tumblr themes (freely) available!

Chunky

Chunky is a strong, multi-columned theme. At the top a dark, weighty header that'll immediately capture your readers' attention and promote the 'brand' feeling of your blog. It also demos the ultra-bold typeface that's continued throughout the rest of the Tumblr theme in quotations and titles.

tumblr layouts

Your content is spread out over the three columns. Although this might sound counter-intuitive, the result feels simply playful, and still natural. The Chunky Tumblr theme is flexible in appearance, so don't think you'll be stuck with the grass-green look; a wide array of color combinations are at your disposal.

Two-word synopsis: Strong & Playful

Linear

Linear is a theme for minimalists. It rids itself of the superfluous bulk, which results in a feel of modern clarity. It's a one-column Tumblr theme, with extra info on the left hand side of the posts in a grey, non-dominating typeface.

tumblr themes

The emphasis is clearly on the content, and on the content alone. A bare look like this leaves little space for branding, especially considering the fact that the theme is already widely-used. You can see the 'Untitled' blog title in the top left corner.

Two-word synopsis: Minimalist & Minimalist

Orange Peel

Orange Peel tries a different kind of minimalism. Although the theme is still void of any abundant elements, the emphasis has clearly shifted. The header is prominent in this design, atop the categories, and post information gets far more attention.

tumblr layouts

This Tumblr theme, with its two-fold color scheme, is perfect for bloggers who are still heavy on the content, but still want to nurture the face of their blog, albeit without an abundance of eye-candy.

Two-word synopsis: Minimalist & Balance

Paper Walls

One can still stay in the more sober regions of theming, yet offer a taste of eye-candy to their readers. After all, visual elements are not only pleasing, but will be remembered and associated with your blog in the long-term.

tumblr layouts

Paper Walls features an inconspicuous striped background and an old school header, with a predominating blue-gray color scheme. Posts are put on top of crumbled paper, (figuratively) giving more texture to the overall design of your blog. This theme manages to look appealing, classy, and yet still a little playful.

Two-word synopsis: Classy & Fun

Solstice

Solstice is more of what you'd expect to find in a blog theme, and one of the darker themes featured in this compilation. The layout is simple, but also strong in appearance because of the high contrast in the color scheme.

Posts are arranged in a one classic-blog column, with the type of post and number of notes indicated at the left hand side.

Two-word synopsis: Classic & Dark

Postage

Traveling around the world? Spending a weekend in Prague? If you're using your Tumblr as a travel log, as many users do, you should dress (your blog) to the occasion. Postage is a Tumblr theme that tries to pull off the postcard-look, and off-pulling it does.

Under the theme-header is room for your blog name and description. Further down, the theme is divided into two columns; your posts on the left, without too much graphical jumble, and more information on the right.

Two-word synopsis: Travel & Light

Papercut

Papercut is a tidier implementation of the on-paper look, as demonstrated in the Paper Walls theme, above. With straighter edges and less wrinkles, this theme looks far more professional. On the left side you can view post type and number of notes. These half-transparent buttons are the only real colors in this theme, and gives it a more modern touch.

You'll notice that this is a very strict one-column theme - in fact, the information buttons is the only thing that's sticking over the edge. As such, the 'about' column is also removed - this theme is title and content only.

Two-word synopsis: Modern & Strict

LightGrid [No Longer Available]

LightGrid aims to seduce alternative young 'uns, with a predominately bright-colored (blue and yellow) color scheme. The theme is both playful and strict, but certainly modern.

With the design being mostly typographic and cut-out shapes, LightGrid isn't very graphical in the strict sense, but most will agree that it's certainly eye-appealing.

Two-word synopsis: Alternative & Sober

Esquire

This Tumblr theme was not created by, but based on the Esquire magazine (US edition). It features the same alternative color scheme and cut-out graphics, but in a different fashion than the theme above.

The Esquire theme features a static column on the left, and a scrolling column on the right - with your content. The design is certainly busier, but perfectly in balance and gives your blog both an alternative and a greatly professional look.

Two-word synopsis: Alternative & Professional

Plaid

The last in our line of alternative is plaid. If light-grid was sober, Plaid is one of the busiest themes on Tumblr. Here, busy doesn't mean disorderly, but graphically pressing - in a good way.

tumblr themes

Plaid is without any doubt an incredibly strong team, and if you aim to entertain a crowd of alternative youngsters, it's an incredible theme. This theme makes you stick out of the crowd.

Two-word synopsis: Busy & Strong

Do you know of any other great Tumblr themes? Let us know in the comments section below!