DEV Community: Lucas Fenwick

How to replace the Gutenberg editor logo (without version-fragile CSS)

Lucas Fenwick — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 08:34:25 +0000

Open the WordPress block editor and look at the top-left corner. That square with the WordPress "W" is the "back to dashboard" button — and on every site you build, it's the same generic WordPress logo. You can brand the front end, the login screen, the admin menu, and the editor still shows stock WordPress in the corner.

The default way to change it is admin CSS targeting the editor's button:

add_action('admin_head', function () {
    echo '<style>
        .edit-post-fullscreen-mode-close.components-button {
            background-image: url(/wp-content/uploads/brand.png) !important;
            background-size: 36px !important;
        }
        .edit-post-fullscreen-mode-close.components-button svg { display: none; }
    </style>';
});

It works — until it doesn't. Those class names (edit-post-fullscreen-mode-close, and friends) are Gutenberg internals, and they get renamed between editor versions. A snippet that works on one WordPress release silently stops working after an update, and you don't notice until a client does.

I tested doing it from the admin instead, with WP Adminify's Customize / white-label module. Here's the honest before/after.

What the default editor logo costs you:

Every client's block editor shows the WordPress "W" in the corner
Looks unfinished on sites you white-label and resell
The CSS fix targets Gutenberg class names that change on update, so it breaks quietly

What changed after setting the logo in Adminify:

Upload one image, the editor corner logo updates
It's stored in plugin settings, so a Gutenberg update doesn't wipe it
Same brand logo pushed to every client site from one place
No code, no chasing renamed CSS classes

Small thing, but the editor is where clients spend their time. Seeing their logo in the corner instead of WordPress's reads as "our platform."

Step-by-step doc: https://wpadminify.com/docs/adminify/customize/change-gutenberg-editor-logo

How do you handle editor branding — admin CSS, a child-theme snippet, or a dedicated tool? Curious what's survived a few Gutenberg updates for you.

How to change the WordPress admin favicon (without an `add_action` hack)

Lucas Fenwick — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 07:13:09 +0000

Open any WordPress admin in a browser tab and you see the same thing: the generic WordPress "W" favicon. The front end can be fully branded — custom theme, custom logo, custom everything — and the back end still announces "this is WordPress" in every pinned tab.

The default way to fix it is a snippet:

add_action('admin_head', 'my_admin_favicon');
add_action('login_head', 'my_admin_favicon');
function my_admin_favicon() {
    echo '<link rel="icon" href="' . get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/favicon.ico" />';
}

That works on one site. Across a dozen client sites it becomes another snippet to maintain in a child theme, and it disappears the moment someone switches themes.

I tested doing it from the admin instead, with WP Adminify's white-label / customize module. Here's the honest before/after.

What the default admin favicon costs you:

Every client admin tab shows the WordPress logo, not the client's brand
Looks unfinished on sites you white-label and resell
The snippet fix lives in the theme, so a theme switch wipes it

What changed after setting the favicon in Adminify:

Upload one image, the admin AND login screen tab icon both update
It's stored in plugin settings, so it survives theme changes
Same brand favicon pushed to every client site from one place
No code, no FTP, no editing functions.php

Small thing, but the first time a client pinned their admin tab and saw their icon instead of the WordPress "W", it landed.

Short demo (before vs after favicon):

Step-by-step doc: https://wpadminify.com/docs/adminify/customize/change-favicon

How do you handle admin branding — snippet in a child theme, MU-plugin, or a dedicated tool? Curious what survives theme switches best.

I redesigned the WordPress admin UI without writing a line of CSS

Lucas Fenwick — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 06:10:23 +0000

The WordPress admin has looked basically the same since 2015. Gray sidebar, cramped widgets, no dark mode, no way to brand it for clients without diving into functions.php and a pile of admin_enqueue_scripts hooks.

I got tired of writing the same custom admin CSS for every client project, so I tested WP Adminify's UI module on a live site. Here's the honest before/after.

What the default admin costs you:

Clients get confused by menu items they never use
No brand presence — every site looks like stock WP
Maintaining custom admin CSS across 10+ sites is its own job

What changed after enabling Adminify UI:

Modern dashboard layout with a cleaner menu and reworked widgets
Dark mode toggle (the one thing the core team still hasn't shipped)
Color schemes and layout controls from a settings panel, not a code editor
Same change pushed to every client site without re-writing CSS

The part that sold me: I onboarded a non-technical client and they actually found things. Menu clutter gone, the widgets they need up top.

Full breakdown of the UI feature: https://wpadminify.com/features/dashboard-customization

Curious how others handle client admin branding - custom plugin, MU-plugin, or something like this? Drop your approach below.