Website Templates: can you use them in professional web design?
January 5, 2008
A few days ago, I got this email that is all about starting a web design business, so I thought I would answer it here because I think a lot of people might find it interesting.
I need your opinion. I was looking to quote a friend a price for a small, simple, informational website. No more then 10 pages at the most. Possibly holding scedules for his football team too (which would need to be updated).
I know he wants a deal from me. Also, design is my weak point. How would i properly word the idea of using a website template? If i go and get a template from somewhere, it would be ethically correct to tell him since he could come across the same design someday. How would i go about doing that without him thinking- well i can go get a template and i don’t need you! Then I’ve lost a job!
Let me know your ideas.
Thanks,
Tim
First of all, I think using templates is the way to go. It saves a lot of time and frustration for both the web designer and the client since you can quickly show your client many options (web templates) so that you can quickly move to building out their site rather than speeding days/weeks going back and forth trying to figure out what they want in terms of the basic style.
” … it would be ethically correct to tell him since he could come across the same design someday.”
Yes but you make a false assumption that the template will be easily recognizable. Consider these points:
- There are billions of web pages on the Web – what are the chances someone will come across the same template twice?
- There are thousands of templates out there … tens of thousands. So, same as the first point.
- Once you finish adding your images, text and tweaking the color scheme, the template will probably look very different.
“How would i go about doing that without him thinking- well i can go get a template and i don’t need you! Then I’ve lost a job!”
I think my above comments answers this question. But just in case it is not clear; try to remember that there will be a lot of tweaking and changes that will have to be made to the template. You will also probably have to line up the web hosting, help them choose a good domain name, help them with whether they might want to use a blog or a CMS etc … Web design today, is a lot more than just design.
… We call the profession ‘web design’, but from my experience, you are more of a Web site consultant, guiding the client with regards to their web site.
“I was thinking i could tell my friend that i could get him a cheaper site that looks as good as an expensive one if i bought a template and modified it to his needs?”
For sure!
Check out this article on web templates.
CIAO,
Stefan Mischook
