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amseroedd da
11,021 PointsConfused about the use of templates and themes in webdesign/development work...
I have read on several sites that the use of templates is heavily discouraged because it is lazy and unoriginal. While I agree with this, I don't understand what the problem is if they are YOUR OWN templates and themes? Let's say that a webdeveloper/designer has some free time on his/her hands and comes up with an idea of a website, creates it and saves it for later use. Then, a week later he/she is asked to make a website for a customer. Can that website which was made before the client came be used now or is it necessary to come up with something new again?
1 Answer
Ben Falk
3,167 PointsI think it depends on how you approach things. I would say they are perfectly valid reasons to use templates -- for example, if you have a very price conscious client that doesn't have the budget to support full custom design/development. But obviously a template based design has limitations: others may already be using it (possibly in the same industry), it may not absolutely fit the client's brand, it hasn't been designed with the client or the client's content in mind, you can't always guarantee the code quality, it might be hard to edit, etc.
If you are using a template you created, some of those limitations disappear. Assuming you did a good job writing the code, you know what the code is like, what features it has, how to edit it, etc. You do still have the limitation that it wasn't originally designed with the client in mind, so you'll need to judge whether it is a good fit and presents the client in the way they want.
I would say it isn't absolutely necessary to come up with something brand new, but at the same time, don't try to force a previously created template with a client if it isn't a good fit.