Should I Buy A Custom Design, Or Use A Template?
Written by Darin on April 6, 2008 at 10:16 pm
This is not an easy question to answer. In large part, it depends on your needs and what you want from your website. Seem like a strange answer from someone who makes a living selling custom web design services? Well, that’s just the way I do business. Oddly enough I think templates are useful in certain circumstances. Yes, I could see this advice as reducing the number of customers paying for my services. On the other hand, if I bully someone into a custom web design when a template would work fine I’m not going to have a happy customer. And since I focus on the relationship with my customers, this is bad for me long term. So here are my thoughts on templates versus custom designs.
Templates
You can find plenty of these online, ranging from completely free to surprisingly expensive “premium” templates. Basically, these are designs that are premade and sold in bulk… sort of like the Costco of design services.
The positives: Templates are readily available and you can find one to fit nearly any type of site (blog, news, photo gallery, etc.). You can implement it immediately, no waiting around for a completed design, all you need to do is download a template and insert your content. Lastly, and most importantly, they can be found for free (or at least on the cheap).
The negatives: One problem with templates is that they are not set up for your specific website. Often you find yourself either hacking up the template to fit in your specific content, or adapting your content to fit into the template. Neither of these is an optimal situation. But, in my opinion the major downside of templates is that since they’re free (or cheap) you come across them again and again. Not exactly something that inspires confidence in your site, nor does it communicate your unique brand.
Custom Designs
You’ll notice this is the service I offer, and there are no templates for sale here. However, I’m not going to tell you that custom design is always good all the time. But, keep in mind, I may be a bit biased.
The positives: The biggest positive here is that it is completely custom. A good design will communicate your unique brand while also presenting your content (the most important thing on your site) in the most effective manner possible. In my opinion, this one positive is a significant one.
The negatives: In my opinion, the negatives here are time and money. Because custom design is a process, and is unique to each site, it takes a little bit of time from start to finish. Unlike using a template, there’s no choose-download-implement in one evening. And of course, custom designs are going to cost more than free, or cheap templates. Again, you know my bias, but I don’t think these are major downsides.
Conclusion
In the end, you need to weigh the options and decide which solution is right for your situation. Are you just starting out, setting up a blog in Wordpress? Go ahead, download a template. Are you running a business or trying to set up a unique site to determine your online presence, consider a custom design. Figure out your goals and make a decision. Good luck!