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
From my perspective - I’m a designer, meaning that I come from a graphic design background before I came to web design - I’ve been designing web sites, even low budget ones from scratch. At one point I started wondering if I were the only one, seeing that almost everyone else uses templates. So if you use a template, you’re not the only one. Second, customers these days are more web educated that say 8 years ago, so many of them already will shop for a template, then seek a designer to tweak it. So it’s not shameful to tell a client that if they want a low budget web site, the only way to go is start with a template and try to personalize it, and that’s where you come in
The approach I take with templates, especially when it comes to low budget websites, is explain that I can design a website from scratch and it will take me approximately x number of hours at y dollars per hour. Since my hourly rate is generally more than a template costs to buy, clients with limited budgets almost always choose to go with a template versus a completely custom design.
Our background is also in graphics design. It can literally take seconds to come up with a distinctive design for a client at a very low cost. If a client has a higher budget it will allow us to spend more time working on the design phase so its worth thinking carefully about your budget.
In the end of the day the majority of internet traffic is comming from search engines. By definition people decided to visit your website before they see it. Graphic design wont attract customers but it helps keep them interested once they get there.
The resource of using a template for low budget sites is certainly a valid point from a business standpoint, but I find that even low budget clients want to be treated in a special way. They want to know that their business is still unique, etc., which is true anyway. If you’re a good coder, you can probably crank out a small site in the same or less amount of time it would take you to come up with one or two designs… so why not do that for each one of your clients, regardless of the budget (obviously, if the budget is ridiculously low, then you ‘kindly’ guide them elsewhere).
Also, for your regular or large clients, templates should NEVER be considered, since they are paying you top dollar for your expertise in both design AND development.
Just my 2 cents!
A quick note about what the author said about
“There are billions of web pages on the Web - what are the chances someone will come across the same template twice?”
My take:
In a smaller town and even cities, the SMB’s approach to internet search is similar in manner. I mean that they will probably use the same key words and accordingly bring up the same results. So they will find the same templates. Now, let’s add the human factor. We all like what is aesthetically pleasing. So,they will probably pick the same style template. This is especially true if they are in the same industry. Now giving these factors, it is not so unlikely that prospective clients will see the same template being used in different companies. Now the prospect has lost the warm and fuzzy and the company using the template probably lost a sell for obvious reasons.
Just one man’s opinion.
Hi,
Practically speaking, you can just check on the Web to see that your assumptions don’t turn out to be true.
I’ve been in the Web business for over 12 years and I can say with great confidence, that templates are the way to go. Just as they are in so many other industries.
Stefan
Hi,
I tend to think that it always pays to be honest with your client. There’s no point telling them the’re getting a bespoke site, when in actual fact it’s off a template site. The fall out that will result and the damage it can do to your reputation isn’t worth the risk.
Templates have a place and serve a purpose and this tends to be for the companies who only have a small budget. If your client has the money though, design something special and from scratch.
Cheers
Mark
I’m a freelance web consultant and have been designing site for 11 years. Recently, I started using templates and it has been a life saver. I’m artistically challenged but I’m extremely good with graphics so templates allow me to get the basic ideas and layout and then I can completely customize the entire site. It saves an enormous amount of time and you can give the client multiple design ideas within minutes rather than weeks of consultation and layout.
I often thought myself as a cheat for using templates as I’m a web “designer”, but the truth of the matter is, templates offer me a much better design and I can get my clients up and running extremely fast which is most important. If you search for professional web designers, you will most likely see familiar templates in their portfolio and usually on their own site as well.