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Using templates for clients?

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  • 14-12-2010 5:20pm
    #1
    Dean820
    Registered Users Posts: 2,099 ✭✭✭


    Recently I read a blog post on a well known Web Design website discussing the use of templates for clients. And it pretty much concluded that as long as the client has been told and isn't being charged an arm and a leg, it is quite okay. Which I thought was fair enough myself. What are your thoughts on using templates for clients? As some of you know I'm currently only a student but I made a website for my dad recently...so I planned everything out, decided what I wanted to put in, etc. and that night I came across a template with the exact same layout and features I planned on adding to the site. Now I had a choice, I could either go and make my own but end up with something very similar or just take the template and edit it to my liking. I chose the template because I saved a hell of a lot of time.

    What are your thoughts on using templates for clients?


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    #2
    lil_lisa
    Registered Users Posts: 1,829 ✭✭✭lil_lisa


    It really depends on what kind of site they want and if its tailored enough for their needs. It's like having a car built from scratch. You'll more than likely buy a frame that would fit your needs but then everything that goes into it and on it is the important part.

    I recently did this for my sister's company. We built a new website for them. Originally we had chosen a template and were changing it to suit what they wanted but in the end it just wasn't worth it. We ended up building from scratch.

    Personally, I think using a template is ok as long as it doesn't look exactly like the template afterwards and suits what the client wanted in the first place.


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    #3
    Eoin
    Registered Users Posts: 21,257 ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    As you have said, once it's been made very clear to them that it's not a bespoke design and that they have no rights to the design (just to use it), then it can be OK. As lil_lisa says though, it should be tailored to suit the existing branding of the company.

    This obviously should apply to all websites, but make sure that the template you use has decent mark-up. Some of them tend to have very poor HTML with loads of nested tables etc.


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