Sabrina Dent: Freelance web designer, developer and internet marketer living in Cork, Ireland with one dog and a husband in no particular order.
Confessions of a Template Whore
Recently, I got “busted” in the comments on a blog post for using a template to create a website. The website in question is WordCamp Ireland; the template in question is the suitably named Fun Design Theme.
Except there really isn’t a question. First of all, that theme was specifically credited on the WordCamp site – a credit cleverly hidden in a page on the menu called, you know, Thanks and Credits.
Second of all, I am pretty transparent about the fact that I freaking love templates. While I bill myself as a web designer, the fact of the matter is that clients really hire me to solve a problem. Generally that problem is that they don’t have a website, but sometimes it’s that they don’t have a website and don’t have any budget either.
Solving both of those problems at the the same time is my job. While a client with unlimited imagination, a healthy budget and at least a few weeks in their schedule is the ideal, it is not always the reality for the people I prefer to work with. MarketingWriteNow had 24 hours; they got Concise. Fuchsia Cottage was done as a swap; they got EarthlyTouch. Radisens wanted something blue and efficient; they got BlueLight.
While it is theoretically possible I am the slowest web designer in the universe, I don’t think I am; a new design for a homepage takes about 8 hours, and XHTML and CSS takes about 5, even for fairly simple sites. Then there are all those hours of content bludgeoning, cross-browser tweaking, and custom functionality. It adds up.
But, using a template, I can often get small sites out the door in a single day, at significantly less expense to the nice person paying the bill.
Some designers consider this cheating. I do not, for a few reasons. First of all, I see it as being very similar to buying stock photography or stock vectors, both of which are very standard practice. More importantly, I think there is a skill set in picking templates and stock, and that that skill set has value. Most clients browsing through templates are stuck on the visuals, but choosing the right template for a project is all about the layout. If the structure of the container is right for the content, you can pretty much make it look like anything.
That’s because a good portion of the billed time is usually spent customising the theme’s graphics; The Good Wine Show does not, I like to think, look the same as Prominence, even though the layouts are duplicates. And quite often, even the most perfect templates require at least a few hours of customisation – template makers are obsessed with Java script hover menus, for example, but no hover menu will ever appear on any site I put my name on.
At the same time, I know a lot of designers will never, ever use a template on principle. I completely understand and respect that commitment. But frankly, I also know a lot of designers who bill out considerably more than I do each year. I made a decision a long time ago about the kind of clients I wanted to work with as a freelancer, and that client is most often a small business start-up. While the financial profile of these companies varies, the people behind them are also often broke.
And at my house, even broke people deserve nice websites.
23 Feb 2010
| In: Crankypants + Design | Tags:templates, wordpress
Interesting that you got a hard time from ‘Endless Mike’ who didn’t have it in him to reveal himself. I remember when you launched the site you said that you used a template to cut time. It also prompted me to head over to themeforest to grab some themes on behalf of friends. Why reinvent and thus bill what you don’t need to.
23.02.2010, 9:48 amUp until recently I thought using WP, Joomla, etc was cheating and unprofessional; but have since been converted to the wonders of WordPress, themes and all. People need affordable options. And there’s no point doing a lot of extra work just for the sake of it, giving me more time to write good content, SEO, social media, etc.
23.02.2010, 9:51 amIt all sounds fair Sabrina, you are upfront about what you do and how you do it. Using templates, stock icons / photography is not cheating or scamming anyone. These are the tools to get to the end result. If you can save money & time, by not inventing the wheel, by using a similar wheel then go for it. As you pointed out, it leaves you time to work on other aspects and ultimately a better product for less €uros.
F*ck the begrudgers !
23.02.2010, 9:54 amDon’t you hate getting busted for being sensible and efficient? It’s so embarrassing.
23.02.2010, 9:57 amI love theme forrest, have used them a few times on pet projects. Rarely are people truly original anyhow so just admit it and use what you can to help deliver the right solution.
In this case the solution fits your target market perfectly.
23.02.2010, 9:57 amInteresting post because I am thinking of using more templates myself. I like the way that you have customised the templates; they often look completely different. How do you sell this to clients or does it not require much for clients on a budget? Has any client balked at using a template? Would you always credit the template in your credits page? Thanks if you are able to answer all my questions!
23.02.2010, 10:01 am@Clive: I don’t mind answering questions at all.
1. Clients on a budget want what works. They can see from my portfolio that the end result is customised and have always been fine with it when I suggest this approach.
2. Nobody has balked.
3. No, I would not. Part of the reason I use paid templates is because that is not required in the license, which it often is for free templates. For the WordCamp site, however, since it’s all about learning, including it seemed instructional and useful.
This is a totally legitimate way to approach things. Everybody in the industry uses some form of re-usable whatchamacallit.
Would using Prototype or JQuery constitute cheating because you didn’t write the libraries yourself? No.
Would using PHP constitute some ethical breach because you didn’t write the framework? No.
I actually believe that taking a templated approach, on the right projects, shows you to be pragmatic. Choosing when it is right, and what is the best tool for the job is the skill.
How many times have we heard of people shelling out thousands or even millions on a website, then to discover the end results was only so-so and didn’t fulfill all the requirements.
I’d rather deal with a pragmatist than a technologist any day.
23.02.2010, 10:10 am@Everyone Else: Well, I didn’t think it was evil, either :)
Interestingly, Mr Busted seems to have a real wad in his panties about this. He’s also made a comment on a client’s site about it, which is doubly hilarious because when I put that site in my portfolio, I specifically addressed WHY we had chosen to go with a template. I mean, I’m hardly hiding the fact that yes, I am a template whore, what with a whole category of my portfolio tagged CUSTOMISED STOCK TEMPLATE.
Some people are really very reading challenged.
Dont you just love the grouchy old begrudgers who go off on one without doing *any* homework. You are known (& sometimes notorious) round these parts for your *straight-up-ness*. Keep on doing what you do, you rock x.
23.02.2010, 10:33 amShame on you for being efficient and treating your customers right by saving them time and money. Down with this sort of thing!
23.02.2010, 10:34 amTemplates are tools of the job, nothing more nothing less. The creative use and customisation is the talent not the base coding.
Sounds like a bit of grumpy gate keeping to me…..
23.02.2010, 11:05 amHoney, you may or may not be the slowest web designer in the world. Frankly that should be irrelevant if (a) you charge fairly, and (b) clients are made aware of your work schedule.
You’re upfront, open and transparent with clients, (often far too) reasonable when it comes to fees, and – most importantly of all – phenomenally brilliant what you do.
You use templates? Who gives a f*ck? Your sites look great, your clients all love you, and you’ve new ones queued out the door. Go Template Whore!
23.02.2010, 10:50 amI speak as one of those broke clients when I say ditto what Michael Kane said – “Go template whore”.
23.02.2010, 12:03 pmUnless you hardcode HTML from scratch using wordpad you can’t call yourself a *real* web designer!
Only joking. It’s a form over function whinge. Your sites all look great and do what they say on the tin. Elitist whingers with no understanding of real life should just take a big flying leap.
E.
23.02.2010, 12:14 pmIf you’re not etching the bits, in binary, onto a hard drive using a magnet you fashioned out of a piece of string, a paper clip, and some chewing gum, you’re just whoring.
Don’t think that you run into “purists” only on the design side. It gets WAY worse on the development side. Over here, you have a clearly defined hierarchy of geekdom, and woe be unto he who would seek to overturn it. Assembler > C++ > Java > SQL > Ruby > C# > VB > Adobe
23.02.2010, 6:55 pmI’m all for using templates. If there is something already created that I can use as a jumping off point I’ll use it. I’m not looking to reinvent the wheel. I’ll usually buy the PSD version, do the css conversion myself and go from there. Often times there is some element I or the client like about the template that we want to incorporate into the design. Why not spend the $15 to get it instead of recreating it?
Oh, and Mike, Java is not better then SQL. Pllleeease! :)
23.02.2010, 7:59 pmI think templates are amazing!
I love them and I’m a huge template whore.
Who really cares. The client is coming to you because they don’t know how to do any of this stuff.
It’s fast, and why would you spend so much energy building from the ground up? The cost would be insanity and these clients would not be able to afford it.
Keep at it.
23.02.2010, 8:11 pmAs an avid user of stock photography, vectors, plugins and templates I couldn’t agree more.
The solution is what you are hired for.
On a lighter note, how funny is it that the shortest time window that you mentioned was “marketingwritenow”?
23.02.2010, 9:29 pmOut of curiosity, did you bill this templated project in the same ballpark figure that you bill out non-templated work?
If you were getting paid significantly less for templated work, I somewhat understand. But I would have an issue if you’re getting paid the same amount for both templated and non-templated work, since you’d be doing far less work using a template.
23.02.2010, 9:46 pmWell said! I have yet to use a stock theme on a client site, but I have no qualms about recommending WordPress (and in fact I use it for a number of my own sites). And, well, who really starts a WordPress theme from scratch? Even if you’re doing a custom design, you’re probably starting from an existing theme, even if it’s one you originally developed yourself. As long as credit is given where it’s due, there’s no harm.
As you said, you’re helping clients solve a problem. Success as a freelancer (or as a human, really) comes from correctly assessing the problem and coming up with the most effective solution, not doing what gives you the most glory.
23.02.2010, 10:21 pm@John Phillips: I either bill by the hour or make a projection and flat-rate each project. These were all clients with one day budgets who got one day (or more) of time. The exception was Radisens, where if I am recalling this correctly, we licensed the template to use key design elements but built a theme from scratch to make it work as we wanted it to. There was also a lot of other stuff to be done on that site, including video and voice work.
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24.02.2010, 5:47 amThere is nothing wrong with using templates so long as the quality of the design and code is professional and at least you are being honest about it.
I think what gets people’s goose is the fact that companies out there flog poorly put together templates (usually from dated content management systems) to unsuspecting customers with laughable results.
In this case, you are still delivering a higher quality service to your clients without charging them an arm and a leg and it’s an honest service.
24.02.2010, 12:25 pmI just told a client yesterday that I don’t do templates. This post sort of changes my mind about it a bit because I’m the first person to grab stock vector or other images when I find them.
Lately, I’ve been using a lot of CSS frameworks also.
Like you, I like to work with startups most of whom don’t have half the budget needed for the work they require. Rather than explaining to them why I charge what I charge and getting $0, I can save both of us the time and grab a template as a starting point, saving the customer a lot of $$$.
Interesting post. I like your portfolio too.
24.02.2010, 6:52 pmI recommend WordPress to clients all the time for content management. Do they know I didn’t write WordPress from scratch? Of course! But as the designer, you’re the expert. They are paying you to do what they can’t, which is deliver a functional website customized to their business. Just because they buy a theme doesn’t mean they can change out graphics or troubleshoot code issues. That’s what the designer is for. And as long as you let your clients know what the deal is, charge fairly, who gives a flip? Business is business. Get that money and keep your clients happy.
24.02.2010, 10:06 pmAs a recovering developer I had to laugh at Mike’s comment here: “Assembler > C++ > Java > SQL > Ruby > C# > VB > Adobe” I am a Microsoft babe and right at the bottom of that heap! I once went over to a friend’s blog and pretended I thought that LAMP was something that put a pretty shade on your bulb :)
For my own website, I used the WordPress Hybrid Template, which I credit in the footer. This is because I intend my website to be of interest to writers and those with an interest in writing and the plain but imposing black-and-white font and style was to my mind the best way of conveying this impression. I borrowed a lot of the CSS files for use with some of the .NET stuff I was developing as well (thanks to master pages).
Also I don’t think people realise how much brute force manipulation of CSS is required to customise these templates to work for you the way you want them to. I certainly didn’t until I had to do it myself!
Susan
26.02.2010, 12:38 amHats off to you. Your work is exemplary and template usage is definitely like using stockphotos. You still have to know how to code in order to fit them to your needs!
26.02.2010, 1:04 amIf it wasn’t for templates the GrangeWeb kiddies would be on Patricks bridge begging – now they only go on Saturdays and during the busy shopping hours.
Now I am off to build a house from scratch – no blocks for me I am going to mould them by hand.
Seriously (RSPCC blog readers they just beg for fun!) I met a client today – showed him WordPress – showed him some WooThemes I was going to use. Shook hands will have the site up by the weekend. he knows it’s a theme, I know it’s a theme – bank manager doesn’t have to ring me from a different number to get me – we all win hurrah!
Well done Sabrina – to hell with the detracting no namers.
01.03.2010, 4:03 pmI honestly don’t know why anyone would get their knickers in a twist. Provided the client knows they’re not getting a custom design, then all you’re doing is offering an honest service like anyone else, using the tools that you need to get the job done.
Project 1: Spend time designing a branded, unique customised interface for a WordPress theme. Mark-up each template, following best practices for accessibility, Web standards, SEO, etc. Create theme, integrating into WordPress engine and test thoroughly.
Project 2: Deploy an existing template/theme.
While Project 1 may be the purists idea of how every client WordPress site should be created, many businesses simply can’t justify the expense. Project 2 provides almost as good a solution for a fraction of the cost. I would imagine only larger businesses would want to go down the Project 1 route where brand is critical and budget isn’t as much of an issue.
The right tools for the job, the right tools for the budget.
08.03.2010, 10:28 am[...] small controversy arose when Sabrina Dent admitted to using themes for client work. Her reasoning made sense and apparently she disclosed it to her clients so from a [...]
09.03.2010, 5:06 pmI honestly don’t understand what the big deal is about using a theme as the basis for client work. As long as it is not used *off-the-shelf* and there is obvious heavy customisation then there shouldn’t be an issue. I’m expanding on my print experience and am moving into web work. I had a 50 page project I had to get done for a non-profit as my first project and it made perfect sense to me and my pro bono client that I use a WP theme as a base and then customise. What I take issue with is when someone rolls out a website that is no more than a theme with some content slapped in and takes credit for design work that isn’t theirs. Your are completely honest about your process, far more than many of us – something that is fantastic to see. You obviously put a great deal of thought and effort into what you do and it is the end result that matters. The portfolio speaks for itself, Sabrina and you are inspirational as far as I am concerned.
09.03.2010, 5:54 pmI think using templates is perfectly awesome. Who says we are all designers? Also have you seen some of the sites out there? At least giving someone a purchased template is a vast improvement. Who cares if your site doesn’t get featured on the next css gallery.
I am actively looking to use templates for many of my small budget clients. Anyways Content is king in this search based world.
09.03.2010, 9:35 pmI have to say that even though you’re mostly using templates your style is definitely noticeable throughout all your work.
13.03.2010, 2:12 pmWell I’m not sure if that’s because of your customisation or because of the templates..
[...] [...]
08.04.2010, 11:51 amTemplates, what would we do without them. I love using templates and I don’t see any problem using one. Customizing it to your preference is just making it look more great.
15.04.2010, 4:34 am[...] post stems from the Smashing Magazine blog post called The Dying Art of Design and which led me to Confessions of a Template Whore by Sabrina [...]
16.04.2010, 11:44 amHi Sabrina,
This whole area is quite interesting, and i think the issue is more one for traditional coders rather than those who choose to use/modify templates.
I’m a novice and i recently asked for look and feel feedback on a webmaster forum on the 2nd site i’ve done. (voluntary basis: http://www.ballydehobjazzfestival.org).
I made it clear it was a modded theme, and got one response only. I suspect wordpress is seen as a threat in that it brings the technology closer to the ‘common man’. It’s easier if you’ve got the time, enthusiasm, and a reasonable level of intelligence to self teach and produce something.
This part of the IT sector is evolving so why fight it. The most important factor is the end result, not the manufacturing process.
Keep on whoring, it’s an age old profession and you know how to deliver those results!
17.04.2010, 1:55 am:-)
[...] Web Design?” by James Dalman. That article itself was inspired by an older one titled “Confessions of a Template Whore” by Sabrina Dent which is equally [...]
20.04.2010, 4:40 am[...] certain caliber work. Time and money are often a luxury. Many designers openly use freebie art and pre-designed WordPress themes for clients to save time and money. The question is not whether this is right or wrong. This is up to the [...]
25.04.2010, 6:54 pm[...] post stems from the Smashing Magazine blog post called The Dying Art of Design and which led me to Confessions of a Template Whore by Sabrina [...]
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