Is buying a template for your site really so bad?

2009-01-14 10:59:17

People often tell me that "If I want a real website I should goto a real webdesigner and get a custom one-off design done."
That isn't cheap.
Sure there are a lot of webdesigners out there, but how many have a flair for design *and* can make XHTML compliant code *and* make it work in many browsers? The answer is not many.

I myself, haven't got the flair for design. I am too logical and the best I can do design-wise is outshone by my friend's toddler daughter. So if I can't design, can I code? The answer is an emphatic 'Yes'. Are there many designers out there that can't code? Also a big 'Yes'.

So my solution used to be to get a design concept done up in Photoshop or similar tool and then just use that as a tracing image to build my own template for the site.

Would I still do this?
No way. I have far better things to do than this. So what do I do about designs?
Put simply... I buy them.

I will put my hand up right now and say that over the last 6 months i have done no template design or coding. I have bought most of the templates I have used.

So are they as bad as people say? Nope, almost all validate both for XHTML 1.0 Strict and their CSS works in both Firefox and IE (I can't test Safari easily, since I don't have it installed (yes i know there is also a windows one)) and most look pretty good to boot.

It takes minutes to select a template and buy it. Then only a short time to mark it up for the CMS and drop it into the site.If I did the design stuff, even if its just outsourcing it, myself, then it would have taken hours. That's hours that would be better spent on other things like adding new features or getting new customers.