Web Design Information courtesy of EnhanceYourPC.co.uk


Web Designers Beware!


As a web designer, I have a personal interest in a new trend which threatens to put me and my kind out of business. That "threat" is Web Design Templates. In short they are ready-made web design products which can be used as a basis for a fast and high-quality website. You usually receive a Photoshop file (.psd), Flash file (.fla), HTML files with your tables and initial scripting already complete, fonts, sounds and anything else which may be part of the website design.

A couple of years ago these templates were a small issue in the world of design. Most of them were of minimal quality and there were not all that many out there. Now some of the "big players" like BG Website Templates, The Discount Directory and Plantillas De Website are supplying spectacular designs which include 3D animated Flash, multimedia and dynamic programming for prices comparable to dinner out. Many of these templates rival even the best custom designer's work. So how can we (the humble designer) survive?

  • My first suggestion is to "aim high". By that I mean start targeting a "higher end" clientele. Most companies of any size will not want to have a website design which may well be found on dozens of other websites around the world.
  • These templates, while very impressive, are still templates. They still require the knowledge and skills of a professional for them to function to their full potential. So consider promoting your customization skills to those clients who are looking for a low cost solution. You can still make a pretty profit on the website and you'll get it done much faster. Another advantage to this method is that the client has already chosen a design, so the process of "back and forth" designing is removed.
  • Finally, you may choose to directly promote templates on your own website. You may feel that you're cutting your own wrists, but as mentioned before, the clients who wish to use a template most likely didn't want to spend the money for your custom work anyway. Once you've saved them money on design work by selling them a template, you have a much better chance of upgrading their order with add-ons like chat rooms, help desks and newsletters. In the end you may end up coming out ahead.

Whether or not our careers as designers will survive this competition remains to be seen; but in the meantime it doesn't hurt to at least become familiar with web templates. Knowing your competition is key to success.

Written by Gene Tewksbury
Webmaster/Lead Designer at Blue Gel Media
Exciting custom web and multimedia design and development.
Copyright © 2005 Blue Gel Media
This article may be reproduced if all content, links and byline remain intact.


MORE RESOURCES:

Web Design Company Launches Search Engine Marketing Service
ThomasNet Industrial News Room (press release), NY - 23 hours ago
Web design company based in London, http://www.kronikmedia.co.uk have introduced a new service for companies small or large in UK who are looking to improve ...


Web Design Agency in Nottingham Develops New eCommerce Pacakage
PR Web (press release), WA - Nov 20, 2008
Nottingham, UK (PRWEB) November 20, 2008 -- WebCatch are a young, up and coming Web Design Company based in Nottingham UK. They are making an astounding ...


Law Firm Web Design Company Now Offers A Free 5 Day Course in ...
PR Web (press release), WA - 17 hours ago
The law firm web design company, Lawyer Web Templates, has been offering high quality web building services and templates for years. ...


Franchise Direct's Embedded Videos are Creating a Wealth of New ...
PR Web (press release), WA - 5 hours ago
For an example of the potential of video content for businesses, just take a look at this video podcast from web design franchise Get us Online by Vizzit ...


Web design firm's span reaches from Dnieper to Danbury
Danbury News Times, CT - Nov 18, 2008
... a city in western Ukraine near the country's border with Poland, got the idea to start the firm while working at another Web design outfit in Stamford. ...


Leverage Your Website as a Lifeboat for Surviving the Economic ...
MarketWatch - 21 hours ago
"Unlike other local web design companies that went out of business that year, OneWebHosting combined web-savvy, creativity and cost-efficient services to ...


Denver Interactive Agency Ranks Among The World’s Best in Web ...
PR Web (press release), WA - Nov 17, 2008
... and visual communications, as a winner in the Interactive Annual 14, the magazine’s annual competition for excellence and innovation in web design. ...
Amalgamated Pixels Awarded 2008 Davey Award MarketWatch
all 10 news articles


Klue

Also wanted: Web Design Ninja!
Klue, Malaysia - Nov 19, 2008


HTML Fundamentals
mediabistro.com, NY - Nov 20, 2008
David has taught Flash, HTML, and other web design-related topics at Parsons School of Design since early 2000. David is a masterful teacher. ...


OnWheelsInc.com Unveils New Web Design
MarketWatch - Nov 6, 2008
DETROIT, Nov 06, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- OnWheelsInc.com, an automotive site for minority car buyers, enthusiasts and general web surfers alike, ...

Web-Design - Google News

home | site map
© 2007