How To Select A Template
Website Design templates: Tips to assist in selecting your template
The video below is not my own work, as you will see, but it has some good general information, most of which I would discuss with you anyhow, so it;s good to have it all in one place, where you can refer to it time and time again.
You needn't be concerned about every little thing in this video, but it will give a great overview, and we can discuss the details of your exact needs later.
So, without any more ado... have a look at the video!
The important thing is ---- it can ALL be changed!
Remember that a template is just a starting point..... Everything in it can be changed.... You will never be stuck with what you may see in the demo templates you would have looked at.
Choose one that is sort of what you want, and then let's take it from there to make it really unique to your particular requirements.
The web site designer's point of view
If you try hard enough, you can probably come up with some funky style for a page with for example, a new wacky navigational menu. The problem is that everybody expects to see a web page layout follow certain basic rules; navigation sections have to be arranged in a certain way, links have to look a certain way ... being consistent makes the web site easier for the visitor to use.
No worries, you can still be original within the context of a template; people do it all the time. The web site template serves as the framework for designers, where it eliminates the grueling structural work and frees you to develop the subtlety of the web site's style.
With so many web site templates to choose from these days, you are almost guaranteed to find the basic style and layout you are looking for. You can then build off of that, speeding up the process - makes good sense for you and your clients!
The business point of view
Web site templates save you time and money; the production cycle of a web site project is at least cut in half when you use a web site template. Another advantage of using templates is that you can show the web site designers what you want rather than trying to describe it to them. The reverse is also true where the designer can show the client several templates that he/she can choose from - this alone will always be a great tool!
I have also found over the years that most people don't really know what they want until they actually see it. Templates allows the business owner to identify what they really want in a web site and actually buy it right there and then. They can hand the template off to the web designer for the personalized touches.
Even the great artists develop a 'template' of their own
This is just a side note, but it may be worth considering:
Artists typically become known for their style, this style is consistently applied in their work and it defines their careers. Picasso is one such artist; if you look at any of his paintings, you can clearly see that it's a Picasso.
Other examples are found in the music of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones; you may have never heard a particular song, but their styles are so well defined you instantly know whose song it is.
An artist's style is really just a template of what works for them. In a sense, an accomplished artist creates his or her own design template and then applies it to their work.