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For the non-designers out there, it must feel like heaven. You can weed through way more design options that you can imagine and they are all free. No more need to go to a freelancer and ask for their expertise. In 30 minutes you can find everything you are looking for.

Side note: I’m a bit of a hypocrit about this because I am using templated PHP as a starting point for many of the functions of my site, but I’m talking about design not development!

The Issue

I think it is a problem that many people don’t understand the impact of design. If it is a personal blog about your life and you don’t have any real need to stand out from a crowd, then designed templates are a perfect way to satisfy your need. You can use a template that isn’t unique, but it doesn’t matter much because your site is solely about the content. I have no issue with that use of templates.

What is frustrating is when businesses start using templates with the belief that they offer no less value than an individualized design. Effective design is about so much more than nice colors and a readable font.

Good designers:

• Ask the right questions of their clients
• Build a solution that meets the unique goals
• Specify design elements to fit both the visual and emotional brand
• Simplify your offerings in a way that is easily digestable and friendly for users

A template can’t do these things for a business. A template should be a framework from which to build, not a final solution.

I’m sure personal accountants feel the same way about Turbotax and developers about any variety of open-source code. I just hope businesses (and the numerous designers of templates) start to realize that in an effort to make their lives easier, they are weeding out the very people that have allowed them to do so.