Commercial Template Pros and Cons

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Commercial Template Pros and Cons
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• Most front-end developers have this love / hate
  feeling to make own templates or themes by doing
  it their own way. From reviewing the design
  mock-ups, planning the html structure, choosing
  the better framework to use (optional), to
  integrating it with your favorite CMS (Joomla,
  WordPress, Drupal, etc), website development is
  quite a long process. Though its not a smooth
  one, the end result gives a sense of fulfillment,
  both professionaly and personally.
• However, because we are not living in a perfect
  world, there are some situations / clients that
  require / force you to use a purchased theme
  which there are pros and cons.

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Save money, time and effort

• The usual reason for buying a template is that it
  speeds up development time thus eliminating
  further cost and effort. Designing a mock-up
  would help but definitely not a must. You dont
  need to plan the website structure, learn HTML,
  CSS or get your hands dirty with Javascript. As
  the more practical way, a web developer would
  only need to install the theme and presto! A new
  website is born.

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Extra goodies and more!

• With a purchased template, extra goodies like
  plugins and extensions are included. That means
  developers do not have to install third party
  application or to create own slideshow because
  the plugin is already there, and applying the
  content is only needed. One downside of
  installing multiple plugins, components, or
  widgets is the fear of conflicting scripts to
  each other which either something has to give
  or figure it out how to make them co-exist.

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(A virtual friend) Somebody to lean on

• The good part of a purchased template is the
  support. If the going gets tough, the developer
  wont shoulder all the burden. Instead, your
  friendly theme support staff is available and can
  be asked for any theme-related customizations or
  errors. Most of the theme support guys I reached
  with are reliable and straight to the point in
  answering questions.

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Fast and (it makes me) furious (just a little bit)

• While reading other blogs, I found one that
  summarizes what I feel towards using purchased
  themes / templates. Please visit this blog
  http//millo.co/is-it-okay-to-use-templates-and-th
  emes-as-a-freelance-designer. According to the
  author, the flip sides of buying created one are
• They are harder to customize.
• They are less original.
• They are less tailored to your clients specific
  needs.
• They can be hard to understand quickly.
• They make you look like a less-capable designer
  to some people.

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I would like to share you my thoughts about the
disadvantages
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Harder to customize

• When clients asked something that is beyond the
  features of the theme, some developers more
  likely feel some jitters and uneasiness. Others
  might thought I wont spend a lot of time
  figuring out how to work things around here!.
  One option could be considered though is to send
  the customized requirements to theme author and
  brace for additional cost.

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They are less original

• With a purchased template/theme, the idea of
  having an all-original, brand new concept can be
  thrown out of the window. Ideally, a designer or
  developer would like to have a site that is
  all-original, but in reality, it may be rare to
  find a site design that is original in all sense.
  In one way or another, from header to footer,
  similarities among web sites can be found.
  Chances of having your site the same with others
  are high.

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They are less tailored to your clients specific
needs

• Some clients want a unique or different way of
  showcasing their products / services online. It
  could be a unique layout of the home page, a
  seldom-seen-before content of the landing pages
  or simply something out of a box. These factors
  might give developers a difficulty matching in a
  design provided with an already built template.

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They can be hard to understand quickly

• For some developers, understanding the structure
  and function of the codes created by another may
  take a longer learning curve which doesnt sit
  well with them. There is a thinking that I could
  have done this based on my idea and preferences,
  but have to adjust to what was given.

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They make you look like a less-capable designer
to some people

• Its like you want to express and execute the
  idea in a creative way but you cant anymore. A
  template had been purchased, and the layout, hue,
  and overall look and feel are already
  established. There is a feeling that your
  creativity was not unleashed. It is like someone
  took that away from you.

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You miss the chance of learning and improving

• The purchased template/theme is advertised as the
  best solution to have your site built quickly.
  Business-wise, it is practical which is a great
  thing. A haven for HTML newbies (or to those know
  nothing at all), commercial templates will save
  you from HTML and CSS difficulties. To make it
  short, everything is spoon-fed. 

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• To conclude, I think it boils down to the budget
  and requirement. As a developer we could only
  wish that every single project we will take has
  enough time and budget, but thats not always the
  case. In the real world, practicality goes first,
  however great things are not done in an instant.
  Learning and improving takes no shortcut.

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• Created by Kika Marketing and Communications