I am a designer with an old school mindset. There are methodologies or rules in the design world that “just are” – some have valid reasons and others are personal preference, but regardless they are concrete pillars that shouldn’t be moved. Then there is the “new school of thought” which has caused riffs with the purists and old-timers like myself. Many of these battles have to do with the advancement in technology and the tools at our disposal. The digital age has changed some of the methodologies on how we used do things, which is both good and bad. This blog post stems from the Smashing Magazine blog post called The Dying Art of Design and which led me to Confessions of a Template Whore by Sabrina Dent.
This is going to hurt but I’ll say it … I agree that designers are getting lazy. I feel that in many ways we have neglected the true creativity that is hidden within us and settled for mediocrity in order to pump out our work. Things have changed and it reminds me of the first MTV music video I ever saw, Video Killed the Radio Star, at the age of eleven. Digital killed the the artistic star. Terrible, I know! However, on the other hand the advances of technology have been extremely beneficial for graphic and web designers. Who remembers burnishing Letraset for ads or coding on the Tandy TRS-80? Some things in the past were just a pain in the butt to do and now we can be more creative in certain areas, more quickly.
How does this relate to WordPress themes for web design?
Simple. There are those discussions where the purists thumb their noses at the kids who “cheat” and use a template, theme, or stock art. But is it really cheating? Can we blame some designers for finding ways to be more productive and for making more money by not creating everything from scratch? Here are some considerations:
- It takes a lot of energy and time to create something from nothing
- The world has devalued true artists and the worth of creativity to who can do it for less
- The economy really sucks and those ‘cheap bastards’ have gotten cheaper
- Many people wait to the last minute and then need it yesterday
- Business is about being profitable not winning design awards
- Solopreneurs or small shops are limited by time
- There really isn’t too much new or original under the sun
If you just consider these true and valid thoughts, then it absolutely makes sense to streamline the creative process or development. Time IS money. You either can sell your custom artwork or creativity for a very high and lucrative price because you do less projects and time is limited, or you can sell efficiency and good enough work for less and bang out more projects. As long as the client who is paying your fee is happy, why does it really matter?
Please know that I value custom artwork and the lost arts and crafts we once knew. I also value the ability to make quick money and getting on to the projects that I really love that might not pay. My belief is that using WordPress themes or stock artwork is definitely not cheating or wrong – it’s smart business!
How do you feel about it?
James,
You definitely bring up a good point in our age of instant gratification. I am from the “old” school of designing and yes I do remember burnishing those Letraset rub ons, and still do on some hand designed projects. I still draft by hand with an old T-Sq and Triangle too, but I have embraced the advancement of technology that has allowed all designers of any design background to simplify the process.
I love WP as a CMS because it allows designers and developers to use the platform for both customization and template modification. One can make the site as complex and customized as the client desires, or help to meet a looming deadline to quickly get the information out to the masses.
Technology is what you make of it and I am proud to be able to combine both my old hands-on experience with new technology as is it evolves.
Thanks for the article!
Angela
James, great post …. love your considerations list especially. These are the current realities of being in the freelance design business.
Although I love creative types who can take a blank canvas and design magic, I also believe in efficiency and finding tools that help you get projects done faster so you can be free to do those ‘blank canvas’ projects.
We’ve obviously built our business around templates …. to provide tools that help designers be creative without having to code (something I know you in particular loathe).
Excited to hear other thoughts ….
Angela,
Thanks for your thoughts and it’s awesome to talk with someone who is “old school.” I remember drafting hundreds of drawings back in the day and admit I really miss some of that.
I think it’s great to blend both disciplines and really hope that the some of the classic ways don’t die out because of technology. There is so much to learn from design history just as there is from modern technology. And I think true designers should incorporate a little of each.
Cory, Thanks! I LOVE TO CODE…NOT!
James, I agree with your points. Small businesses and entrepreneurs want a website today and don’t have much, if any money to pay for it. It’s the same with graphic design. I want a logo for my business because I think I need one for my website or business cards but I don’t have much money, what can you do today for $5?
There are models out there where talented graphic designers and artists can create something unique and sell it over and over again for a few bucks, eventually making enough to have made their work worthwhile. I believe that Theme design is one of these models. There are some very talented theme designers who create some great work but the market dictates that the fair price for that work is $0-50. So why not sell your work through a marketplace. If you’re a good developer but have no artistic flair then you can make a business out of building good functional websites that have the features the client needs and use someone else’s theme. A win win in my book.
Whilst the market value of design and development continues to fall and opens the doors to new clients looking for good quality work at a low price then work will hopefully continue to grow for those of us in the business. This has a cyclical effect – more clients and more work means more jobs for struggling artists and developers which results in good design and development work getting into the marketplace. When those who make money from their design or development give back to the community then everyone wins.
Like you I come from a different time, old school. But as business evolves we all evolve or risk ending up out of business.
Steve
Cheating is a funny word. As a designer, one can use a WP theme as a framework and turn it into a work of art. Is that cheating?
We learned drafting in middle school during the 60′s and I never used a calculator. Do people who use CAD/CAM and calculators cheat?
My method for all development has always been, work with what you have. And my feelings on this topic are, “The proof is in the pudding. & Love is in the eye of the beholder.”
Call me old-fashioned too.
My point of view: Why to re-invent the wheel ?
We should not make useless competition just for the sake of having ones. “We are designers so the rules are to use only design you create by yourself”. The game is made by the people who breake the rules.
We have to think big, how we will help the world with what we do. If i want to help people writing content i will choose a free template and i customize it. Other blogger in the same niche will choose to go with a very professional design made by himself, he will have the design advantage. Maybe the time is worth.
At the end of the day all things we do sum up and the world decide who is better, this is the competition. If i can compensate with other things the bad look of my website i win.
I agree. Sure sometimes a completely custom site is what a client wants but sometimes clients do not want to spend a ton of money paying us for our time to create a completely custom site or icon. If the client is happy, how can it be cheating?
At the end of the day, if we cannot be profitable, and continue designing, what is the point?
You could tell your client: “I’ll set up WordPress for you. You can find a theme you like, or I can make a custom theme for you. If you are short on time, I can look for a Theme you will like.”
I thought this was a great post I am not old school as a matter of fact when I went to college it was all nothing like this (2000-2003) And really by divine intervention have I gotten back into web design (fall of 2009) Admittingly I love this stuff. and Want to learn as much as possible.
Thanks for the post
I am by no means a designer. But it is important to remember from a business standpoint, not every site needs to be a one of a kind masterpiece. The resale shop, the bookkeeper, the corner store; all these people should be online as the world continues to connect. But can they really afford and justify a $2-3k custom website? Will it make a positive difference in the bottom line?
I think using themes makes great business sense. A little customization makes it unique without reinventing the wheel. It gets the local guy off of myspace or other freebie sites and gets them started. Once established, if it makes sense to do so, then something more custom can be created.
My 2 cents
Scott
@sbowmann
@steve – thanks and great points!
The only thing we have to be careful of is that we do not drop pricing so low that it devalues ones services. There is always someone who can do it cheaper but that really screws the people who have actually committed to learning their trade. Clients must be educated that all is not equal and that designers or developers invest a heavy amount of time learning, purchasing equipment and software, and for education. I find it strange that we take this low-ball approach for professional trades in America. People don’t do this when it comes to medical care.
This goes for theme pricing as well. There are people who complain at the $79.95 price tag of an iThemes premium theme but what they don’t realize is the time and investment that goes into developing a theme that actually works, especially with different browsers. Then you add on the huge amount of time to support these products. On the other side, they could spend a couple thousand dollars for a semi-custom site, so it all needs to be put in perspective.
Sorry for the rant and it probably doesn’t have much to do with your comment.
@Gary – excellent feedback. I think cheating is ripping off design or code or telling people you did the work and didn’t do any of it at all.
@Mike – totally agree!
@Scott – Again, great points. There is no reason to create something from scratch especially when a company doesn’t have the funding to do it. I do believe that even on a limited budget the site needs to look great, be functional, and generate results. All of those can be achieve with premium themes.
You know I have felt the same way for a while now. I am always a bit guilty of using templates to save time, but economically it makes far more sense.
I do different levels of design for my clients. I have a program (artisteer) that allows me to create a basic custom template (backgrounds, colors, menus, fonts, etc.) in just about half an hour. I do those for the folks who don’t have much money, but want something that is still uniquely theirs.
For the middle group, I basically modify a premium template. They get a custom look, with the bells and whistles the premium themes provide.
For the rest of my clients I use software that provides a framework, then completely customize every aspect of the design the way one would a page layout. With some basic skills WordPress *IS* adaptable to nice design. It doesn’t have to look like a blog at all.
Using WordPress templates (unless you’re just using a pre-built theme) is no different building your own template for a website. Templates are the only way to have a consistent look and feel, which is a hallmark of good web design. All the art is meaningless when it comes to the internet if the site isn’t functional. Doesn’t matter if it looks good. Art for art’s sake belongs in a gallery.
Looking forward to the next version of Dreamweaver… it’s going to have WordPress tools built in.
Great post, James. I like the idea of using a template as a foundation, much like you layout a site from scratch using the 960 grid or something similar, but I believe in originality and I think it adds great value. I think the balance comes in educating the client and in positioning your brand.
Design is not a commodity, but many designers adopt a commodity mindset that drives the prospect toward comparing by price alone. This is not a winning model because there will always be someone with lower pricing. I think there is great benefit in knowing what you do well, and adding your special proprietary touch to a strong design foundation. I also think knowing your market is really important. Some clients want the top of the line, in this case price becomes less of a factor.
I really enjoyed this post and discussion. Thanks much.
@Beth – Excellent feedback and thoughts! Design is NOT a commodity and designers do need to watch how they try and close projects based on price because it hurts themselves and the industry.
@Valerie – Thanks for your input. I am hoping that the new WP feature in Dreamweaver lives up to the expectations!
I agree with everything that you have said. I started my internet learning about a year ago, and I find that I have changed the way I do my website dramatically since I first started. I really wanted to dive in and learn how to do it all myself, so I started from learning about internet marketing, from Howie Schwartz. I can say that I have worked my way to the Theme I am now using, and I love the fact of how I can make it all work without depending on some marketing/web design company that never seems to do what you ask them to do. Thanks for giving me the space to put in my comments.
Great article ! i do not think there is any “cheating” using WP, WP-Themes or any frameworks/template generators, if the client is happy and the site fits the needs so you are happy to. Just as posted above, nowadays the most clients need the site yesterday and they have a low budget, you have to make a living right ? If you have the luck to work whit clients they can afford more and also understand and respect your work, well then just enjoy it and give them that custom site they deserve.
Just my two cents.