Title: When to use a Template

Written by: Captain Media, Drew Sire

I’ve seen some amazing templates posted on websites like templatemonster.com I don’t want to pay $5000 for a design when I can pay $50 for the same quality. After all, I want the least expensive price I can find. If I’m starting a local ice cream shop and want to place directions on the web, who cares to spend two months of lease money on a website. It just doesn’t make sense. Why do I even need a template if I’m an ice cream shop. I don’t even need quality, I just need a web presence. I’ve browsed hundreds of small business websites that look terrible and they worked fine. I guess I want a template because I want to look like a $5000 website. Isn’t that what people do now days. I want to look rich and not have to pay the price to be rich. I don’t want to sacrafice or emotionally detach from money. I just want to look rich and successful.

So why are you saying all of this Drew. Well, template designs look really nice. I don’t argue that it all. However, designers don’t educate people on why some designs cost $5000 and others cost $50. It has more to do with than just flash effects or nice photos. Did you know certain colors invoke certain emotions? Did you know the color red attracts the eye first over any other colors? Did you know yellow is the easiest color to see from a distance. Did you know you can guide a customer’s eyes through your website? How are you going to brand a financial business when you use the color red. Sure, that red base template looks like a winner but you’re financial company won’t be. Red will trigger certain emotions in your audience’s subconscious and they won’t be interested. They might be thinking about blood when you’re trying to setup a retirement fund.
“Ok, I understand I should pick the right colors. I can do that on my own.” Sure, you can pick a blue base template for your financial business. What shade of blue and what offsetting colors are you going to use? Are you going to match the photos with the base color? Are you going to use highlighting colors in your text that clash or compliment the design? Will I be able to read the text because it’s placed on a contrasting background? Did you know to pick the color blue for a financial website?
“Ok, can I just buy a template and you customize it?” Absolutely not! If templates were built to be cuztomized, they would be called custom designs, not templates. I don’t even proceed a conversation with someone who asks that questions. It tells me they don’t value design. They just want to look rich and don’t want to pay the price.

You should use a template if you want to look successful but don’t want to pay the price. I use templates when customer’s aren’t ready with content. I setup a content tool and let them populate the template with their words. I use them when they don’t care about branding. I use templates when customer’s aren’t trying to invoke emotions or make sales. I use templates when customer’s just want to look successful and not be successful. I’ve never heard of a successful person that didn’t want to make sales, didn’t want to brand an image and didn’t want to prepare.

Drew Sire

blog.captainmedia.com

http://www.captainmedia.com