Ten years ago, it was taboo to utter the word “template” to a customer when discussing their new website. I avoided this word at all costs, and if I ever did say the word "template" I quickly followed it with an explanation of why the word “template” just left my mouth. After all, haven't we all heard a client say, "this design looks too much like a template" when rejecting one of our custom website designs. Because of this fear, I along with thousands of other web designers went through a huge identity crisis. We all thought that every website should be custom, because that's what we thought our customers wanted. Looking back years later, I've realized that nothing could be further from the truth. Custom web design is dying and here are 10 reasons why.
1. Design is Too Important
The word "custom" implies that the customer knows more than the web designer does. It also encourages clients to pretend they are web designers, and the design of a website is far too important to let a client mess it up. Clients are control freaks, and they think that having eyes and surfing the web qualifies them as web design experts. How many amazing websites have you designed only to have it later destroyed by your customer? That happened so much at The Ocean Agency that we stopped linking to our client's websites on our portfolio. Now we just show screenshots to save us from the embarrassment of what some of our clients later did to their amazing custom websites.
Clients have no idea how many years of experience web design requires before you're any good. Nor do they understand how important professional and strategic web design is to the success of their digital marketing efforts. However, as web designers we must take full responsibility for this, and never blame our clients. Blaming the client only inhibits your ability to change and improve the situation. So instead of blaming our clients let's just take that word "custom" completely out of the equation.
2. Users Don't Care about Custom
We need to do a much better job of communicating to our clients that websites are not built for them, they are built for users. Users don't care whether your website is custom or not. Honestly, they really don't care how beautiful your site is. Users visit your website for content and/or functionality, that's it. To your users your website is neither custom nor a theme. It's just good or bad. The more simple, readable, and usable your website is, the longer they will stay, and more likely come back later.
In 2011, HubSpot released a survey where they found that 76% of users said that the most important factor in the design of a website was that “The website makes it easy for me to find what I want.” Only 10% of users said, “beautiful appearance” was the most important thing to them.
That being said, a custom website could be detrimental to your brand and online success. Go with a tested and proven theme designed by an expert web designer with years of experience. By no means does this mean that themes are perfect. Every website needs AB testing and multi-variant testing. But as far as building something from scratch, why reinvent a really awesome wheel?
3. Form Follows Function
On the web, "function" is much more important than "form" because good functionality leads to content. To a visitor, "form" is a subconscious given. However, quality content is not. Rarely do consumers make purchasing decisions based on how cute your website is. Consumers make decisions based on ease of functionality and quality of content. Therefore, clients should allocate the majority of their budget to a quality content strategy, not custom web design. The easiest way to do that is to use a predesigned theme where functionality and design have already been tested and perfected by professionals, leaving more time to focus on quality content.
This reminds me of a question I once asked Khoi Vinn, former Design Director for the NYTimes.com.
ME: Should "function" ever follow "form"?
KHOI VINN: Yes, in the alphabet.
ME: Great answer. Thank you!
By the way, have you ever noticed how confusing "form follows function" looks when written down? The phrase "form follows function" actually contradicts itself when written.
4. Templates and Themes are Awesome Now
Five or six years ago, templates and themes sucked. I would have never recommended them to any client. Custom was the way to go. But not today. Websites like themeforest.net have revolutionized the industry. Experienced web designers from all over the world showcase and sell their themes and templates in one place. They've spent years perfecting the form and function of these website themes leaving you more time to focus on quality content.
Why themes are awesome:
- Theme design is as good or better than anything custom
- Functionality is fantastic
- Many are responsive
- They are already coded
- They are built on common CMS platforms
- Many provide support and updates
- They are very inexpensive (often less than $50)
I do have one gripe with themes. Many are not practical for businesses. They're designed as if every business is a web design company. Have you ever noticed that 90% of themes have portfolios, and the same basic pages that web design companies would have? Theme designers need to do a little more collaborating with business experts to perfect themes for different industries, but I suspect that's in the near future.
5. You'll Sell More!
QUESTION: Why do some cereal companies use a glue mixture instead of milk when showing a bowl of cereal in a commercial?
ANSWER: Because glue photographs much better than milk to a consumer, and consumers are very visual.
QUESTION: Why is it a waste of time to sell a car online with no pictures?
ANSWER: Again, because consumers are very visual and like to see what they are buying.
Web design customers are no different from other consumers. They're just as visual and love being able to see what they buy. Showing a prospective client what their website will actually look like before they buy it will give you a HUGE advantage over your competition. Yes, they'll need to use their imagination by picturing their logo, colors, and content on the site, but that's great. You want your customers visualizing their brand on your product. 
For you naysayers; yes, it's possible to sell cereal without using glue and yes it's possible to sell a car online with no pictures. But, it's not as probable. As a sales person, I want to increase my chances of a sale as much as possible and showing my prospective clients their new website before they buy it has dramatically increased my sales.
6. Opportunity Cost
Opportunity cost is the loss of potential profits by choosing one alternative over another. In other words, the longer you work on one project, the less money you can make on other projects. For example, let's say Team A can develop and launch one custom website in 60 days for $10,000. But Team B can develop and launch four website themes (back to back) over 60 days for $7,000 each. At the end of 60 days Team A would have $10,000 in revenue and Team B would have $28,000 in revenue. Of course, this assumes Team A can even launch on time.
By the way, one of the hardest things to do when custom designing a website is to launch on time. That's because there are so many factors that go into finishing a custom website and getting it approved by your client. You can limit rounds of approvals all you want, but by the time your client finishes asking his step-mother, neighbor, and IT department for their advice your timeline is shot and so is your opportunity cost.
7. Competitive Pricing
Everyone wants to save money, especially in this economy, and anything custom is expensive for everyone, especially the client. Themes take many time-consuming tasks out of the equation, dropping your costs and your pricing. Custom design shops won't be able to compete. At The Ocean Agency, we've been able to cut our pricing by around 30-50%, resulting in more clients and more revenue.
Here's what you can cut back on or completely cut out of your timeline when utilizing themes:
- Wire-framing
- Multiple design revisions and approvals
- Mobile/responsive design
- CSS & HTML coding
- CMS integration
- SEO integration
- Cheaper functionality by using plugins
8. Sales Don't Always Equal Profits
By offering themes, not only did we cut pricing, but we actually increased our profit margins.We often turn down clients who want a custom web design because our margins are often too low. In fact, I can remember many times when custom web design wasn'tprofitable at all; it just kept the lights on. Let me give you an example of a tough lesson I learned in the past. In 2008, our agency generated about half a million in revenue. In 2010, our agency generated about 1 million in revenue. Sounds great, right? It was actually terrible. My team did twice the amount of work and I made the exact same salary both years. That's when I learned a very valuable lesson about sales. Sales don't always equal profits.
After that, I completely changed my thinking. I started to work smarter to make more money, not harder. Offering themes was a huge change and much smarter for my agency and our clients. It lowered everyone's costs and dramatically increased our profit margins.
9. Clients from Hell
If everyone in the industry suddenly stopped doing custom web design ClientsFromHell.net would lose about 80% of their content. Much of that AWESOME blog is custom web design horror stories. Some clients can be a real pain in the butt, and yes, some of them may actually be from hell. A client from hell is much easier to control when developing a theme rather than a custom website. There are fewer opinions, less changes, and less time spent with the client.
10. Build Your Own Site .com's
If you're a web designer and you're scared about websites like Wix and 1and1.com, don't be. They're not going to put you out of business. However, they may force you to evolve and change; and the worst thing you can do is fight change. DIY web design sites love marketing to consumers and businesses, telling them that they can build their own website and consumers will magically come. That's crap and totally misleading. If you build it, consumers won't come. Sure, you can build your own website. You could probably build your own furniture and design your clothes as well. But you wouldn't because your furniture and clothes would suck. Our clients will never learn the basic principles of web design and marketing like the laws of visual hierarchy, Occam's Razor, negative space, form follows function, the laws of proximity. Our clients are lawyers, real estate agents, restaurant owners, bloggers, sales clerks, bar owners, car salesmen, and more. We are web designs, but first we are marketers! (In my Braveheart voice).
One of my favorite bloggers, Peep Laja at ConversionXL.com, once said, "Don’t design your own website. No, really. It will suck". He also said, "If you build your own site, it will be ugly and it will hurt your business. You will lose money. Every day will be a wasted opportunity." That was so refreshing to read because it's so true.
Web designers should use websites like Wix and 1and1.com to work smarter by removing the headaches of custom web design. These sites will also give you more competitive pricing and ultimately make you more profitable.
The Exception to this Rule
Every rule has its exceptions, so before you start yelling at me, here's this exception. Of course, there are still a few reasons to custom design a website, but not very many. I don't expect websites like Amazon, Facebook, Bing and other big brands to start picking out themes or templates…yet. Much of what I said above applies to small-medium sized business and most big corporations, who happen to make up 85% of the business in the United States of America.
Conclusion
Custom web design is dying. In many agencies, custom web design is already dead. This leaves you two choices. You can either fight change, or adapt and evolve. If you are still offering custom web design in the next two years, you will slowly but surely find yourself with fewer clients and more of the same headaches I left behind years ago.
While I appreciate the effort, people have been making this argument for years.
Web designers have been saying it as long as I've been in the industry...I recall having a conversation with a design friend in 2003, who proclaimed that Joomla was going to put him out of business.
In 2008, I spoke with a colleague who was upset about all the great free WordPress templates on the market, and convinced that he was going to find a new industry.
Here's a decent blog post from 2009 making this argument: https://theprojectweb.com/the-death-of-web-design/
and for the most part all of these arguments (including the author of this post) make the same basic assumptions:
Both of these assumptions are wrong.
First, design (like art) is always changing. Some designs last longer than others, but no design or style lasts forever. What's more, the devices we use, the tools we have at our disposal, etc. are always changing. The technology we use to build computers is changing too - we might one day look at keyboards and touch pads the same way we look at "floppies" and green screens.
The fact is, one of the only certainties in this industry is that dramatic changes are inevitable.
Second, design is anything but easy. Simply matching colors confounds people, and if you think every website owner is going to be happy choosing from the same set of color palettes, think again.
What's more, the standards and templates aren't nearly as awesome as we think they are. A standard is nothing more than a set of rules we can all agree need to be improved. A template is merely a starting point. A CMS is the thing that prevents us from doing that thing we all really want to do.
Is custom web design dead? Hardly. It is alive and well.
Mediocre custom web design? Web design completed by people who have no business being designers? That's a different story...but truly custom work will never go away.
Hi Jason,
Thank you for commenting. You have some strong points; however, please allow me to clarify a few things. Custom web design will soon be about as useful to clients as custom cars are to average drivers. Of course those who can afford to and those who need custom cars can get custom work done. However, the average joe or in this case the average business does not need a custom website.
Visitors care about content and how easy it is to access that content. You might say that continued ease of access (usability) is by definition custom web design. Yes. I agree. That is why I said it is dying as opposed to "dead".
Your friend who thought Joomla was going to put him out of business should have been adapting instead of fearing change. Look at Walgreens. Imagine if the CEO said, "well now that digital photos are here, close the photo developing department. It's a wrap." Instead they adapted by developing software that could upload your digital photos from home and print them in the store.
I think many designers see this post and become fearful. Instead they should adapt to the changes, needs of our customers, and learn to use the new tools we have available to us.
Thanks again for the insight :)
Hi Marvin,
Great post. I appreciate your bold thoughts and while I don't necessarily agree with everything, I firmly believe there is a lot to take away from your philosophy. To me, the most important idea surrounds the Darwin quote (possibly my favorite quote of all time). Everyone reading this—no matter SEO, developer, or designer—must heed this advice. Whether we like it or not, in our world, things move fast and we need to keep up.
At our company, we’ve been steadily evolving and trying our best to provide more efficient alternatives to traditional design and development techniques (e.g., replacing static PSD mockups with in-browser design, etc.). We are always open to advancements and new ideas, because at the end of the day, a more efficient process is only going to allow us to provide our clients with a better product.
However, one of my main concerns is with your thoughts on form follows function. Don’t templates completely contradict this principle? You have the form (template) first, and are then trying to fit in function (goals and requirements of the project). I can understand how you might be saying in one sense, “functionality and design have already been tested and perfected by professionals”—meaning that the template both looks beautiful and has great usability—but isn’t that only one meaning of the word “function”? Another way to phrase it might be, “design follows purpose” and I think this better describes what the principle has come to mean to me.
For example, first identify the purpose of the website, and then design and build one that accomplishes those goals. All websites should be fully accessible and usable, but not all websites will have the same goals and requirements. Now, I completely understand that most websites contain many of the same elements, positioned in similar ways, however how do you go about using a template or theme to fit your specific project? Is it simply a matter of replacing the time you would spend on creating a custom design with time searching for and modifying an appropriate template? I have used templates before and they can work well, but there is also the chance that it won’t be able to meet all the needs of the project, and additional time will need to be spent to implement a solution.
Anyway, sorry for the extremely verbose reply, but a good article like this always inspires a good discussion. In summary, I do agree with much of what you said, however my opinion would be that while templates and themes are gorgeous nowadays, they are simply an option for certain clients and situations and not a replacement for custom design. Not dying, just evolving.
Hi Matt,
Excellent comment. I love "design follows purpose". However, form follows function does still apply very much. Here's why. Because the form is already done by experienced designers that leaves more time for us to focus on function. The function should always be to get users the best content possible as clearly and simple as possible, so they can either buy your service or product, contact you or what ever other goal you may have. Form follows function essentially means that you are spending for more time thinking about function and putting form 2nd in order of importance.
I hope that makes sense.
BTW dying is a part of evolution. However, I see your point. In all I think "custom" should be removed from the services web designers offer for 95% of businesses.
First of all, my friend who complained about Joomla was a hack. The guy had no business calling himself a web designer...he lost his business because a) he wasn't very good and b) he didn't understand that Joomla was an opportunity, not a limitation.
Second, your argument that custom web design will be as common as custom cars doesn't diminish my point. The automotive industry - which is near and dear to my heart - earns about $31 billion a year from parts and accessories that often end up on custom vehicles.
What's more, the average vehicle has a surprisingly high amount of custom add-ons and features. New truck buyers, for example, spend $2500+ (on average) on custom accessories like tool boxes, lift kits, wheels and tires, etc. I'd even guess that you personally have a custom part on your car somewhere...a roof rack, exhaust system, cargo holder, etc.
The point? Customization is incredibly popular when it's affordable. If designers can work from templates that accomplish 50-90% of the client's goals, that frees them up to work on more custom features. Just like cars, your average website buyer isn't going to want less customization, they're going to want more.
Custom design is common now, and it's going to become even more common as frameworks continue to become designer and developer friendly.
In other words: Why buy a template website for $399 when you can own a custom site for $3000? Or $20k? If your business is big enough, these numbers aren't cost prohibitive...custom design is only going to grow.
Hi Jason,
I definitely see you points. Our discussion has become more semantical at this point. I guess we should define "custom". I am talking about designing a custom website from scratch. Custom add ons are great. It only becomes a problem when the buyers start dictating where to put the steering wheel and where the windows should go.
I still see your point. Custom features will always be available. However, I think desiging custom websites from scratch is dying. That could have been more clear in my post :)
Thanks for the input.
I was about to jump in with a harsh reply but after reading this, I can see where you come from. Especially regarding clients that think they know better and they should dictate which things goes where.
All in all, it's nothing really new here is it? It's an industry that's always changing and we (the best of us) will adapt.
If you can stand out, there is a lot more to be gained than fitting in. IMO
You are so wrong, i dont even know where to start.
Personally I find that starting with a great framework like Genesis, and having a developer customize that, is a perfect middle ground. They key would be to make my site feel like my own, and not a clone of the other 100,000 sites that downloaded the same theme.
Finding middle ground is great too. Great comment!
Thanks :)
Hi,
Nice post, though I am not a designer but a SEO expert what i think is the percentage of beautiful appearance of website must be somewhat around 25%, as it adds to look n feel and lures the visitor to look for more in the website. I won't look further into a dull looking website.
Hi,
Thanks for the comment. As I said in the 1st reason, design is far too important to let an inexperienced client destroy it.
Good design is simple design, and making thing simple is ironically very hard.
Thanks again :)
I think the saying in advertising is "Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak"
Thanks Marvin for the interesting post. Usually we think of custom as better, but really everything needs to come back to the user experience. If you can't find anything on even the most beautiful website it is worthless.
User experience is always first - customization is definitely a good thing. Look at the insurance websites - they are all similar but very different in ways that reach out to specific customers.
I did not go to school to graduate with honors in design so that I can use templates. Then why call myself a designer?
Give it some time. Gain some experience. You will see that users want usability first, and design is a distant second. This isn't my opinion. This is a proven fact. Too many designers design for the sake of design. Usually they are young and inexperienced.
Creativity does not equal conversions. Usability equals conversions. So focus on usability and you will be a good designer. Focus on design and you'll be lumped in with millions of other mediocre designers.
BTW, school is great but it doesn't mean sh*t. Experience is everything. Experience is power. I guarantee in this industry nobody cares what school you went to and what you studied. Experience is all that matters.
My words may seem harsh. But they are meant to guide not discourage.
Best of luck my friend.
Great post Marvin.
The hubspot quote:
"76% of users said that the most important factor in the design of a website was that “The website makes it easy for me to find what I want.”
I couldn't agree with this anymore. User's (well the mass majority) care about content, not necessary the presentation of the content. For example, wikipedia is as simple of a layout there can be, but users find the information that they are looking for easily (well organized/structured, great search functionality). Another example is craigslist.com. Heck, the original site was done in the late 90's or so but if you want to buy a bookcase locally it's easy for a user to do.
Kevin
Here's another example.
I was talking to a client the other day about buzzfeed and all of their success. We determined that none of their readers care whether that site is custom, a theme or whatever. They care about easy access to the content. Buzzfeed's success lies in the amount of "quality" content they shell out all day. For the rest of our meeting I got my client to discuss content strategy, NOT how creative the website should or could be.
Thanks for the comment. KIT!
As templates become better and more functional, custom website design becomes less needed. I've been playing around with a new platform for resellers that offer some great templates - Blankcms.com. The themes or templates are responsive and fairly easy to customize.
Good to know, and you are 100% correct about the evolution of templates.
Title is rather misleading... There'll always be sites that need bespoke design, look at Moz, no CMS can give Moz the Moz feel, it's a bespoke site by nature.
Hi Charles,
Moz was developed by digital marketers; however, I do see your point. They are another exception to the rule.
It's kind of like the analogy of making your own clothes. 100 years ago I could have said custom clothing design is dead; however, the rich and fashion experts have become exceptions to the rule.
Very nice article and in my opinion after two years it still holds true. I am very temped to put out my own opinion on this subject since it triggered lot's of my previous thoughts that I had in this subject before and after reading the article and all the comments.
Custom web design for project of a small medium sized business that only cares about putting their business on the internet is indeed dead. Lots of projects stay unfinished or exceed the amount of available budget. Clients don't really care about the design more then putting their product online and start marketing it. It is just to expensive in terms of time for the actual needs and often exceeds the available time and money. The result is a missing designer and an unhappy client that spent to much money for nothing.
Usability is a knowledge that is learned and stays with you for some time. For example windows have not changed their desktop since they came out because a lot of people learned to click that start button on the bottom left. Even linux and MAC systems inherited the idea of the same usability design for their own UI's. So this logic goes the same with websites. It is easier for a user to browse an e-shop in the same way he does it in other e-shops. He putted in some effort to learn how to do it and we all know that learning new things is a tough situation to be in when you simply need to buy something fast.
I see most people just test out their content in blogs with ready templates for free, before they actually purchase their own website and domain. And it is very logical, because a small or medium sized business needs to lessen their financial risks before they actually take them.
Now if a company or a client needs a very particular website with very unique algorithmic functionality and information that will put time and cost on the table, such as the giants like google, amazon, yahoo and so on, then no, custom design is not dead and will never be. Not to mention the cost of the complexity and hardware that they will need. There is a rule I read somewhere, "design by information" and no ready solution out of the shelf can provide this when someone needs to offer unique information or content or functionality over their website. In this manner I think that custom should always be expensive, flexible, unique, but not tested while ready will be cheaper, less flexible but tested. Both serve their own unique purpose in the market.
It's kind like the car paradigm, but in this case, hand made cars are more expensive then the mainstream.
Excellent points. You clarified my points very well. Thanks for commenting.
thank you so much for your post. I was wondering that for a while. But i read an article about why designers must not devalue their work, affecting themselves and other designers market. isn't the use of templates devaluating their work and making people see web design as something that doesn't worth much? or maybe being seen by customers as someone with no much to offer, because of choosing the easiest option.
Honestly the best article I have read in years. Totally hits the nail on the head of web designer frustration. When I first started in business a wise man told me "the more you touch it...the more you lose."
Oh my God!!! This article is completely unhealthy! ...don't even know where to start. I may need to write an article that's as long as yours to be able to lay bare the errors in your claims.
You must love how designers choose a template and change the text and graphics and call it their own. Also love how going to a designers website and seeing a template used for their portfolio. Really where did creativity go? Template tweeking anyone including my grandmother and dog can do.
Designers don't have to just pick other peoples templates and customise them. If they truly loved design then they would design their own templates to customise and sell. Today, the ideal business model wold be to design your own templates for the clients who can't afford custom, and offer a custom design service for those who have the money.
Custom anything will not die simply because some clients do not have expertise or desire to lear nyet onw more thing. Templates are your friend and you need to learn all about plug ins etc . 10 years ago we did not have 90% of todays functionality.
Client hire experts , They need you for keywords, metatags, , seo , adsense and the website is only 5% of your potential gross sales.
Yes , it is . what a great article , i like it . given very good advice . thanks for sharing with us . Vandelay Design is a web journal by the outline studio of the same name. They're web journal has been a monstrous vicinity in the web plan blogsphere for a long time and they cover a great deal of valuable themes for creatives of all stripes. Those themes include: Inspiration, WordPress, Web Design, Business, Web Dev, and that's just the beginning. [edited to remove promotional link]
point two of this article, the uses want to find what they need quickly. isn't this the point of custom design? you know what content you have and then you have to create a user experience around that making the content easy to find.
if your going to use a theme for example, then how is that making it easy for the user to find what they want? sure you could have a good theme that looks simple, but unless its custom to the content you have and the user stories that you have created then imo its not as good.
interesting post
I'm a little bit on the fence about this post. Funny it ranks so high for custom web design on Google.
1) Custom doesn't imply to me that the customer knows more, when you ask for custom things, you are asking for them to conform to your branding guides, style, color, etc. Something different than the norm. Yes I've had websites destroyed by customers. Presidents of medical companies put their interns on working along with me designing a website to what the intern likes, to just have the president shoot it down once we try to make it go live.
2) Is a poll from an end user perspective, not from a business owner perspective.
3) Function yes is more important
4) No, just no. Wrong. Any shmuck can just hop on theme forest and find the prettiest new parallax template for Wordpress and slap it together. It doesn't conform to the information that a particular company may need to convey, however, themes support and updates are only as far as the 3rd party provider wants to take it. I see a lot of theme makers do a 1-2 hit wonder on themes then drop out of it 6 months later to pursue greater projects. A theme is inexpensive yes, but try to get a theme like the client exactly wants, when they view a preview, then realize their media, images, colors and information just don't fit on the page right (like the last couple lines of my #1 point in the above example.
5) Wrong again, it is not a surprise, the end user gets many different comps and ideas, choices, and likes to take the best parts from all 10-20 and then the dedicated designer puts it together the best aesthetic way possible. ANd generally, you never will know what the final product will end up like after a theme is used. Customers try to customize themes, too, goof.
6) Untrue , if a client is sold a template with customization for them, it'll be cheaper than a pure custom web design.
7) So, freaking, wrong, I don't even know where to start. No. no. no. no. Wrong on all points 1-7.
QUALITY > QUANTITY - if this cannot be agreed upon. Keep getting those littler clients that don't want to pay for true value of a service, and see how much that hurts you as a freelancer, or your agency. Higher quality product and services will always correlate with higher quality clients. Read Breaking the Time Barrier by Mike McDerment, the owner of Freshbooks.
8) I actually agree with this somewhat. But sounds like you're pricing things the wrong way, as reading the book I just mentioned should point out to you.
9) Love the website. I should make a few posts there ^_^
10) You'd be shocked how many people out there charge for 'custom web design' then turn around and make a site on Wix, makes me sick.
If custom web design is dead, then why don't big corporations just use a theme, why do they spend 10's of thousands of dollars on hiring talent? Because they want something unique and innovative. Any mention of that here? How about the fact that your awesome frameworks bog down the customers website with about 100 different bells and whistles, maybe 2 of which they;ll use, the rest loading dozens of scripts they dont need which slow down their site? Or how about the fact that themes make real customization in the future exponentially harder than it should be because the source files are so complicated? No mention of that here, all we get here is that frameworks are awesome. The person who authors a theme has no way of knowing what the customers goals are, so inevitably sacrifices must be made. You must conclude that to say that custom design and development is dead is completely ridiculous - there will always be a place for design that reflects the client's brand exactly - and for the driving code to accommodate their goals in a clean, non compromising way.
I agree with your assumptions. To be a website designer today you don’t need skills in wire-framing mobile/responsive design, CSS & HTML coding and CMS integration. Just look at my business. A small business can get a (custom) small business website for under $29 month. Danjgoulet.com I use templates and customize them to fit the small business. However, I don’t forsee people like me taking over the marketplace. People making custom web design have the best skills and ability to make great websites. Until custom website designers switch to easier methods I don’t think it’s going anywhere. Also, the fact customers like getting ripped off. The more money it costs the better it is in their minds.
I believe this debate could go on for days. I come from a custom web design background and though I understand the reasons why people buy a template, I still believe a custom web design, especially for those that know what they want, is a better option.
ok - I'll try. Ive owned a web design agency for 20 years. The best site that any customer can order is a custom website. No doubt. Themes are awful. They are filled with useless code, slow, hackable and are designed without knowing the content, which is a fundamental flaw in branding and storytelling. Every time we have been asked to use a theme its a nightmare. No legitimate and established company wants to use a them for what is their most important media and where opinions are formed. Too many times customers need advanced functionality and 3rdparty integration that you simple wont get in a theme or a DIY. Your article IS appropriate for small starts ups with poor budgets but custom web design will never go away. I just cant see Apple, or even a small software company turning to a template.
As for your info consider this:
46.1% of people say a website's design is their number one criterion for determining the credibility of a company" -Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab
Of course a user wants to get to essential content easily, that's a rigged stat. So maybe we should just all style sites like Craigslist? Come on man!
Anyways, i did enjoy your article, but you are just wrong.
Hey Marvin,
I appreciate your thinking to list out 10 reasons for this. But these 10 reasons makes more sense after considering 100’s of exceptions, few you have mentioned.
Manish
What are some of those exceptions?
Dear Marvin,
Based on my understanding of marketing and web solutions industry,
following are the reasons why Custom Web Design is not going to die
for another few decades until some Government regulations impose a
standard design/look/feel/navigation structure/layout on all websites.
Before I proceed, am creating short forms for Buyer and Seller of
web design.
WDP=Web Design Provider
WDS=Web Design Seeker
1. Branding of WDP. What segment WDP is targetting?
2. Branding objectives of WDS
3. Objectives of website set by WDS
4. Psychological reasons of we human - to do something different and
earn respect and appreciation from society. This always drives us to
do something different from others and do no follow the herd.
5. Ego - People need something custom/high end - with or without
requirements - to prove themselves superior or ahead of others.
6. Evolution - If demand for custom works would die - things would not
further evolve. Need/Demand/Problems - are making
social/economical/technological system evolve.
7. Adventure/Curiosity/Diversity - We human love to explore new things
everyday - these days we are doing this mostly online, people love
internet because of its diversity.
8. Offline World Facts - Templates have existed in all other
businesses also but demand for custom works never died. Take examples
of - Real Estate Industry - They built ready to move apartments,
villas, Clothing - There are 100s of clothing manufacturers offering
ready made solutions, Automobiles, Electronics, Food etc. *Demand for
customized work is more in those industries where supply of affordable skilled providers is also consistent.*
I enjoyed doing brain storming on this post. :)
Regards
Manish
Thanks for the examples. I do agree there are exceptions to every rule, including this one. Im not sure there are as many as you are implying.
Dear Marvin,
Am not against 'Frameworks/Open Source based off the shelf solutions' OR taking 'Frameworks' as base for building 'custom web solutions'. :)
Am on the same page as you - Custom is not going to die but surely Template/Frameworks based stuff is going to thrive.
End customers really do not care if the solution they want is based on open-source/frameworks or built from scratch, and if we can give them 50% cheaper price by using some opensource/framework as the foundation for the solution they want - surely they would not mind saving $$$$s :)
And we/WDPs save our productive time and brain not redoing the same thing again and again.
All the best for future Marvin.
Regards
Manish
Stellar post, Marvin. As someone who designs, I couldn't agree more on how form should follow function. It is all to easy to get caught up in the design and obscure whats important.
Very Glad You Agree! - I am a big Form Follows Function Fan!
Thanks Ruphel :)
Agreed!
Provocative post, but it seems to assume that custom websites always have to be hugely expensive.
Perhaps that's true in the agency model. But there are other models.
I'm an independent consultant with only a handful of clients on long term contract. They are much bigger than Mom and Pop operations; two have sales in the tens of millions. My overhead very low ( just a part-time link builder paid by the hour and tools subscriptions.) I have the clients pay any third party expenses ( eg. designers and developers and Adwords) directly with no mark-up from me.
Guess what? I can get a great custom website done by my designer and developer for less than $1,500. What the clients are paying for is my expertise and advice. I call myself a web strategist. And since I usually manage the sites post-launch, there is less chance of them getting messed up!
Did I mention that I worked briefly at a small agency that tried to serve small business with custom work. Guess what? They went broke.
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for the comment. You are able to get a website done for $1,500. While I agree that is possible, it may not be that probable, especially when custom.
I would love to hear more on how you are able to accomplish this.
How can I get a custom website done for $1,500? Two ways:
A) Having virtually no overhead. I work from home and have only a handful of clients on long-term contracts.
B) Taking a mark-up of 0% on the services of designers, developers, ad expenses, or other third-party services. Clients pay for my expertise. That's it. Clients pay third party expenses directly, in addition to my monthly fee.
Definitely not a model for everyone. But it works for me.
i agree with marvin, $1500 for a custom design is possible, but if your doing a good job in which im guessing you are then you could be charging more, but its your business and who am i to say to charge more :)
Dear Marvin,
I must say great post, which will make everyone re-think about the Present and Future of 'Custom Web Design', but being a custom web solution provider since 2004 - I could not resist myself from posting a detailed comment about this post.
You started your argument by saying that “the word custom implies that the customer knows more than the web designer does”. I believe that custom in the web design industry actually means “as per the requirements of the business.” A template basically represents that “one size fits all”. Although when you fit in your specific requirements into that template, it might look completely different from what you started with. Ruling out the assumption that you will get what you see.
Anyways, I’m not trying here to sell you the concept of Custom web design. This is surely not my sales pitch. The point that I would make here is maybe you are missing out on the very basic concept of marketing- Segmentation. Every customer comes with his own set of needs. Every product is not for everybody. Everyone doesn’t have the requirement or the kind of budget to get a custom web design. The ones who do will always ask for a custom design. The ones who don’t will never agree to buy one. There will always be some who would still opt for a DIY solution, no matter what Peep Laja says. What I conclude is, all segments can peacefully coexist.
I completely agree that function always leads form. Here is where the expertise of a web design company comes in. The design should never compromise on the usability aspect. At some point you have to let go of some design aspect to fit in the usability aspect. There is always a trade off. It might sound cliché but I would like to quote Steve Jobs here.
“It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
Even the best template or a Wordpress or Joomla solution will come with so many extra features that will never be of any use to you. That is because they have not been custom designed for your business; it’s like buying a car which has a dashboard (control panel) of an airplane.
Regards
Manish
Great post! I think the main take away here is that the best websites are those that make it easy for the user to find whatever it is they're looking for. And that "custom" doesn;t necessarily mean "better."
Hi Beymour,
I'm glad you understood the message. Web designers should take advantage and adopt to this way of thinking. It's a win win for them and their clients:)
This is an old post, but I feel like I should comment on it.
While it's true that many businesses are choosing templates right now, I believe it's only due to the time and cost only. Assuming we use a very simple website as an example:
1. Buy a template + hiring freelancer for customization: 500 - 1000 USD (less than 1 month)
2. Design and build a website from scratch: 3000 - 5000 USD (2 months or more)
Assuming that you take a template to use as is (without and customization) then the gap would be even higher (up to 10 times?).
In your example of opportunity cost, you seem to imply that a website built on template, done in 15 days, can be charged with the price of 7000 USD? I wonder if the clients will agree to pay that given that you are using template?
From your article and your comments, it seems like you are not really comparing custom build vs templates but more like custom build vs using template as a base? In such case, then I think the difference are kinda blurry. Even for custom template, designers and developers normally re-use elements and partial designs quite a lot. A really custom website with all new parts are rather rare nowaday.
It is highly relevant for me to think as well as i got the substantial reasons why designing industry is moving to down thus reasons are precious.
Hi ,
In my opinion, custom web design is okay to use given its importance in branding. Customisation offers individuality and uniqueness of a website. It also gives website owners's full autonomy on how they want their website to look like.
i agree with this, if your using themes then there is no way that you are sticking to that clients brand guidlines. changing the colors of the theme etc is hardly sticking to their brand.
Maybe this post would have been better named... "Custom Web Design from Scratch is DYING"
Thoughts?
Provocative post, but it seems to assume that custom websites always have to be hugely expensive.
Perhaps that's true in the agency model. But there are other models.
I'm an independent consultant with only a handful of clients on long term contract. They are much bigger than Mom and Pop operations; two have sales in the tens of millions. My overhead very low ( just a part-time link builder paid by the hour and tools subscriptions.) I have the clients pay any third party expenses ( eg. designers and developers and Adwords) directly with no mark-up from me.
Guess what? I can get a great custom website done by my designer and developer for less than $1,500. What the clients are paying for is my expertise and advice. I call myself a web strategist. And since I usually manage the sites post-launch, there is less chance of them getting messed up!
Is this templates for for the seo because an seo have to look the way of styles used specially inline style.