Lots of WD templates!!!

[Big Frank]

So, this suggestion of yours: "you can do better than that by creating your own website, using as your colour and layout inspiration a site like 4Templates" is not that great after all?

Actually, it was a great idea. It wasn't an original idea, but it was a great idea. Think about it, if you used colour and layout inspiration from a site like 4templates, you'd have some great templates and this thread wouldn't exist (except to praise your great templates). The idea was great, it was my implementation of it that was wrong.

At least your demonstration of it is now proclaimed by yourself as a copyright infringement?

Yes. Imagine that, somebody admitting they are wrong! How crazy is that???

Fine. So let's think about it. I have a choice:
a. pay $30 and have my site ready without any hassle or risks.
b. waste time browsing for design ideas, to copy them and take all the copyright risks.
c. learn to make great designs from the scratch (spending MUCH more than $30 for this in time*money equivalent).

Hmmm....

You make some interesting points. Let's think about that for a moment (my comments added in bold):

1. pay $30 and have my site ready without any hassle or risks but end up with 70 website templates, none of which will really show my business up in a professional light, ergo $30 lighter.
2. waste time browsing for design ideas, to copy them and take all the copyright risks. Don't fall foul of copyright law and you won't risk anything. Time spent looking for inspiration is never wasted
3. learn to make great designs from the scratch (spending MUCH more than $30 for this in time*money equivalent). What a fantastic idea! That way you'll never have to buy anybody else's templates and your website will be unique!!
   

Put 2 and 3 together and you have a winning formula! Go for it!!!

Steve, me ole mucker, I made a mistake and freely admit it, to the extent of going into great detail about it, so that hopefully those that read this thread won't fall into the same trap. Because it is a trap - it's so easy to see something, like it and decide to copy it, changing a couple of insignificant things and then calling it our own. Mea culpa.

However, look on the bright side, I have given the local template manufacturing business more publicity than they would ever have had if I'd missed that first post. And if they sell loads of templates I'll be proved wrong (any chance of a commission, guys?). And if they sell none at all it'll give them the boost they need to improve, improve, improve!

If there is a god, she's probably laughing at me right now

[handrawn]

got to say if someone were to try to sell me ready made cartoon backgrounds or character models i would politely decline

it is a lot more fun making your own, but it is a lot of work and you do need to know what you are doing

if this analogy has no relevance to web design at all please feel free to ingnore it; I have enough trouble simply getting word/comicpress looking acceptable

i could just smack jeeves or comic genius but your own site is important in my estimation

it all depends what you want it for - bottom line

[bcire68]

@ Frank,

1. pay $30 and have my site ready without any hassle or risks but end up with 70 website templates, none of which will really show my business up in a professional light, ergo $30 lighter.
2. waste time browsing for design ideas, to copy them and take all the copyright risks. Don't fall foul of copyright law and you won't risk anything. Time spent looking for inspiration is never wasted
3. learn to make great designs from the scratch (spending MUCH more than $30 for this in time*money equivalent). What a fantastic idea! That way you'll never have to buy anybody else's templates and your website will be unique!!
   

Put 2 and 3 together and you have a winning formula! Go for it!!!

You are not wrong however you are making some assumptions here that just don't hold up in every situation.

1) Not everyone wants a website for a business, hobbies, clubs, families, church groups, are just a few examples. Of those individuals that do want a business website most are probably willing to spend some money to have a web designer build something for them. Though these templates can be used for businesses, I never considered them my target audience.

3) Not everyone has the patience, willingness and or inclination to take the time to learn how to make a website function or learn good design. I agree that it is more fun to design your own, but not everyone is willing to do that.

There is a reason why you see such a plethora of templates offered on-line.

I'm not offering this in defense of my templates (they don't need defending ). I'm just making a statement about template use in general.



@ Steve,

To use your analogy... This isn't about offering backgrounds and character models to a professional cartoonist. It is about offering premade cartoons to complete novices and letting them put their own captions in. This would let them present their ideals in a much better way than if they attempted to draw their own because all they know how to draw are stick figures.

Eric

[handrawn]

and there is a market for that Eric

I like to hear both sides - I reckon the proof is in the uptake - hopefully you will do well

[Scotty]

Hi,
I have been following this thread a little and it seems to me that AddOb has spent some time creaitng these templates. I also have 10 to 15 templates I have created sitting on my Hard drive.
My thought on the matter is that a customer who buys these templates for there personal use and/or small business would either have to pay some one to 'add' the content they want in the deisgn or biy Xara product to do it themselves, then learn Xara. Most people don't want to spend that money or time to learn a program they probably never heard off.
Just my thoughts.
JimM

[bcire68]

Add O.B. had nothing to do with the design of these templates. They were designed by myself and another member here. He just liked the templates.

No big deal, I just wanted to clarify.

Eric

[aridzone]

My thought on the matter is that a customer who buys these templates for there personal use and/or small business would either have to pay some one to 'add' the content they want in the deisgn or biy Xara product to do it themselves, then learn Xara. Most people don't want to spend that money or time to learn a program they probably never heard off.

Are you kidding Scotty?
Pay $49 for Web Designer 6 that comes with great templates etc...
Buy Xara Template pack 1 for $39.99 for more templates, clipart, etc...
Buy WebDesignerTemplate pack 1 for $29.95 for 70 templates, flash creation, etc..
OR
Pay $400-$1800 for software like Dreamweaver!
Web Designer 6 is 100 times easier to learn and use!
Simple to upload and maintain!
This is a new product give it time to earn the respect it deserves!
Just my $.02 worth!

[Karateed]

I totally agree......one of the things that attracted me was the ease of designing a website using templates....and the incredibly low cost.

I've easily been able to upgrade to XDP6 for a fraction of the cost of any of it's so called competitors and the ease of use....well, I've been at least able to do tutorials in XDP6 successfully where in fotoshop I've not been able to 'easily', and that's the key word, complete or even get 1/2 way through any tutorials.

There is no question of the ease of use of Xara programs compared to the industry standard....that tells me that when these programs grow all the way up, there could be a change in the standards, however slowly that may happen.

I feel the templates have a lot to do with that and any new templates, such as the ones being discussed here, can only add to the mix. A person would never use all 70 templates but they might use up to 10 or so and that makes the package worthwhile and the cost is practically free for someone else's work.

As always, it is a personal decision whether these templates would be of value to the purchaser...hence the target market.....

[Big Frank]

A person would never use all 70 templates but they might use up to 10 or so

Why?

[Add.O.B.]

Why?

Why do you even ask? You'll never understand it anyway. So beat it.