Designing from Scratch vs Pre-built Websites: Is One Better Than the Other? Sponsored
Some designers take great pride in starting every project from scratch. They are successfully seeing it through to the end. Others have no problem using whatever tool or aid they can get their hands on. Such tools will help them meet their objectives.
Neither group is wrong. Something worth bearing in mind, however, is when you start from scratch, you’d better know what you’re doing.
Gaining the experience you need to become a professional web designer takes time. Acquiring a strong sense of creativity also takes time. Creativity is rooted in knowledge. You can’t think outside the envelope if you don’t know what the envelope looks like.
Many experienced designers aren’t one bit shy about using pre-built website. They can help them get projects underway.
As you will see.
Designing from scratch gives you creative freedom & Pre-built websites rob you of your creative mark
The problem with these statements is that neither is true. This is for the simple reason that creating designs from scratch and creativity are not one and the same. To be creative you first have to establish a foundation of knowledge. It should address the various aspects of web design. Without that knowledge, you’ll be setting standards for yourself you’ll be unable to meet.
You first need to understand what best practices are (the aforementioned “envelope”). After you’ve gained that knowledge you can start to improvise. This is where creativity enters the picture.
A pre-build website can be a Godsend here because best practices are already embedded in it. You need to understand the workings of a pre-built website. You’ll begin to understand how to go about customizing them to get what you want.
Be Theme has a library of roughly 400 (and counting) pre-built websites.
Let’s look at a few to see how they can help to boost your creativity.
Impressed? Keep going; there’s much more to come.
You’re only professional if you design from scratch & Pre-built websites are for beginners
Here’s another fallacy. It should read like this. “You’re only a professional if you give your clients precisely what they want – every time”.
It is true that pre-built websites are excellent tools for beginners, but it’s true for others as well. As we touched upon previously, you can learn a lot by using them. It is especially so when the content matter relates to the industry sector you’re not familiar with.
Even if you’re an advanced designer, pre-built websites can be a great help in broadening your client base.
For example, a client might be looking for a simple yet powerful way to get a message across. In this case, you don’t want to create a stunning website filled with eye-candy and special effects. Any one of the following would be a far better choice:
“Simple” isn’t it? And quick.
You have to put 110% effort into every project. And, if you don’t treat each client equally, you shouldn’t take clients at all
Remember the times when you were a student. Did you allocate an equal amount of time to completing each of 4 homework assignments? How about 35 minutes for each one? If so, it didn’t work very well, did it? Reading a chapter from your English Lit textbook or solving 10 Calculus problems? These won’t necessarily take the same amount of time. You take whatever time it takes to complete the assignment.
It’s the same with your clientele. Some are more demanding than others. Some deadlines are tougher to meet than others. Some represent industry sectors you know zero about, or close to it.
You can’t afford to give multiple clients equal time. Pre-built websites will help in that they can dramatically speed up your workflow. No matter what industry sector or website type you’re dealing with.
Working with a pre-built website is something like having a team member give you a hand. For that matter, if you use pre-built websites and are part of a team, you’re in pretty good shape.
Imagine you had projects to work that addressed these four diverse areas. We’ll bet you could handle them all at once reasonably easy if you have pre-built websites to help you out.
And, at the end of the day, you’ll be just a little bit smarter and a little bit more creative.
Conclusion
Do you like the idea of taking on a complex assignment? How about creating your design starting from scratch? Nothing wrong with that, and should you run into a problem you’ll know you don’t have to brute force your way through. You might risk ending up with a result that’s not as satisfying as you’d hoped for.
You’ll do best when you choose your battles. Use pre-built websites when they clearly present the best option. Use them when your knowledge in a certain area is lacking. Same goes for when you’re unsure of the design standards or latest trends involved.
The secret here is that your typical pre-built website has a hidden value. You might not be aware of it until you put it to use. Start by browsing Be’s library to get a better idea of how these hidden values can help you in your work.
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