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I had an idea for a site which I think could be really useful and could gain traction - would it be "unprofessional" to use a Themeforest theme?
I fund all of my projects from my pocket and have maybe $50 which I can use - I can't afford to hire a designer.
Thanks in advance.
What does that even mean, really? Break it down.
Do you think customers will not buy if you use a ThemeForest theme or Twitter bootstrap or WooThemes or what have you? If so, empirically denied: I've sold hundreds of thousands of dollars of product on sites using those options personally, and many people have had that experience.
Do you think you owe it to the universe to hire a designer? I don't know why you'd think that, but some people apparently do, so let's time-shift that owning-designers-money thing into the future, just like designers have apparently timed-shifted giving-you-more-than-$50-for-your-programming services into the future.
Do you think "professional" sites necessarily have awesome, jawdropping unique design? That is not true and would not withstand scrutiny through the WayBack machine. The biggest Internet companies you can think of all launch withed worse than what $5 will buy you on ThemeForest. Some of them are still there (cough Craigslist).
It is not "unprofessional" to use a ThemeForest theme. What does that even mean , really? Break it down. Do you think customers will not buy if you use a ThemeForest theme or Twitter bootstrap or WooThemes or what have you? If so, empirically denied: I've sold hundreds of thousands of dollars of product on sites using those options personally, and many people have had that experience. Do you think you owe it to the u…
I'm using an Admin template for a web app and its pretty unique.
I just don't want to be "mocked" because I didn't take the time and money to make a more unique interface. Like North Korea was mocked because the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea's site (http://korea-dpr.com) cost $15 because they bought a template of Themeforest.
I know it shouldn't be a really big problem, but I'm second guessing every decision I've made because I'm really nervous about this one. (I've switched between PHP and Python and Linode and Heroku about 15 times now).
Where your theme comes from isn't going to concern 99.9999% of your audience and most wouldn't be able to tell the difference between and handcoded theme and one bought off themeforest. It's more important to get the project out, you can always iterate over the design later.
Is it bad for a designer to use a stock photo if they can't afford a photographer?
Of course not! Will the design look a bit generic? Yes it will. But that's not a big sin in the larger scheme of things if you have a low budget project. Design is about problem solving as much as it is about creativity.
However I will say the following: Just like selecting "off the rack clothing" use care in picking a theme that best matches your project. In fact for an extra $50 you could even get a designer to help you pick something that best matches the project.
I'm a designer, so let me flip your question another way: Is it bad for a designer to use a stock photo if they can't afford a photographer? Of course not! Will the design look a bit generic? Yes it will. But that's not a big sin in the larger scheme of things if you have a low budget project. Design is about problem solving as much as it is about creativity. However I will say the following: Just like selecting "off…
I'm using Pastel and it seems perfect for the project.
Thanks for the input, it helped.
It is not "unprofessional" to use a ThemeForest theme. What does that even mean , really? Break it down. Do you think customers will not buy if you use a ThemeForest theme or Twitter bootstrap or WooThemes or what have you? If so, empirically denied: I've sold hundreds of thousands of dollars of product on sites using those options personally, and many people have had that experience. Do you think you owe it to the u…
No, I'm perfectly fine with Twitter Bootstrap and similar because its highly customizable and after a few hours coding, it won't even be recognizable. I'm using an Admin template for a web app and its pretty unique. I just don't want to be "mocked" because I didn't take the time and money to make a more unique interface. Like North Korea was mocked because the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea's site ( http://kor…
Forget the web design stuff. Use Themeforest, or the Boostrap defaults, and spend your time getting your product to do things people will pay money for.
I'm a designer, so let me flip your question another way: Is it bad for a designer to use a stock photo if they can't afford a photographer? Of course not! Will the design look a bit generic? Yes it will. But that's not a big sin in the larger scheme of things if you have a low budget project. Design is about problem solving as much as it is about creativity. However I will say the following: Just like selecting "off…
Interesting view... Difference is that a stock photo is just one part of a bigger picture (as you said). However, a theme is everything that the users sees, not just a part. I'm using Pastel and it seems perfect for the project. Thanks for the input, it helped.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Interesting view... Difference is that a stock photo is just one part of a bigger picture (as you said). However, a theme is everything that the users sees, not just a part. I'm using Pastel and it seems perfect for the project. Thanks for the input, it helped.
Actually with many designs (and this really print) the photo could be the main center of attention. In fact a custom photo should communicate the concept of the design, not just illustrate it. So just think of the difference between say a cover photo on a magazine (like an Entertainment Weekly issue with a real Hollywood Star) vs. the generic stock photo. So the photo should be everything -- and the same with the int…