Hi everyone,
I am just curious to know but i have stumpled on some local freelancers/web designers develop all their websites in sites like squarespace.
is it normal to see or better to have a site custom made??
i just think being web designer you develop somthing custom and not use a site like wix or webbly even if they are a web designer who can also do grahic design?
is this a common practice now days even web designers do website via sites like wix or squarespace?
Thanks,Will
Wix, Weebly etc are for people who are not web designers.
yes can you call yourself a web designer if you design clients site using sites like webbly though?
I would say that comes very close to conning people. It’s like calling yourself an artist when all you use are painting-by-numbers kits.
Or a “Chef” serving microwave ready-meals.
There may be a case for where you draw the line. Many developers use pre-made things to save time and effort, be that themes, templates, CMS, frameworks, plug-ins, modules, libraries, etc. but could still be true developers.
I’ve not looked closely at things like Wix, so don’t know exactly how much work/skill/knowledge/time one needs to set them up, but if the adverts are to be believed, not very much at all.
Returning to the food analogy, Wix/Squarespace are microwave ready-meals. Someone with little ability or effort can produce something in very little time, but the quality is not great.
I would say the likes of Wordpress are like McDonalds. Very popular, people lap it up, but not particularly wholesome and you may find yourself carrying a bit of excess bloat as a result. The people in the kitchen may not be top of the skills tree, but you know what you are getting and won’t have to wait too long for it.
Or you can go to a restaurant and have a trained chef prepare a meal by hand. It will probably take longer and cost more. The results may be anything from exquisite to bang-average, depending on where you go and what you pay.
And then there is home cooking. That takes time, effort and ability, if you have those things, the results will be as good as you are at it.
So you have a trade-off of convenience and cost over quality.
I don’t know, there may well be people out there wanting to make a quick buck, charging people to have them make sites like this. The client may not know any better.
But would you be happy to pay someone to nuke a plastic tray for five minutes for you, just to get a mediocre meal?
Just like others have already stated, someone using sites like wixx, Weebly, squarespace, or anything that relates to this kind of business IS NOT a web designer. Web designers will create a theme from scratch using a text editor of some sort. Before this happens and during preparations, some designers may even make the template in something like Photoshop first. If the client likes the template, the designer will then create it using modern technology such as HTML5 and CSS3. Some designers will use premade CSS such as Bootstrap. This doesn’t violate anything and is an ok practice. The reason why some designers use Bootstrap is because they don’t want to waste time writing pure CSS so they’ll use Bootstrap. Then they’ll design the entire page using their own ideas. Anyways, I’m getting off-topic
I wouldn’t hire someone who uses those sites because they aren’t real web developers. In an interview, I’d ask them to demonstrate their abilities using modern technology. If they use those sites during the interview, I would disqualify them immediately without any prior notice.
Yes, I think they are targeting small businesses who don’t want to pay a developer, by enabling them to make a site easily with little know-how.
The point being they don’t need a designer/developer to make a site like this.
That may be what we would do, knowing how sites work. But I imagine such people will be exploiting lo-tech or non-web related clients who probably have no concept of how sites are made or what a developer actually does, or should do.
For lack of coming up with a better term, I would say they are not designers, but “consultants”.
For example, say I knew how to install WordPress, find Themes and Plugins, but knew absolutely nothing about HTML, CSS, JavaScript or PHP. or even any WordPress functions.
It is still possible that I could provide a service to others in getting a website up and running with my limited skill set. If they needed tweaks, I would be limited to finding different Themes or Plugins.
I would feel dishonest to present myself as a designer or developer, or even as a WordPress expert. Yet I think there must be something I could call myself whatever that might be.
Yes I think there is scope for someone who will set up a simple website, where the client may not have the time or know-how, such as registering a domain, procuring hosting, installing and setting up WP, Wix or whatever.
But they are not a designer or a developer. Just someone to set up a simple website, whatever you call that.
I know some go a lot further with WP, setting up unique custom themes and functionality for the client’s specific needs, that’s more like a designer or developer.
There are some drag and drop softwares that specifically cater to graphic designers.
Saying that a graphic designer is a fraud if he uses a drag and drop platform is like saying that someone who drives an automatic car is a fraud because he doesn’t know how to drive a manual car.
Design and Development are 2 completely different skills.Using these platforms are great for the designers and their clients because no one needs to pay for the time and skill set of a custom built website.
Web designers can create a website from scratch. Using php/js/html etc.
Though a graphics designer that uses an app as a tool may not be a fraud, it can not be said that anyone that uses an app as a tool is a graphics designer.
For example, I have limited knowledge of color theory, perspective, contrast, etc. But I am able to use a graphics app to create good graphics. I would feel dishonest labeling my self as a graphics designer simply because I know how to use a tool that graphics designers use. However, I would not have a problem referring to myself as an “experienced ____ user” or whatever to describe my skill set. And there could very well be some that could use my services without my needing to present myself as knowing more than I really know.
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