Saturday, September 19, 2009

Amazing Designs From Top Web Desiners Wordwide

http://www.templatesold.com/banner.jpg

I have got lots of requests to post WordPress theme versions of my templates. Unfortunally, I am not a very good theme coder, so I have been waiting and hoping that the people who use the templates would build themes that they would want to share. But none of the themes have been for public use, so now I am working on converting them by myself. In a first step I will build andreas01 and andreas02 for WordPress, and I will host it on the templates page (using "download as: WordPress theme" or similar). I can't say how long it will take to finish the work, since I have a lot of other content to sort and upload first. But I will do my best to do it quick. If any skilled theme designer would like to help me out, I welcome all assistance. Also, specific requests and suggestions for 01 and 02 as themes are of course welcome.

Shortly after I posted the previous entry, I got an e-mail with a simple but interesting question: "So, how does your non-ugly and non-simple design look?". This is really a question about the difference between template coding and professional site design, since I act in completely different ways depending on which one of the two I am working with. I could show a lot of examples, and some day I will add a portfolio showing my site design work. But this site is not really made to promote my professional design services, so the portfolio is not a high priority right now. But since the question came because of a recent blog entry and I have got similar questions about my professional design before, I will try to explain the differences right here – and also why I rather promote my templates than my business design. For the first time on andreasviklund.com, here is a long entry!

First off, the XHTML/CSS templates that I have released through OSWD.org and on my templates page are not really supposed to look great. They are supposed to work as a solid ground for people who want to get a high-quality website online in a fast and simple way – in the spirit of OSWD.org, the site that got me started with open source template design. But the templates are also made as a tool for other designers who want to start with a working layout and add a great visual appearance along with their content. There is no need to waste time on building core layouts when the web is full of great open source layouts that works great…

The templates are built in a "one-size-fits-all" kind of fashion, which makes them suitable for many different kinds of websites. They are easy to customize, and very simple in code and layout structure. The more generic, the more useful they are so simplicity is an actual feature. The basic layout and details like valid code, accessibility features, low file size, and a simple navigation system are more important than beautiful images and flashy effects. I could of course do very specific and detailed templates, but that would mean that only a few people would find them useful. And usability is what the templates are all about.

But How With Amazing Designs From Top Web Desiners Wordwide? Please your Feedback and crazy ideas are welcome, as always

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