Tuesday, August 11, 2009
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If you're reading this book, chances are you currently have or work with a Joomla! powered site or are ready to embark on a new Joomla! powered project. Joomla! already comes with two built-in templates, and there are many free and commercial templates out there in a wide range of themes and styles to choose from. The benefit of using pre-existing templates (especially purchasing a commercial template) is that they're built to handle Joomla!'s range of uses and content displays. They've also been packaged and set up for easy installation and application to your project (often two clicks or less!). This means that with a little web surfing and under $100, you can have your Joomla! powered site up and running with a stylish look in no time at all.
The drawback to using a pre-made template is that you limit your site's custom look to something that several other people may have downloaded or purchased for their site. Moreover, if your site has a third-party extension for specialized content, it may not look quite right with the pre-existing template. Also, if your site requires specific branding, you may find it next to impossible to find an existing pre-made template
that will fit the project's branding requirements. Thus, you'll need to either create a fresh design from scratch or dig in and modify an existing template (which has a user license that allows modification).
Whether you're working with a pre-existing template or creating a new one from the ground up, Joomla! template design will give you the know-how to effectively understand how templates work within the Joomla! CMS enabling you to have full control over your site's design and branding, no matter which route you take to
get there.
author:
Tessa Blakeley Silver has her background in print design and traditional illustration. Over the years, she has evolved herself into the fields of web and multimedia development focusing on usability and interface design. Prior to starting her consulting and development company hyper3media
A complete guide for web designers to all aspects of designing unique website templates for the free Joomla! PHP Content Management System
Tessa Blakeley Silver
