Since custom design is my #1 job, I rarely need to use ready-made templates. When I do, it’s for good reason: the client needs to save money. These designs never get claimed as my own and never make it into my portfolio.
Recently I have noticed a trend among my local competitors, and that is the claiming of ready-made templates as their own design. This is done by placing a “design by” link in the footer of a template that anyone can download online, replacing the original designer’s “designed by” links. These sites also make it into companies’ portfolios.
While I’m not privvy to the conversations that were had with my various competitors and their clients, I hope the clients aren’t being fooled into thinking that they are buying custom design.
While using a pre-made web design templates is a good idea when the client wants to save money, taking credit for these designs and removing the original credits is usually illegal and unethical, as it can violate the original designer’s terms of use.
Let’s go ahead and review some basic ethics:
When using a ready-made template,
- Notify the client
- Don’t call it custom design
- Pass the savings on to the client
- Don’t claim the design as your own
- Stick to the copyright obligations regarding the display of original design credits
Tags: web_design web_development custom_design design design_fraud ethical ethical_practices ethics fraud template templates copyright
