I was recently reviewing various free and premium design templates, and noticed—many templates look good but are difficult to use.
So I want to know from the community—
What features are most important for a High-Quality Template?
Examples:
Proper layer grouping
Clear layer naming
Consistent spacing & grid
Editable components
Readable typography
Organized file structure
Multiple export formats
Realistic mockup previews
I came across some references during my research. One of them is as follows: GraphyPix
The template structure and layout approach are well-illustrated here, which is worth learning for new designers.
Community Input Wanted
When you use a template, what criteria do you check first?
What common mistakes are most noticeable?
And what do you think a professional template should look like?
Your insights would be very helpful.
This way, we can all understand good template standards and help new designers.
A professional really doesn’t use pre-designed templates. End of story.
I guess fairly often some designers do use mock-up templates, but it’s not something we use where I work.
“New designers” should be learning the correct way to do things.
The only templates we deal with regularly are from most of the pop-up displays companies, who have templates so designers can create graphics to fit their hardware. Those kind of templates are incredibly easy to find, download, and use. They even have a layer called “PLACE YOUR DESIGN HERE.” But they don’t supply the design for you. (Well, some will. For $$$$ )
Couple of surprising things. It’s not only amazing how many designers don’t understand layers (printing and non-printing layers) but how many don’t actually download the templates for their display hardware. I have to send back PDFs with the actual template placed over the art and ask, “Do you really want to cut off all those words left and right?”
Framed images (standing or wall mount display frames) are even more challenging. Sure you bought a 18" x 24" frame. Is it really 18" x 24" to the outside dimensions? What is the size of the graphic panel that slides into the frame? And more importantly, what is the frame capture on the face of the graphic? I’ve seen my share of unintentionally “edgy” design because of that frame capture.
PS, if the hardware company doesn’t specify these dimensions, call and ask (or use their online chats- or find another company that does.) But that might be even harder than downloading templates.
As a professional, I’ve never used a design template.
People have always hired me for my design ability, not the ability to modify someone else’s template. Besides, I hate having to work with and decipher another person’s stuff. It’s easier, cheaper, faster, and leads to better work if I design it myself.
Community Input Wanted
)
