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- 🤔 Do you use template libraries?
🤔 Do you use template libraries?
The issue and potential implication of template libraries.
👉 What the fact?!
Spending even the slightest amount of time on Twitter or LinkedIn will expose you to templates of all sorts.
Webflow libraries like microinteractions.co and Relume.io, to Figma kits like UntitledUI.com – they’re everywhere and only seems to increase in number.
It’s a sure-fire product idea; create assets for a product people already use.
Not only is it a good product, but it also speeds up development and design processes and streamlines workflows for startups to enterprise-scale teams.
So what’s the issue?
🔥 The problem
The challenge with template libraries lies in the name itself – they’re templates.
Templates simplify things, flood the gates with new users, and lower the entry bar. All great things on their own; however only if used with intention.
Beginner designers and developers don’t.
Copy a template, add some colors, and publish as your own… right? No.
The problem with that workflow is that we now see more and more similar website layouts, app UIs, and even color palettes everywhere.
The designs themselves are not a problem; the issue arises when every product looks the same.
Taken to an extreme, it’ll not only lead to design fatigue but also decreased conversion rates as users recognize various layouts.
But as already mentioned, that’s an extreme case.
🤞 The more likely middle ground
While too much of the same is never good for anyone, template libraries can also be used with intent and care.
Use our internal workflow at JF Studio for example; 1. create design in Figma, 2. look for similar layouts in Relume.io 3. paste into Webflow 4. Style to fit the original design from Figma.
This eliminates any risk of our products loking the same as every other product, while still speeding up the workflow.
So, in the end, it comes back to what we said at the start – use template libraries with intention.
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