Before I used Joomla, I developed websites using Fireworks and Dreamweaver. I would make two or three quite dfferent mock-ups in Fireworks for my client and they would choose the design direction from those, and then we would refine the color scheme together, and then I would build the site.

So far with my Joomla clients, my process is different. I basically give them one option. I work hard at making it a good option...and they can have some input on colors and backgrounds but it's not like it was before when I would mock up two or three different design directions.

Here's my Joomla client process: I learn about their business and listen to their needs and learn about their likes and dislikes regarding websites in general. We'll talk about the "feel" the site should have and what it should be able to do.

Then I choose a template on their behalf and customize it with custom graphics and colors and such to "make it theirs" to the best of my ability based on what I learned about them from our conversations. Then I'll put the template on a working Joomla installation and populate it with as much of their content as they've given me to that point and show it to them.

Then we'll go through a process where I make changes according to their input.

I feel uncertain if I should be giving them more choices at the key crossroad of choosing a template. No one so far has asked for more options, but I always feel like they WOULD want to have some input if they were aware there are all these great and very different templates to choose from.

But on the other hand I don't want to have to customize TWO (or more!) different templates for them to choose between because that would be so much work!

My question to you developers....do you allow your clients to choose their own template? Do you show them the selection here at RT? Or do you just do as I have been doing and take it upon yourself to choose a template for your client?

That brings up another question -- to what extent is your client aware that you're starting from a pre-developed template rather than building something entirely from scratch solely for them?

Absolutely I show them the selection here at RT. They get told right from the start, "Go to RocketTheme.com - select a template and a style. The Graphic Designer I recommend will get your logo web-ready for $100, and I will put that logo in the header, edit the footer, drop in Google Analytics and get it ready to go for $500. If you want me to create something from scratch, the Graphic Designer I recommend will cost you $1,500, and my work to make that design into a template like one of these will cost you $3,000".

Nobody has ever chosen the custom option. The result of the RT option is something like this .

Sometimes I get told "I already have a Graphic Designer". I tell them "OK - but my work to put that GD's work into a template will cost you $1,000". It's only happened once. The result was this . (We've currently got a brief with our recommended GD for him and he'll be paying for the implementation again).

I do a basic Joomla implementation with RT Template, 5 pages of content (without SEO), contact form, and training for AU$4,500.

Thanks, that's a very helpful perspective!

Your last sentence boggled my mind...even after I ran a conversion to see what that is in US$ it's a lot more than I would quote to someone for the work. Probably I need to get some backbone and start charging more.

I remember a conversation I had with an online pal of mine who builds websites using Wordpress. She told me the more she raised her prices, the more work she had. I don't really need more work, but it would be interesting to feel I'd made more than a nickel an hour on any given project! :shock:

Well, thank you again for sharing your thoughts, it is SO helpful to get new ideas on how to make these kinds of decisions.

My professional IT experience goes back to the early 1990's ... I've been an online professional since 1997 ... I'm University educated. I've told other people here before: