Indie-Resource.com

Hey all. I've been working on my own software project, doing the planning, etc. and now I'm ready to start. I'm going to do a site, then a mobile site, then an app. I can do web design and dev, but my designs aren't that great, and I'd need to put in some hours doing some refresher on good HTML, good CSS, some JS, etc. I was wondering should I go with the custom design, or should I just find a good template to use?

For reference, I am making a site/app for Sports Coaches, to compile all the things coaches do into one place. My feature are: allows coaches to input scouting reports of players, make depth charts, draw plays, create formations, create rosters, etc. I will also allow coach-team communication, so coaches can send reminders to the team, schedules for the week/month/day, the depth charts, playbooks, etc. and players can respond.

Thoughts?

I don't think a template will work that well. Templates tend to do better for more traditional sites with articles, or brochureware sites. Most web applications don't work too well with a template unless you plan to absolutely rip it up and reassemble it.

I would probably suggest to check out Twitter Bootstrap. It works very well with the modern, minimalist-style of websites. There are also tons of Bootstrap templates to help get you started, most of which being designed to be completely altered for the final product.

Thanks Jacko. Looks like Bootstrap is just what I need!

Could always do http://themeforest.net/category/site-templates ? purchase one for a small price?

I use bootstrap for almost all my projects and am never disappointed. You can usually find some real good templates for free or for a very minimal cost. Sometimes a person creates a free version but also a paid version of the same theme which is just extra pages.

yep bootstrap, I teach a little on it if you have not used it on my new tut series