When you’re designing with HTML5 or CSS, you’ll often see quite a lot of talk of templates. Indeed, designing on templates (as well as via low-code builders) is becoming so common that it’s been recommended to some professional designers to create templates themselves to maintain business. As ThoughtCo.com put it, “if a web designer designs and sells beautiful, practical and popular templates, they’ll make money and won’t have to worry about client demands.”
This is certainly a valid point, and undoubtedly a profitable avenue for lots of people pursuing web design as a career. At the same time though, anyone considering this path needs to understand where the demand and utility are. There are templates out there for virtually every conceivable type of website, from the simple personal blog to complex business platforms in niche industries. But where is it that templates are most helpful or in demand? We’ve compiled a handful of examples below.
Food and Restaurant Businesses
Once upon a time, restaurant and food businesses needed only minimalist web pages displaying basic information. Today, however, sites for these businesses are important hubs –– the first impressions customers will have, as a piece at SmallBizTrends.com put it, as well as a place to showcase images, update menus, handle reservations, and more. As such, these sites need to look clean and appealing, and they need to be easy to navigate. Design templates, therefore, can be invaluable to people in this line of work.
The aforementioned SmallBizTrends piece highlights Buri as one existing HTML5 template for restaurants; we’d point to Tasty Sushi Studio and Cakes And Desserts as additional examples worth taking a look at.
Gaming Sites
In the U.S., some research has suggested there could be close to 180 million digital gamers by the end of this year. It’s also expected that we could see nearly 50 million Twitch viewers (many of whom are watching gaming streams), up from roughly 33 million in 2019. Any way you look at it, the gaming industry is growing and spreading out. And in large part, this is happening because of the emergence of esports, game streaming, and gaming “clan” culture –– all of which require web design. Any esports event, game streamer, team, or clan that hopes to succeed with so much competition requires a functional, eye-catching site.
For these reasons, you’ll find plenty of excellent HTML5 templates in this space –– with a few of note being Geco, Bonx, and Eoorox.
Poker Platforms
As digital gaming, in general, is on the rise, so too is online poker as a sort of game industry unto itself. Reports from the likes of 888poker and Global Poker have made clear that the pandemic led more people to sign up at online poker sites. Furthermore, Poker.org points out that though only seven states have legalized internet poker, four more are discussing the matter, and more still are at least potentially amenable to the idea. All of this amounts to a growing industry, and as in digital gaming in general, relevant sites that hope to compete need to stand out with visual appeal, functionality, and quality. To that end, excellent templates are vital.
Some examples of worthwhile HTML5 poker templates include Gden, Joker Poker, and Video Poker.
Personal Ecommerce Sites
Finally, there are also templates for personal eCommerce sites to consider. Back in 2020, an article at TechCrunch.com revealed that the pandemic had accelerated the transition away from in-person commerce and toward eCommerce by an estimated five years. This, of course, had to do with consumers’ shifting shopping habits and preferences, but it also wouldn’t have been possible were it not for the ongoing spread of eCommerce businesses. Indeed, new digital stores are appearing every day at this point, and those designing them strive above all else to stand out and appeal to customers. With high-end design templates, they’re better able to accomplish these goals.
Some notable examples in this category for HTML5 are Eshop, Hurst, and Molla.
These categories are not alone in making HTML5 templates useful. They are current, relevant examples, however, that demonstrate just how much value these templates have. We hope this look through them has been helpful, whether you’re a designer considering building templates as part of your business, or someone starting a site and seeking design shortcuts.