Templates have become the default choice for modern brands but is it always the best route? Let’s explore why they work so well, and when you should consider going custom.
Whether it’s Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, or Webflow, the rise of website templates has shifted how brands build their digital homes.
A well-designed template gets you online quickly, offers mobile responsiveness out of the box, and can scale as your brand grows. For startups, personal projects, or lean teams, it’s the fastest way to test and launch without breaking the bank or burning time.
Most people think a custom design is what separates the good sites from the bad. In truth, it's your visuals, tone of voice, copy, and brand cohesion that make or break the experience.
A great template with poor imagery still feels cheap. A basic template with strong assets? Still looks like a considered brand.
Custom builds shine when you need interactions, integrations, or layouts that simply don’t exist in templates. Maybe you’re launching a brand that hinges on content hierarchy or storytelling. Maybe you’re building a membership flow, a community platform, or a high-volume eCommerce store with heavy UX considerations.
That’s when it’s worth investing in something fully bespoke.
If you're just starting out, a good template site is 90% of the way there and that’s more than enough.
At Bon Vivant Advisory, we build clean, high-performing websites from templates on Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, and Webflow starting from just SGD $2,500. When the time’s right, we’ll take you custom. But only when there’s a real reason to.
