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Updated 9 months ago

Using Templates for Client Websites: Legal Considerations

At a glance

The community member who posted the question is unsure if it is legal to use templates or content from templates (from the Figma community) for a client's website design. Another community member responds that the legality depends on the specific details, such as whether the template was purchased and if it allows for commercial use. They suggest that it is more of an ethical question, and that the appropriate approach depends on how the template is used and how much the client is charged. The community member advises that it is generally better to design and build something custom from scratch or using a design system/kit, as this allows for more unique and customized solutions.

Random question, is it legal to use a template or stuff from templates (from the figma community) for your client's website design?

M
1 comment

can't comment on legality here as I don't have all the facts (what template? did you purchase it? is the template licensed to be used for commercial use? - plenty of questions there). What I will comment on is that if you've purchased a template that allows for commercial use (the ability to be hired for a service and charge money for said service using the template) than you should be fine but I would read the commercial license that comes with it. If one is not stating it, I would likely not use it.

This question feels more like a moral one though and it depends on how you've positioned this to the client and how much you are charging.

Let's say the design template costs $300 and you charged the client $500 to design a custom website design....this seems reasonable to me.

For the same price, but you charge $5,000 and you've done very little customizations - I would say you've crossed a moral line.

For the same price, but you've customized it a lot and maybe the template saved you an hour or two but you charge $5,000 for the design and provided what you feel is $5,000 in value through graphical assets, copywriting or something else - that seems reasonable to me as well.

Again this feels less like a legal question and more of a question of what is ethic and moral right to do.

In almost any case, its always better to design and build something custom from scratch or using a design system/kit than a template because what is being provided is foundational pieces rather than the entire concept and allows you to move more quickly in a unique direction and I think if you are charging thousands of dollars, you owe it to your clients to put in that time and exploration.

Just my two cents on this topic - I'm not a lawyer (Man, I've said that a lot today....).

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