I'm a designer who chose a template for my own portfolio. Here's why that's not ironic, but in fact, strategic.
The Math
Building a custom portfolio from scratch would cost me 40+ hours I could spend solving actual client problems. A well-designed template only costs $79 and 4 hours of customization. Better yet, this delightfully plain boilerplate design was free with hosting.
I charge clients $130/hr, so that clocks in at a 866% work efficiency boost.
The Principle
Good design isn't about proving you can hand-forge every pixel. It's about knowing where craft matters and where standardization works. My clients don't hire me to reinvent navigation patterns—they hire me to solve problems templates can't touch: medical workflows that comply with regulations, interfaces that convert under real user behavior, systems that scale without breaking.
The Cobbler's Choice
The old saying goes "the cobbler's children go barefoot"—meaning craftspeople neglect their own needs while serving others. But a smart cobbler knows when to buy shoes off the rack so they can focus on the bespoke work that actually pays the bills. I'm no Dribbble bro. I'm not here to impress other designers with my portfolio's originality. I'm here to ship work that performs. This template fits my goals perfectly.
What I actually custom-built here?
The thinking. The process. The outcomes.
Everything else is scaffolding.
