Should You Be Using Frameworks In Your Web Designs?

There is a long running debate within the web designing circle whether frameworks serve a whole lot of purpose. While some say they are redundant, others maintain that frameworks play a crucial role.

Some argue that websites can be built without breaking a sweat with CSS, JavaScript or HTML. Then why should frameworks find an application in web design? But others say that if you are building a simple website without a lot of pages or a dynamic website, frameworks find good use. If you have to create multiple log-in credentials on your website, a framework would provide you with a structure to do it easily without having to do it multiple times manually.  Frameworks are templates which contain snippets of codes and other design elements which help you to take care of the basic design needs of your web-page and help you to save a lot of valuable project time.

Another major advantage of a framework is that a lot of them have been tested, debugged and validated. So, it not only saves you the time of writing the code in markup language but also save you the time of testing.

When you are designing a website, you will have your areas of strength. There may be other areas where you need some help. So, if you are using frameworks, you get instant, ready-made help.

What is a framework?

A framework is a set of tools or design conventions that is stored in the form of modules and can be invoked by calling it as a function in a code that you may be writing. A lot of ordinary tasks are taken care of through these modules. A framework doesn’t mean a licensed product that you will have to subscribe to or buy. You can create your own framework and store it as a module in a library and call it any number of times.

Advantages

• They are usually very fast. You can use an API to create a simple design in one-tenth of the time probably of what you would have taken otherwise.
• They can boost the efficiency as designers can focus more on solving the unique challenges rather than having to take care of common problems perfunctorily. This definitely boosts output and problem solving abilities.
• It definitely brings down the final cost of the project at hand.

Disadvantages

• The scope of work may be limited as you have to use the same framework essentially even with modifications.
• Frameworks contain files like normalize.css that have not been configured for the particular context in which you want to apply them.

A framework has both pros and cons. It is up to you to decide whether you want to use them or not. If you can identify the right context for its application, it does provide you a lot of leveraging power and speed. Carefully protect your individuality even when you are using an open source framework.