Discuss website design for ecommerce sites, useability, navigation and other development considerations. To get feedback on your t-shirt design(s) or website, please post a request in our Site Reviews and Design Reviews section here.
I found a web site layout that I really like. Can I copy the general layout and design my site using this layout/template. Of course the content would all be mine but the placement of nav bars and page layout would be copied. There's no copyright tag on the site.
Even without a copyright tag on the site, it is an implied copyright. To me it is no different than finding a t-shirt design you like and copying it with a new syaing.
It is still their intellectual property.
Just my 2 cents, but I wouldn't do it. Have you looked at all of the free website template sites out there? If it is listed there then I would as long as I give the credit as required by the freeware license.
Even without a copyright tag on the site, it is an implied copyright. To me it is no different than finding a t-shirt design you like and copying it with a new syaing.
It is still their intellectual property.
Just my 2 cents, but I wouldn't do it. Have you looked at all of the free website template sites out there? If it is listed there then I would as long as I give the credit as required by the freeware license.
But I really like this one.
I will check some out. I didn't like the templates that came with the software so I thought I'd browse the internet.
Even without a copyright tag on the site, it is an implied copyright. To me it is no different than finding a t-shirt design you like and copying it with a new syaing.
It is still their intellectual property.
Just my 2 cents, but I wouldn't do it. Have you looked at all of the free website template sites out there? If it is listed there then I would as long as I give the credit as required by the freeware license.
The colors, backgrounds, nav bars ect. are all different. Only placement of the boxes would be the same.
As long as the graphics, colors and everythign else is different, maybe.
When you say software, what software are you using? You may run into issues trying to import an existing site into design software then change everything up, unless you know the code to manually change things.
Being a web developer, I have seen things that sound easy on the software, become absolute nightmares later.
As long as the graphics, colors and everythign else is different, maybe.
When you say software, what software are you using? You may run into issues trying to import an existing site into design software then change everything up, unless you know the code to manually change things.
Being a web developer, I have seen things that sound easy on the software, become absolute nightmares later.
I'm not importing anything. I just saw the site and I'm modeling mine after that one. Like I said. only placement of items is the same. Backgrounds and most everything else is different. I didn't import their site into Frontpage and make it into a template.
Using another site's layout as a "guideline" may be OK. General location of navigational elements, logo placement, etc.
But your thread title specifically said "copied", which would NOT be OK.
To me, "copying" implies just taking out their logo and putting in your logo. Copying it exactly.
For example, I think bustedtees came up with the general t-shirt layout of a bunch of thumbnail squares on the main page, but now you see dozens of t-shirt websites with the same way of navigating because it makes so much sense.
Each has their own unique look (usually), but the closely grouped thumbnails of each t-shirt design definitely started somewhere and got used quite a bit.
When it's all said and done, if you compare your finished site to their site and the only thing in common are some boxes on a page, then I am sure you will be fine.
Heck, I haven't seen a site yet that is so unique you can't find others that look just like it. So either this is some site, or it's really no big deal.
Using another site's layout as a "guideline" may be OK. General location of navigational elements, logo placement, etc.
But your thread title specifically said "copied", which would NOT be OK.
To me, "copying" implies just taking out their logo and putting in your logo. Copying it exactly.
For example, I think bustedtees came up with the general t-shirt layout of a bunch of thumbnail squares on the main page, but now you see dozens of t-shirt websites with the same way of navigating because it makes so much sense.
Each has their own unique look (usually), but the closely grouped thumbnails of each t-shirt design definitely started somewhere and got used quite a bit.
I should have clarified, but I was running out the door to catch the train home. More like modeling my site after the one I like.
I believe it will be okay as long as you aren't actually "copying" another site. If you did mean just the location of nav/ bars, and general layout, go ahead. Just be cautious that you don't get carried away and get it too similar to the original site!
I found a web site layout that I really like. Can I copy the general layout and design my site using this layout/template. Of course the content would all be mine but the placement of nav bars and page layout would be copied. There's no copyright tag on the site.
That's the way I learned HTML and Dreamweaver, I copied pages that I liked, and played around with them.
The key phrase is, "played around" with them, I didn't use them, I just saw how they did it, and I have read that many do that too.
I still go to a site that I really like, it can have stuff on it that I admire, and I 'save it', I don't use it, it's more like bookmarking it.
When I get time, I go back and look at it and just look it over, and click on stuff that I am curious about, and wonder how they did it.
Playing around in it is way easier for me than to read about it, or even watch videos about, and for me, Dreamweaver opened up a new world just like Photoshop did for me years ago.
If you don't outright use anything that you 'borrowed', then like what was said, it's not unethical, you only use what you learned from an experience.
If you use something like OScommerce alot of those sites all have the basic same layout, and there are loads of websites with virtually the same page layout, just different graphics.
Copied Web site layout 
But I really like this one.
