Content Management Systems and You -Joshua Crowley talks you through 4 favoured CMS amongst all designers

As more and more designers drag their portfolio onto the internerd, many find themselves quickly feeling overwhelmed with the troubles of hand coding creative platforms for their own work. Additionally, of these designers which put the unpaid days and weeks of perseverance into building a .html trophy cabinet, many find themselves cursed with the demanding logistics of updating the site or even a modest re-design. And of course, imagine the anguish this whole process causes when you multiply it by the 6 clients who loved your site.

Our brothers and sister in web design know all of this, and as such the seasoned pros who eat web 2.0 acronyms with their weet-bixs have crafted a better way, know as Content Management Systems, or CMS. The idea is simple, CMS resources you as a designer with the tools you need to build and maintain your site, without requiring any strong web skills. Bit like Myspace really, where you could change colours, upload pics using a backend system to your profile. Each CMS is different requiring inverted amounts of time or money, so here’s a quick look at 4 design based CMS to help you feel out the spectrum.

Indexhibit  ……….

Based on the intuitive format of help files, indexhibit is a fantastic CMS for a web beginner who’s prepared to go next level with their understanding on sever databases, css code and google search indexing. While core functionality is high, (easy to update, easy to view, easy to google) the structural form is ridged and as such you’ll always know an Indexhibit site when you see one. That said indexhibit harbors a strong support community and fantastic style that favours content. Not to mention lot of neat functions for displaying your .jpegs.

Needs & Cost : Sever + Domain, CSS, HTML, Sever Databases know-how and a very reasonable suggested donation.

Example Indexhibit from Mike Krol.

Stacey App ……….

Lacking the back end associated with a CMS, Stacey App works through hand edits to code found in templates and text files. It’s a very raw way to build your site and your rewarded with a great core system to expand and indulge in once you’ve peaked the learning curve. Additionally updating content is quite quick and clean once you’ve finished editing the templates. An easy installation makes Anthony Kolber’s Stacey App a high recommendation to anyone interested in tinkering and building some solid, but unique.

Needs & Cost : Sever + Domain, CSS, HTML, Text Editor, enthusiasm and fair bit of time – Free with a suggested donation.

Example Stacey App from Anthony Kolber’s personal site.

Cargo ……….

Following the success of many free CMS (particularly indexhibit) Cargo built something worth paying for. Cargo is a hosted service that has an easy backend system for updating your site. Requiring only the absolute minimal knowledge on code this CMS is a attractive option for designers who need something online today, but are planning on expanding in the future when they find the time. Templates allow you to experiment with multiple formats and aesthetics quickly, and you can access the CSS file for your profile, giving you complete control over the elements we actually care about. An important note about Cargo is that it’s community based, so one day this might be the Facebook of graphic designers, so get a profile so you can say you were there.

Needs & Cost : Money! Though the free trial account is a great starting option.

Example Cargo from emerging sydney photography, Sarah Adamson.

Wordpress ……….

A textbook example of the power of CMS, more and more sites use Wordpress as a engine for getting there content up, infact notably even this one. With the right Theme you can turn Gutenberg 2.0 into a cheap and highly accessible web portfolio site, great for multiple users and even better if you have no plans on figuring out what HTML stands for. Though it should be noted that wordpress is highly editable and that you could even pay a web designer to develop a custom wordpress solution or theme, that’s unique to you.

Needs & Cost : Next to nothing (Wordpress provide free hosting) or quite in depth, with more layers than an .psd file of Shrek.

Example, well your staring at one.

So as you can see, there’s a few options on the table when it comes to CMS. But remember when it comes to CMS the following applies:, give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, e.t.c. Well, a poorly done CMS can be the equivalent of getting directions to the nearest fish and chip shop drawn on the inside of your forearm with mascara. But hey, how good are fish and chips!

Article by Joshua Crowley, who’s personal indexhibit site is a shining light in a sea of mediocrity.

Tags: CMS, Content Management System