[Marfin]

Hi I am a amatuer web designer working in web design company and I was wondering if you surf the web , you visit sites and like their design and set up are you allow to built a site of your own copying the other web sites design. I don't mean copying exactly pixel for pixel / code for code but very close different colors and minor changes to design.. is this legal or does it break some standard of web designs?
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[tomdkat]

I think it would depend on the site in question. I would imagine most site owners would not permit you to make a copy of their site (or use their site as a template). Fortunately, there are lots of great FREE website templates available you can readily use as the base for your own site.

Peace...

[WendyM]

I think you're asking for trouble if you mirror another site's design. I also think it doesn't do much for your company's portfolio, since people who require web design services are generally looking for unique branding for their site. That being said, there's no harm in looking at other sites to get ideas for looks you like. Every web designer has seen something on a website and thought "Man, I have to try to something like that." The key is to make it your own design. You can borrow the concept, but not the implementation. Most professional sites have a copyright at the bottom.

[TheRobatron]

Whenever I see an element in a site that I like, I look at the HTML and CSS and see what piece of code makes that element (e.g. division transparency). It's not really a good idea to 'borrow' another site's design especially if you are designing websites professionally. Look for free CSS templates because you can have a basic design (like a three column layout) and then completly customise it.