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2 min read#agents#design#templates

How an agent should choose a template

A program cannot see that a template suits someone. It can, however, follow the two or three rules a designer would have used anyway.

Decide from the content, not from the adjective

The useful question is not «what mood does this person want». It is «what is on this page». Images or words. Many links or few. Light or dark. Three facts an agent already has from the answers it collected, and together they narrow ten templates to two.

The tool that lists templates returns an id, a name, a one-line description of the look, whether the design is dark, and what kind of page it suits. That last field exists precisely so a model does not have to infer taste from a name like «Zine».

If the page hasReach forBecause
A photo for every linkPhoto or Showcase, with the grid layoutCards make images the structure instead of decoration
More words than picturesEditorial or WhisperTypography carries a page that has nothing to show
A strong brand colourZine, Brutal or Y2K, with the accent setThese designs expect a colour and are dull without one
Music, night, filmAurora, Noir or MonoDark templates suit work that is itself dark

Rules that keep a machine out of trouble

  • When in doubt, Editorial. It is the default because it reads well with any content and embarrasses nobody.
  • Do not set an accent colour unless the person gave you one. An invented brand colour is the fastest way to look generic.
  • Do not add a background photo unless asked. It is the heaviest element and the easiest to get wrong.
  • Match the layout to the images: grid with pictures, list without. A grid of text cards is a worse list.

Say what you chose, and why

Switching a template changes nothing but the look: the address, the links, the photo and the statistics stay exactly where they were. So the right move for an agent is to pick one, say which and why in a single clause, and mention that the owner can change it in one tap. That turns a silent decision into an offer.

It also helps to point at the gallery, where all ten are rendered with demo content. A person deciding between two designs makes that decision in four seconds with pictures and in four messages without them.

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