The problem with Themeforest is how muddled and complicated the HTML DOM in themes usually are - and even if the design is intuitive, it's not yours, so it's rather difficult to own completely. With that said, I've used it for some excellent WordPress projects before, and if you are willing to pay there is quality work there.
I prefer using a bootstrap framework to get stuff out there. Depending on the project, I'll spend some time customizing the defaults, adding plugins, etc. If the project is small enough, I won't even bother with that.
Bringing in a design agency is only useful is you have VC cash to burn. It's usually far cheaper/effective to find a design freelancer to partner with. A decent designer can help you create a logo as well, which is an essential step, and something that's difficult for laymen to pull off well.
Remember the enemy of progress is the perfect. A side project/startup needs to iterate as fast as possible, so it's far better to throw something out there than to languish in design mode for months before giving up on your cool idea.
For my side projects, my rule of thumb is:
a) the site isn't embarrassingly bad, and could be publicly associated with me.
b) site design took less than 20% of my overall effort on the project.
Comments
I've tried a few.
The problem with Themeforest is how muddled and complicated the HTML DOM in themes usually are - and even if the design is intuitive, it's not yours, so it's rather difficult to own completely. With that said, I've used it for some excellent WordPress projects before, and if you are willing to pay there is quality work there.
I prefer using a bootstrap framework to get stuff out there. Depending on the project, I'll spend some time customizing the defaults, adding plugins, etc. If the project is small enough, I won't even bother with that. Bringing in a design agency is only useful is you have VC cash to burn. It's usually far cheaper/effective to find a design freelancer to partner with. A decent designer can help you create a logo as well, which is an essential step, and something that's difficult for laymen to pull off well.
Remember the enemy of progress is the perfect. A side project/startup needs to iterate as fast as possible, so it's far better to throw something out there than to languish in design mode for months before giving up on your cool idea.
For my side projects, my rule of thumb is: a) the site isn't embarrassingly bad, and could be publicly associated with me. b) site design took less than 20% of my overall effort on the project.