Joomla vs Drupal: Part 2 (Themes/Templates)

So how do Joomla (1.5) and Drupal (6.2) compare on issues related to getting the look and feel you want AND the content where you want it?

One thing to seek in mind is that Joomla calls these site layouts and designs as “Templates” and Drupal as “Themes.”

Availability of Templates/Themes - Winner: Joomla
Drupal: 2.5 Joomla: 5

There are many quality, free templates available for both of these platforms. However, there are more templates available for Joomla (1.5) than for Drupal (6.x) at this time. So if you want to find something free or cheap as opposed to finding someone to make you a custom template or making it yourself (which you probably won’t do if you are reading this) Joomla wins hands down.

Ease of Installing Templates/Themes - Winner: Tie
Drupal: 5 Joomla: 5

Installing a new template/theme is as easy as downloading it, possibly unzipping/uncompressing it, and uploading it to the templates/theme directory on your server. Simple, simple, simple. Then you just go in the back-end and select it.

Ease of Configuring and Customizing Templates/Themes - Winner: Joomla
Drupal: 2 Joomla: 3

Both platforms get relatively low marks but for different reasons and too there are many factor when it comes to configuring templates/themes. It is important to not confuse customizing the actual theme/template with positioning your content areas in a template.

In short, by design the Drupal platform makes it easier to place you content in any given template but the templates themselves can be difficult to customize beyond changing the logo. Joomla by design is an exercise it patience and prayer when trying to position content but most templates are fairly simple to modify the look and feel of for those who can tweak html and css.

The biggest factor is the theme/template itself and the configuration settings that the developer/designer has built in. These preset configuration setting can range from having many different color themes to several column layout setting to having almost no custom configuration settings. This goes for both Drupal and Joomla.

You should read before you download and install a template/theme to see what the options are but you won’t really know and have a good feel for how the preset setting work until you try it.

With many of the readily available Drupal themes there are robust options for changing color combinations but not so many for layout changes. Yet because of Drupal's VERY nice “blocks” feature putting content areas where you want them on the page is almost fun.

Joomla? Getting the right modules (in Drupal “blocks”) in the right place on template can be nothing short of a nightmare, especially if you get things set up in one template and then decided to try another template. This is in part because Joomla templates can vary so widely in the number and labeling of modules (content areas) on a page. It is also in part because it is just a pain in the ass. If I could merge these two platforms this would be the first thing I would do.

There is a drawback in Drupal in customizing actual html or css because you have to use an external program to even see it. Joomla has view and edit html and css options right in the back-end.

Joomla templates are also easier to customize at the html and css level. This is probably because Drupal has much more fluid and dynamic page layouts and themes (templates).

So both have their pros and con but Joomla wins for the intermediate user.

Ease of Placing Content Areas in Templates/Themes: Drupal
Drupal: 5 Joomla: 2

Taking into account the aforementioned, Drupal with its Ajax-sliding units on the admin side blows away Joomla and Joomla just, well, blows.
With Drupal you just move the Blocks (content areas) to where you want them on the back-end, pretty much limited by the theme/template layout. It is awesome.

With Joomla the biggest problem you are going to have is if you ever get set on a template and then decide to change to another one. You will also probably have problem because modules (content areas) have types that can be not so clear.

Prettiest Template/Themes: Joomla (barely)
Drupal: 3 Joomla: 4

This goes back to the issue of availability. I don’t really think there are limitation to either platform with regards to aesthetics, either with the right amount of elbow grease can look fantastic. That said, if you need to use elbow grease Joomla will take less.

But Joomla win as there is much great select of very nice templates available for 1.5 than for Drupal 6.2.