Why Content Management Systems (CMS) are bad
Content management systems are no longer for high-paying customers; open source solutions like Drupal and Joomla (amongst many others) mean that even freelancers can integrate web development projects without ramping up the costs.
It can be a headache slaving over hours of mindless data entry when doing web development work and offering the client a solution that allows them total control over their content seems to be ideal. Unfortunately you can write off ever putting that site on your portfolio because (as most developers and designers will agree) clients have the power to create hurrendous combinations.
You may have agreed to produce an AA accessible standard, XHTML validated site. However, content management systems entirely allow customers to break the standards you set and ruin your designs - so you wouldn't want that on your portfolio would you?
Non-specific examples
Unfortunately I can't give any specific examples at the cost of the users involved, but I can think of one particular project where the design included a cropped image of professionally photographed people in the header - perfectly blended into the website background. Unfortunately the CMS allowed for the users to change the header image. What they did was take a photo of some "friends" and replace it in all it's over-exposed, uncropped, unblended majesty.
CMS good points
+ Hands off approach to data entry (something clients don't always like paying for)
+ Easy handover
+ Nicely documented, working solutions that you didn't develop yourself
CMS bad points
- You could be charging for that data entry
- Your work is likely to be ruined
- You can't really put it on your portfolio incase it's been destroyed
So remember, it may be an attractive option when trying to avoid a hundred pages of data entry but you lose any creative input you have in the site once handover is complete. The site is then subject to the proverbial meat-cleaver that is a non-developer/designer's creativity. Just a thought for fellow web developers to consider.
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