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Jeff, I really hear you on this - CMSs are a powerful tool if used for the right projects, but it really depends on what you want the end result to be. The sites I've built using CMSs like Joomla! or Wordpress have been small projects for picky clients that are going to want lots of changes and are offering me very little compensation - teaching them a simple backend proved more useful than getting a phone call every time they needed something changed. Also I've found the Joomla+VirtueMart package to be a quick, easy solution to someone starting an online business.
On the other hand, the projects that really shine, the ones I'm really proud of, have always required your "design first, code later" approach. Wanting an online presence is one thing, but an online dominance takes the personal touch of a designer.
If you've got a client who adamantly clamors for a CMS run site, I would start by politely testing their knowledge of what a CMS could really do for them, and have examples prepared of how you can create the same effect without one. One topic I usually hit on is originality - CMS driven sites have the tendancy to look like everything else online, since its basically condensed, stable code that's been used so much that an intelligent 13 year old can make a site with it. Wordpress has roughly the same learning curve as PowerPoint. If your client really wants to raise themselves above the noise, they shouldn't settle for something like that. After all, isn't that what they hired a designer for?
If you still can't convince them, keep in mind there's still lots of ways to customize a CMS; even if you have to tear apart and edit the PHP, you can eventually achieve the look and functionality you're going for. But that comes with that sinking, "I could have just done this myself" feeling. I think our best bet is to keep plugging what a personal touch can bring to a project, and stay ahead of the CMS curve technology and design wise.
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