Frankly, I've stopped using templates in Joomla - except for maybe a few very basic ones.
The reason is that I can't seem to navigate my way around all the bells and whistles and modules and components and who knows what else.
Maybe it's a deep flaw in the design of Joomla (v. 3 is a LOT better than previous versions, but I think the templates add an extra layer of muddy complexity).
All I want to do is write an article and tell Joomla (or the template) where it should go. If I want to embed a video or an audio play button, I just want to select an icon in the article interface, enter the details and press OK.
If I want to add a menu item, then I want to be able to say exactly where to go, what level, whether vertical or horizontal, etc. etc. and what page to load when it's clicked.
I'd like my website to keep its layout, not bleed all over the place. An important feature is to be able to control how my site will look on netbooks, tablets, smartphones as well as giant external monitors. Maybe I need four or five different screen layouts that I can tweak individually. But when I tried to use "responsive" (?) templates, my site is unrecognizable on a smartphone or a tablet sometimes, and people write to me saying that they can't find an article or menu item (apparently, this gets hidden somewhere in an icon on a small screen)...
Most of the templates I see are almost identical, the only difference is the imagery (which wastes a lot of screen space) and whether it's one, two or a hundred columns with twirly knobs, flickering slide shows and maps that move in real time....
The underlying aim of making a website functional, easy to read and easy to navigate (AND MAINTAIN) seems to have got lost. I tried to set up a very simple website for selling items on a catalog using VirtueMart. It was impossible. My client (who just wanted to load up the items with pricing and descriptions and have a clean, simple interface) couldn't even get started without becoming something of a Joomla expert. We both wasted a week trying to figure how to do it. She ended up signing up for an online shop service with a standard (and uncustomizable) design, but she was up and running in one day!
In short, I'd like templates to be a bit like a layout designer like in the old days of desktop publishing, or Netobjects Fusion, or basically anything that is WYSIWYG..
Is that asking too much!?