Choosing A Web Designer
Finding a talented web designer/developer able to work with you well to
create the site you want can be daunting. Web design is an expensive proposition
and it’s the public face for the work you do in the world.
What skills are you looking for? What does a talented web designer/developer
do? As James C. Armstrong, Jr., Director of Engineering for a successful
internet enterprise explains: “The most important thing I look
for when outsourcing website development is that that they understand that
the purpose of a website is to present content efficiently in an attractive
manner.”
Here are important criteria:
-
Training and Experience: Does the
designer have training and experience in web design? In internet terms,
more than four or five years is a seasoned veteran. How about credentials
and other publishing experience? Ideally, your site designer has a background
in related publishing. How long has the organization or the individual
been in business? Are they genuinely professional and in web design for
the long term? Will they be around in a year or two when you need to
tweak the site?
-
Breadth of
Skills:
Developing a serious website calls for a range of talents — excellent
project management, graphic design, technical competence, to
name three important aspects.
-
Planning Process: Can
the designer clearly explain the development process including the tools
to help you determine the features and appearance of the site? If it
isn’t
planned carefully, later revisions can be costly in time and money.
-
Talent:
Look and visit sites from their portfolio. Do you like the look they created?
Is the navigation easy? Any misspellings or broken links?
-
Communication:
Ask the person you would be working to explain a technical detail. Is the
designer easy to work with and talk to? Able to communicate technical information
so that you can understand it? Do you have a good rapport with the person?
Will that person be directly involved or will your account be handed off
to a junior staffer?
-
References:
Talk with former and existing clients. Would they work with the designer
again? Did the designer communicate well? How flexible was he or she?
How creative? Were deadlines met? How quickly were calls and emails returned?
-
Budget:
Usually, the larger the design firm, the more they charge. On the other
extreme, companies that create sites from a pre-packaged template aren’t
capable of coming up with solutions tailor made to your needs. A middle
ground may be best: custom design at a reasonable, but not dirt-cheap
price.
-
Location: It’s
not necessary to hire a local designer, unless you feel most comfortable
with periodic face-to-face contact. Organic-Design serves all of
California.
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