Sunday, July 22nd, 2007

So your at the point where you want to start your new project but with so many designers available, who should you choose? This guide is meant to help you decide on your new designer and point you in the right directions before making that choice.

Know what you want:
You really do need to have some idea of the design and layout you are looking for. If you really have no idea then take a few days to research your competition, look at their designs and why they work, make notes as to what EXACTLY you like about their website, is it the colours, the layout or something else? Remember, we work to what you tell us we are not psychic.

Be realistic:
If you want to take on the big boys then please remember that they have paid $10.000’s for their website. If you want your website to look like Amazon then be prepared to pay for it! Remember that your website is going to be the first port of call for your customers, if it looks cheap and is difficult to navigate then your prospective customers are going to close the window and go elsewhere.

If you want an online presence for your business then your website is one of the most important things to consider. We all understand that when you are starting out your finances are tight but to be frank, if you cant afford to have a nice website then you really shouldn’t be setting up in business! Wait until you CAN afford that nice website, it will only mean waiting a little longer but it will mean you have a bigger chance of success.

Which designer?
A number of factors come it to force when choosing a designer but some key points are;

Price:
This depends on many things, mainly down to the kind of design you are looking for and the functionality of your website. For a custom design, where you and only you will have that design varies in price but you can expect to pay anything between £60 to £10.000 and over. Does £10.000 seem like a lot? That depends; if you want to look like the million dollar companies then you have to expect to pay for it! This is of course is very rare so for general cases you can expect to pay anything between £60 to £2000 depending on the person / company you chose to commission. The general consensus is the smaller the company, the less you will pay and the less work involved the less you will pay.

Portfolio:
Any designer MUST be able to show you some kind of working portfolio. Its all well and good a designer showing you pretty pictures but you need to see those pictures in a working environment. Make sure you checkout that portfolio fully, go to the websites they have shown you and have a good look around. If there is contact information then why not contact the owner and ask if they would recommend the designer? If the designer has their own website selling stock templates then have a good look around and see if you like what they can do. If you see a stock template that you think could be customised to suit you then don’t hesitate to ask for a demo, this can sometimes work out cheaper than starting from scratch.

Deposits:
Most companies / people / designers will ask you for a 50% deposit on a custom design. This is usually paid up front with the remainder to be paid before your new design is uploaded to your server. Deposits are usually non refundable, this is perfectly normal because the designer has to spend their time on that design for you and if you are both unable to reach a satisfactory end to the design then the deposit will compensate them for their loss. Sometimes a designer will also ask you to sign a design contract. Again, this is perfectly normal and it is there to protect both the customer and designer should things not work out as expected.

Extra Costs:
Usually you and your designer will agree on a final price before the work commences but sometimes things change and in which case there could be extra fees to pay. This mainly depends on you the customer. If you are completely satisfied that your designer is going to create what you have asked for then there shouldn’t be any extra fees but, if halfway through the job you decide to start making changes to the agreed format then you must expect to pay for them! Make sure though when you have asked for the changes that your designer tells you how much extra it is going to cost and that you both agree. Do not however except that a designer says at the end of the job that you owe extra money; make sure that you have both agreed to the cost of the changes before you continue. It is common practice for your designer to keep you informed of the status of the design by showing you on a separate website. This way any minor changes such as a colour change can be implemented while you watch. This is of course down to the discretion of the designer but communication is the key. If after you have received your design you notice some errors then your designer should put these right at no cost but be sure to check that out before you start. On the other hand, if a month down the line you decide that you don’t like the colours etc then you can expect to be charged for any changes, remember that once you have agreed to the final design and you have that design running on your server then the job is usually signed off, meaning that further changes are chargeable.

Communication, Communication, Communication:
As previously mentioned, communication is vital to any relationship. Try and contact the designer daily for a progress report and try to see the design working to ensure it is what you have asked for – most of us will have a second website for testing purposes so you should be able to see how things are coming along. Remember also that you and your designer might be in different countries so you must allow for the time difference, although some us do this full time others do not so they might only be available at certain times.

Ultimately it all boils down to common sense. If you have not seen any designs from a designer that you like then its unlikely that they will produce something you do like. Most of us with our own websites have varied designs to try to cater for most needs so its rare that there is nothing you do like.

Remember also that the cheapest quote is not necessarily the best quote. The old saying of, "you get what you pay for" is very true. Be sure to shop around and do your own research. Google is your friend so before you make any decesions do a search for reviews or comments about the company you are interested.

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