What do you look for in a Web Designer?

digitalvision313

Lots of great points in this thread! It`s great affirmation.

I think the biggest thing I`ve found in my experience owning a
deselopment business is simply understanding business and understand
where your client is coming from, and then bridging the gap between
that, their budget, and what`s realistically possible.

The person hiring your services needs to know and receive the value from
the money they spend. "On a budget" can mean a large variety of things.
I`ve worked with clients "on a budget" of $1000 and "on a budget" but it`s
$10,000. It`s all a matter of perspective. Either way, I think the best
situation is when you can give maximum value for the the dollar that a
client spends with you.

I`ve met very few people who, after talking to them about their goals and
objectives and outlining a clear plan of action are shy about cutting a
check when they see the value. Of course, there are always people
looking to spend $100; those are not my target audience and there are
do-it-yourself solutions that match that price point (but not the quality).

As always in business, in practice it usually boils down to picking two of
three: Fast, Good, Cheap.

p.s.- I wear "Geek" with pride. There are many different kinds of "Geeks,"
from those who are outwardly ones to those who just have geek-
tendencies.   Being a geek does not exclude you from knowing other
things; I know quite a few CEOS and salespeople who are complete
gadget-geeks.

I`m a business/marketing and general tech geek, and doggone it, people
like me! digitalvision3132006-9-9 16:28:31

MatthewReinbold

Thank you to everyone who has responded to this post - those business folks who have purchase web services and those whose business is working on the web. Over the past several days I have been mulling over what was said both in and between the lines. I`m going to try and summarize:1) Those purchasing web development/design skills value a contractor that listens and can demonstrate tangible ROI (whether that`s because they`re cheap OR can effectively communicate and justify a larger bill)2) Portfolios and experience are good demonstrations of ability, but are secondary to items like cost3) It is important for a web services provider to be open, upfront, and honest about what their strength are - whether that`s design, development, education, etc.4) Nobody likes to feel like their business is cookie cutter. If selling template solutions one must be careful in marketing the service. 5) To best serve customers web service providers should know something about their customer`s business. Providing what`s cool or trendy for a developer (RSS) or Designers (badges, mirrored reflections) doesn`t help increase sales. As some inferred in the early posts I am an online business consultant. I help small business get started online and/or increase their site`s effectiveness with measurable results. Being new to the StartUp Nation crew I wanted to take an approach that I take with my clients - instead of posting with a megaphone I wanted to just listen. I`m very happy to hear that is a good approach to take. As for the Geek thing - I`ve done `tours of duty` with both IBM and Microsoft. I`m president of a coding club and frequent blogger on software development. Despite going back to school to get an MBA with emphasis in emerging technology business I still wear the Geek label as a badge with pride. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to comment. I`m glad to be here and am looking forward to participating with this community.

ryanwithanr

A good web designer gives you exactly what you want!What I hate the most, is designers who rip people off. Especially, when they use a template. I called a local designer, and he wanted upwards of $3500 to design a site using a template.I have to agree with digitalvision 313. It really is all about a budget and what you can do within that budget.I tend to charge on the cheap, because as a firefighter, I know what it means to work hard for a buck. So I find it hard to sit behind a computer and charge $60 an hour, when I bust my hump for $8.50 (salary broke into hours).Honesty, creativity, and the ability to work with clients to bring their vision to life, without breaking your bank.That`s what`s important to look for.

LogoMotives

A good web designer gives you exactly what you want!I would disagree with that comment from a literal viewpoint.  What the client often wants. or thinks they want, is not always what will serve their business or organization best.  A responsible, professional designer will provide a client with options that may be much more effective than what a client actually thinks they need or desire. In many design project cases I`ve had to create exactly what a client thinks they want in order to show them why it will not work successfully.- J.

Rich

tonerdesign,
what a great expression of your thoughts and clear demonstration of "cool" in the face of some edgy posts here.
that even keel is a great quality - especially for an entrepreneur. after all, things are tough out there and you`ve got to navigate stormy stuff sometimes.
kudos!
rich

Rich

We encourage you to check out the 10 Key Questions we recommend you get answers to when considering any prospective web designer. hope this is helpful and productive.
richJoel2006-9-18 15:54:48

Roger

When choosing a firm to develop your site, first I would ask what kind of site are you in need of.  Each company may have its own strengths, you need to fit the right fit for you.
If you are looking to create an ecommerce site, a designer is no probably what you want.  Designers tend to be very creative, priding themselves on creating innovative, unique sites.  If you are in business, these are not neccesarily the qualities you need.  Designers tend to be artists, not business people.  You need someone who understand Internet Marketing and commerce.  What you should strive for is
Simple, Effective, Familiar, Professional
Simple - The site should be clean and uncluttered, the navigation exceptionally simple.  And above all, how to purchase should be extremely obvious.
Effective - The site should be completely geared towards providing quality content and making the sale.  Always have a mechanism for capturing visitors emails.  In order to do this you need to have some juicy bait.  Something for free, perhaps a informative newsletter or an ebook.  Capturing emails and using them for effective follow-ups is imperative.
Familiar - Many designers frown on templates, but face it most ecommerce sites are very similar in how they present thier products, categories across the left hand side, or as drop menus, contact us and a search tool across the top etc.  Consumers will trust ecommerce site layouts they are familiar with.  Sure an innovation here or there may help you stick out, as long as the innovation makes your site easier and more intuitive to your customers.  A good template is a great starting point, it will lower your costs and speed up the development of your site.
Professional - If you follow the advice above, you are already on your way to a professional looking site.  Keep your fonts easily readable, cutesy fonts and vibrant colors should be avoided.  Excessive artwork and creative designs will detract from your goal - making a sale.  Use all the tools associated with ecommerce.  Securtiy certificates, customer support mechanism, credit card payment gateways and merchant accounts.  You have to gain a customers complete trust before they will be willing to share their credit card account with you.  Your site has to be completely professional
For these reasons, a better choice would be a Ecommerce site developer, not just a designer.  Other issues to consider are
Traffic generation - Can they help you generate traffic to your site, what is their marketing plan?  Without traffic, you will never make a profit.  Get tons of traffic and you will make sales.
Does the firm know how to setup your site to recieve credit card payments?  If you cannot accept credit card payments, you will lose a LOT of business.
On the other hand if you are in the business of providing information, expressing your personal views, an outlet for your hobby or art.  Then a designer is the way to go.
Roger Sibaja
CIO http://www.GoldenOrbConsulting.com</A>
Ownerhttp://www.gobiwebhosting.com</A>
roger@GoldenOrbConsulting.com</A>

digitalvision313

My favorite term was coined by Adobe..."Deseloper" and "Deselopment"Someone who understands good design and usability, brings some artistic flair and reinforcement of brand imagery to the party, and then also has the technical side covered and a business sense to know how the end project is going to achieve the stated goals.

FreshYields

If you are looking to create an ecommerce site, a designer is no probably what you want.  Designers tend to be very creative, priding themselves on creating innovative, unique sites.  If you are in business, these are not neccesarily the qualities you need.  Designers tend to be artists, not business people.  You need someone who understand Internet Marketing and commerce.I disagree somewhat with this point.  There are plenty of designers out there that know how to handle ecommerce sites, since they are more than just graphic designers.  My designer is brilliant with css, xhtml, and php.  You are correct with your last point though.  The biggest hurdle I see with clients who have ecommerce sites built is what to do next.  Just because you build it, doesn`t mean anyone will come to the store and buy.  SEO, SEM, email campaigns, and other online advertising techniques are critical to ecommerce success.  Offline marketing is big as well.  You need to get that URL out there everywhere.  The difference is with SEM and such, it is a little easier to measure conversion success rates.New click and mortar retailers also tend to struggle with supply chain flow, inventory control, and fulfillment.  If you are going to go full bore with your ecommerce site, you need to have plans set to deal with the traffic and orders that hopefully will follow.

postcarder

I first got started in web design in 1995, when black type on a gray background was the state of the art. And if you had graphics on your page? Oh, were you cool.That was then, this is now. And viva la difference.One of the constants of life on the Internet is that it`s always changing. Which means that we in the design field must keep up with what`s coming down the pike.But here are a couple of things that haven`t changed: I`m still finding that the clients need to have things explained to them. In plain English. Chemistry is still the key to a good working relationship. I`ve had some clients stay with me for almost as long as I`ve been in business. (Oh, how I love those people!) And others? Well, let`s say we went our separate ways.Hope this helps!

huston

This is a question for those entrepreneurs who start businesses with a web-based component that they aren`t handling themselves.1) How did you discover the web talent that is working on your project?2) What was the biggest driver in choosing them over another canidate?3) What is one thing you wish you would have asked before they started work?4) Would you use them again and why?I know how geeks approach working with other developers. However I`d love to hear what really demonstrates value to the business crowd. What gets your business?
 
What do you think this website, some of my friends said it`s perfect?
I figure you`re an expert in this field, what`s your opinion.
 

greenmentor

I would like to know more about your site . I just started working with a business called www.libertyleague.com/josephscionti</A>
And i would like to create my own website to capture leads
Thanks Joe
Let me know if you can help
 
Thanks

MatthewReinbold

huston,To clarify: are you looking for my opinion on this site? While there are pros and cons (as always) that wasn`t really the focus of the thread. The point was to determine how web professionals (web designers, application developers, online marketers, SEO consultants, etc) can provide maximum value in a number of directions (cost, relationship, knowledge, creativity, etc).If you`d still like to discuss this site lets start a new thread dedicated to that or contact me privately.
greenmentor,Congradulations on starting your new endevours. I`m not sure exactly who you are addressing but I sent you a private email. Let`s talk.

SheriB

M.
I`m happy to respond to this one!  I was parousing the web for a web designer recently, played around with the "doityourselfer" sites. (Yuck, never as easy as they say) Then started looking into local directories of web designers so that I knew I`d be able to meet with the person to explain what I wanted.  The biggest factor in deciding who to use is hands down - my initial split second opinion/impression of their very own website. I know it sounds cheezy, but I cannot trust my image to someone who`s not concerned with their own.  I also check out their clients page and see some examples, if they all look like cookiecutter replicas of each other, he`s out.  A website has to be the beginning of the sales process for me.  It has to invite the user and welcome them to my business, make them want to move forward with me.  I don`t care for all the flash and animation -- Personally I usually cick the "skip" button on these when I get to them.
Thats my input, hope it helps.
S. - New YorkSheriB2006-9-20 10:10:48

Bupulga

Made a mistake. The comment is next. Sorry about that.Bupulga2006-9-20 11:30:55