Later tomorrow (September 2nd), at 5pm US Eastern Time (10pm in England & Ireland) a business magazine will be interviewing me for a story on the topic of:
"providing businesses with the basic information they need to make an informed decision about creating/updating a web site as well as how to avoid pitfalls and avoid bad decisions that could harm the business down the road. What kinds of things should businesses be aware of when entering into a contract with a web site designer?"
So, I am calling on all web designers to participate and be part of my answers tomorrow. I would be delighted to hear all of your thoughts on this question, and help me to form some really good answers for this interview.
If and when the story is published I will post it here and also give some link love to those that take part. Time is of the essence! Please place your comments as soon as possible, and thanks for getting involved!
Portfolio, portfolio, portfolio. Check it out before you start working with a designer. If you like what you see in the portfolio, you’ll probably like what the designer will make for you.
No portfolio probably means: no, or little experience, which is fine too, but make sure you don’t pay full price when you’re dealing with a “newbie”.
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Even a portfolio can be deceiving imo. I think the client needs to ask the design company, if the designers who created the work in the portfolio are still part of the company.
I think the client also needs to check references from the past clients the design company has.
Lastly, the client needs to interact directly with the creative director or lead designer, not some HR person.
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Congratulation on the interview. I think the best advice I could suggest is:
“Even with the best designer you are only going to get out of the project what you put in to it”. Make sure you have a really strong brief and a designer that is not afraid to ask questions and challenge your ideas oh and also “know what you are not able to do your self” never be afraid to hire things out, it might cost a little more but it’s always nice to have things done right the first time.
Hope this helps and good luck with the interview
Yes, portfolio is important, but so is a fine-tuned resume highlighting all your unique talents. As I am currently looking for another job myself I’ve found that employers want to know as much as they can about you. What kind of work does an artist produce? What is the artist like to work with? What are his/her qualifications? Is the artist open to feedback, critique, and challenges? This is important for both sides, because the ideal working relationship is just that - a relationship.
I do not have any formal education so I use just as much creativity in selling myself and my talent as I do producing the artwork.
Testimonials are always a good thing to look out for, shows a true reflection of what past clients have thought of the designers: professionalism, quality of work, if they made regular contact, etc… all the things that you need to know to make sure that the designer is reliable and will get the work done when it is needed, and also portfolios and resumes/CV’s highlighting past work quality help aswell as it is a graphic representation of what the designer can do.
Hope this helps Brian
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I agree with what Matt said. Portfolio is a good start, but I would add that, further research. Google their name and see what comes up. You may find that they have great, informitive answers on a online design forum, which shows their expertise. I would note that before one starts the search, know what you want your site to do. What is the purpose? Answering that question and having a list of criteria will help in the search. Do you need a CMS or is the site going to me more of a brochure?Having that info in the beginning will help narrow the field.
While a good portfolio is important, as is a quality resume and authentic testimonials, I think it’s very important to make sure that prospects not only read the contract thoroughly, but also be sure that they understand it fully.
Things like who will be updating the site once it goes live, who owns the copyright to the design/layout of the site and any images/photos used, and how to handle any technical issues that may arise in the future are all very important to discuss and know up front.
In order to avoid issues down the line, it’s also important to anticipate future needs. Maybe right now, the company only needs a few pages. But in a few months, they might want a blog, or a more dynamic website with a database, RSS feeds, etc. So it’s a good idea to prepare now for the future. Ask a lot of questions, try to think ahead, and make sure the site is developed with the ability to expand later in mind. It might cost a little more upfront, but in the long run, it’ll save a lot more money than having to have the site rebuilt from the ground up later.
I am putting your answers together to get ready for tomorrow, keep them coming!
I think the article wants to dig more in the strategic side of starting a web project than just choosing the best designer on the web. There are projects among projects and web-designers among web-designers. The most important thing to know before hiring a web designer is “What we want with this project specifically? What strategy is been followed by the decision of building or rebuilding a website” The further election of a candidate have to be ruled by the exact needs of the project: “Do we need to put more accent to the image aspects of branding or rich and dynamic content?, do we need to have close relation with our customers?, do we need new customers?, we want the customer to return? what about catching customer information?”. In the websphere we have great graphic designers with some programming skills, good programmers with really good taste for image, designers that love Adobe Flash and find standards restrictive and designers that love standards and hate any form of proprietary technology. Of course the portfolio will tell you this, but many times those are questions that are never formulated in any management team. The important thing to the company is to know that the designer, programmer (or designer-programmer) and the company itself are stakeholder with the same amount in play when it comes to develop the project.
What Clients Need To Know When Hiring A Web Design Company?
Use your instinct, first impressions count when meeting any supplier. Track Record - Portfolio is cool but was everything in the portfolio created in-house….. Skillsets of those working on the project, try to speak to the individuals rather than just the salesman/woman if possible, ask if they can sit in for a moment or two…
Reliable testimonials from reliable sites and not there Friend or Mum. What sort of questions do they ask while the initial conversations take place. Do they ask you what you want to achieve or are they bombarding you with IT talk trying to oversell their services. Do some research yourself so you know which direction you want to move in.
Contract, does it feel fair, maintenance costs and turnaround of these changes/amends, will they be as supportive once you paid for the initial work. If you want to move the project away for a particular reason how will this be handled.
Are they looking at the big picture or just the project in hand. Over time needs change and grow.
And most importantly take the time to speak to more than one agency to compare responses, if you have the patience and time off course.
Oh bugger what do I know, excuse the rambling
Thanks again
Clients should know what they will be expecting in deliverables and how much the project will cost. This can be accomplished with a signed contract and 50% deposit before starting any project, with the exact details of what the client will be receiving.
The client is expected to provide the signed contract with the 50% deposit. Plus, provide the designer with all the content, photos and anything else related to the project.
It’s also a good idea to get some background information about your client before starting on any project. It will help to met client goals and expectations. Using a creative brief will help accomplish this.
A creative brief lays out the visual design directions to explore and the objectives of the project. Using the information on the form to make sure that we are both focused and are on the same page throughout the creative process to deliver the clients message.
A few things to consider on what should be included in a creative brief.
+ Client information
+ Client budget
+ Who are you?
+ What do you do?
+ What are your goals?
+ What is your budget?
+ How would you like to be perceived?
+ Who is your audience, demographics?
+ Who is your primary competitor?
+ What do you want this project to say about you?
+ What’s your favorite/least favorite color and why?
+ List logos you like and why?
+ What would you like produced?
+ What keywords describe your business?
Also be sure you’ve got a firm or designer that’s well-versed in a variety of web technologies and can tell you what you need, not sell you what you want. Too often clients with very little web experience have often heard lots of web buzzwords or have been told by others what they need, whether it be a Flash intro or a complex database-driven solution. A good designer will talk with you, evaluate your needs, and not be afraid to disagree with you on what you think is best for your website. They should also understand how your website impacts your overall brand and be able to give you examples of other clients who have used their online presence to strengthen their brand.
Interview sounds fun, good luck!
This is one of the richest discussion I’ve read in some time!… Brian, I’d love to see the result of this. Please let me know when and how can I read the article… seems very interesting!.
Thanks again!
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Glad to hear it, Brian. Is it a job you think would be a good fit for you? What did you think of the people?