Every time I have sat down to write this post, my mind goes plank or gets filled with too much information – which would inevitably cause you overwhelm.
- What should I start with? They’re all important points!
- How should I go about the flow of the content so that it makes sense?
- What if I offend anyone?
All of these things pop up into my head, but it has been a constant “Want to do” post that keeps coming up! I really feel I need to write this post and that you need to read it.
It may or may not make you choose me as your designer, but it will leave you informed about what you SHOULD be looking for in terms of the person you WILL end up working with.
I stumbled upon this article that honestly says 99% of what I wanted to write – rather than recreate the wheel, I shall point you to that!
@SachaGreif for Folyo is the author behind this great article and touches on everything from Visuals and Structure, Insight and Style, to Communication and Experience and even things I didn’t even think to talk about (when I visualised my article [that of course doesn't exist]) like Personality and Passion.
The only thing that wasn’t covered was budgetary requirements; something that I feel needs to be discussed, (even though it is a widely hated topic) so I will do so here!
Budget
Do NOT pick your designer based on budget.
All too often I have heard horror stories of someone picking a Designer because he was “cheap” or “more affordable” only to have the site of their nightmares come to fruition. There are a few things to keep in mind when you opt for a “cheap” or “more affordable” Designer…
- Chances are good, the Designer is just desperate for the cash – Once you give them their deposit, you may never hear from them again (or worse, they’ll throw you a “freebie” template and slap their name on it.)
- Their method of communication that follows is lax simply because they don’t really care about you (as a customer) or your project.
- They are quite possibly working with the wrong industry tools, which could result in an inferior, usually shoddy end result (read: something that doesn’t work properly)
- You could be their guinea pig – I’ve seen this, where the “Designer” thinks that they “might” want to try a new skill and then proceeds to use you as their test subject. (Don’t even get me started on those “Designers” who aren’t even in the same industry [You know the one where your Mechanic says that he can build you a website for "Cheap"? That's another post for another time!])
I could go on and on about low budget Designers, because I have heard it all.. That said, you could very well find a “budget” Designer who ends up giving you a gem of a site (it’s VERY rare, but it does happen), so it’s important that you take the information from the How to Pick a Great Designer article and use all of the points (including my budget section) to make your very informed decision.
I’ll even go so far as to offer you my assistance in helping you evaluate your potential choices – Honestly that is how much I want your experience with a Designer to be a good one! So, go forth, arm yourself with plenty of information and then give me a call… I have no problems putting myself through the rigors of your evaluation and would be honored to do so!
Until then,
