When designing a new website, or redesigning an older website, there is a delicate balance between the creative-the look and feel of the website-and the technical-which is what makes the website work.
Over-emphasis of one, or the other, will result in a website that either looks great, but doesn't function that well, or will create a website that functions great but doesn't look good at all.
Many website designers are either very technical or very creative.
Seldom do you find a website designer who is great at both dealing with the technical issues of building a website and who is also a great graphic designer.
Getting the Best of Both Worlds Ideally, you will want to find an individual or company which can provide you a high level of expertise in the look and feel of the website, and provide outstanding technical solutions.
While graphic designers can generally create beautiful website designs, their ability to create complex technical solutions may be very limited.
And conversely, a programmer or web developer who is very technically savvy may not be able to give your website design that extra sparkle it needs to truly shine.
Web Designers Are Not Programmers Programmers create applications or software and typically have no training or expertise in how a website should look or function.
Most programmers, while technically competent, know computer languages inside and out and can code your website, but programmers typically have no graphic design training.
Most programmers come from a university's computer science curriculum, and few, if any, will take a graphic design class an elective.
While you want your designer to be able to solve technical issues or at least oversee them, website visitors are visually interacting with your website, so the look and feel of your website, navigation and organization of information is extremely important.
Great Website Designers See the Big Picture Truly great website designers will have the ability to look beyond the challenge of creating your website, and will also want to know where your website fits into your overall marketing strategy, and what the primary goals are for the website.
Too many websites are created without paying close attention to what the website will actually accomplish.
Establishing primary and secondary goals for a website is very important.
However, building the ultimate website that misses the mark or fails to achieve basic website goals is just a waste of everyone's time and money.
You can usually tell if your website design resource is looking beyond the immediate project by the questions they ask-or don't ask.
Speak English, Not Techno-Babble A great website designer will be knowledgeable, but will not resort to using excessive techno-babble to confuse or overly impress a client.
Great web designers know what they are talking about, but should not talk down to you, the client.
Educated clients are the best clients.
You don't have to know everything your developer knows, but you need to know that they are truly competent and they can communicate effectively with you.
Think of your website designer as being a sort of partner in your company's marketing efforts; a part of your overall team.
Just Get it Done Already! Great website designers are organized and can manage their time effectively.
Often, technology projects take far longer then they need too because too little attention is being paid to project progress and resolving issues that are stalling a project.
Your web developer should be a self-starter, and should not rely on you reminding them that the project is behind schedule.
If you are using a company to create your website, make sure there is a project manager involved, who can provide weekly status meetings and who is pro-active in resolving issues that will affect the time-line of the project and the website launch date.
Professionalism While many people and companies provide website design services with a high degree of expertise, the level of professionalism varies from individual to individual and company to company.
When first contacting a potential website designer, look for signs of professionalism-or lack of professionalism.
When you call them, do you receive a call back in a timely fashion? Does the developer or company keep regular office hours? When you send an email, is it answered promptly and are the responses professional? It is always best to try and avoid working with a less than professional company, but evaluating someone before you have a chance to start working with them can be difficult.
From the first contact you make with your vendor, be on the lookout for signs that someone may be less than professional.
Working with an individual or a company that is not professional will only lead to frustration on your part as the project moves along or grinds to a halt.
But working with someone who understands the business world and values your time, returns your calls and emails promptly and professionally, will help make the project experience much more pleasant.
Five Tips for Locating a Great Web Designer 1) Get referrals.
If you have business associates or if you know business owners who have great websites, ask them who provided their website expertise, and if they would recommend a developer or company to you.
2) Review portfolios or example websites.
Have potential designers you are considering to show you their work and to walk you through a few website projects, explaining their development process in detail.
3) Ask questions.
Interview your potential website designer, just as you would when interviewing someone to work for you.
While it may be a short term assignment, it's still an important project and both time and money is at stake.
4) Get a detailed proposal.
Before starting your project, make sure to get a detailed written proposal from your resource.
A clearly written proposal will detail the technical approach to be used, all work to be provided by the website vendor, all project costs and assumptions.
Make sure the proposal details all the project requirements and spells out how additional work will be defined and approved.
Make sure the proposal clearly details the responsibilities of both parties so there is no finger pointing if there are project delays.
5) Check vendor references.
Before signing a proposal or giving anyone a go-ahead on your project, be sure to get references for both individuals or the company you are considering using for your project.
Call and speak to previous clients who have worked with the potential website designer and be sure to ask how problems with the project were dealt with.