If you are like 90-percent of webmasters, at some point in time you will need the services of a web designer. In order to make the most of your experience and money, there are some basic things you should know before you launch headlong into getting a site designed. These tips will help you to get what you want and need from your designer.1. Know the Goal of Your Site.
It’s not enough to tell your designer you want a site. If you are hiring a designer, that is a given. You need to be able to let your designer know what you plan to do with your site. Is it mainstream or adult? Is it a portal, blog, freesite, gallery, paysite or something else? Will there be a lot of video or audio content? All these questions will give you a starting point for your conversations with a designer. They will also help your designer find the best software for your sites.
2. Give Site suggestions.
This can’t be stressed enough. If you don’t have a picture in your mind of what you want your site to look like, you can’t give a designer good direction. The best way to get around this is to collect a list of links to give to your designer in order to show them what kind of sites you like. Look for colors, fonts, visual elements, and layouts that you find appealing and that would work for your site model. This speeds up the initial design process as it gives the designer a better picture of what you are looking for.
3. Give Good Content.
This is mostly in relation to photographic content. Sending your designer compressed images will lead to a lower quality final design. There has been many a website gone south due to this very issue. You can always find solid designs that are less than they could be because the images are fuzzy or over compressed. It is important to remember that this is what people are going to base a purchasing decision on. If they walk away thinking “pretty site, awful content” then you can bet that is a sale you will never see. Giving your designer top notch content (and a variety of it) will give them great stuff to work with and will also help feed their creative fire.
4. Feedback.
Designers depend on their clients to give them feedback; specific feedback, that is. Telling your designer that you don’t like something is about as vague as vague can be. What don’t you like? Is it the color, font, image choices? You need to be able to explain exactly what it is you don’t like. A good designer will not take offense to your critique, in fact, just the opposite. Designers want to give you the best possible site and with your feedback they will be able to do just that. Giving proper feedback will speed up the design process, saving you time and money, and resulting in a better design and an overall lower cost as you avoid a lot of revisions.
Working with a designer can be a fun and rewarding experience. You can watch as your visions become reality, taking you to the next step in your new online adventure. Just remember these tips to ensure the best experience.
