Posted on March 14, 2008 by Katy

Recently, I have had a huge increase in web design clients. And like every other niche of the web, purchasing custom web designs very much has a season and this is it. Business will continue to be hot for me until about mid-April to the beginning of May when work will taper off again.

So I thought now might be a good time for a little not-about-blogging blog post. Instead, coming from a web designer I thought you might like some tips to hiring a web designer. It’s not always as simple as a lot of people make it and with this post, you may see why.

Imagine if you will that you’re ready to design or redesign your website. You set out on a quest to find the web designer that’s right for you. But the question then becomes, of all the designers on the web, who is right for you?

The answer isn’t the same across the board. And generally it’s been my experience that those who are redesigning their website are doing so because they have just ran into a website that they love and that design is much better than their own. This post is written from that point of view but still very much applies to those who are having their site designed for the first time.

Get Recommendations

If you don’t know a webmaster and love their design, check to see if their site links to their web designer for credit to the design. This is typically in the footer. If they don’t credit their designer, do not be afraid to contact a webmaster and ask. They’ll be flattered and if they love their design, will be all too happy to tell you who did it!

Rarely would I suggest that you hire a web designer without recommendations from someone else. And there are many cases where a webmaster will love their design but will be all too happy to tell you that it was difficult to get because the designer was hard to work with. So, make sure you know. And don’t forget, you can get recommendations from strangers just by heading to Google and doing a search for a designer that you have found. People talk, you should listen.

See Examples

Most designers have a portfolio of their work. Be prepared that their portfolio may not contain every single website they have ever done. There isn’t always a need to show that. Instead, their portfolio may contain their favorite pieces or design styles that they enjoy doing the most. Commonly, portfolios will also contain the designer’s best pieces of various different styles to show their flexibility. However, just because you don’t see what you like in the portfolio doesn’t mean the designer can’t do it. It could just be that they have been presented with the opportunity to do it.

Be Inspired

Generally, it’s okay to hire a designer and not really know what you want. Few people actually do know exactly what they want. In most cases, designers are happy for the wiggle room in your design to translate what they feel you want based on the information that you’ve given them. However, inspiration is the best spice for any web designer. If you’re getting a design because you’ve fallen in love with another site, be sure to let the designer know. Together with your designer, you’ll be able to say what it is that you love about your inspiration site to see what can be worked into your design.

What I have personally found is that most people have fallen in love with their inspiration site not always because of how the design looks but because of a functional element from the design.

For example, Dani is a custom client for her site Girl Get Paid. Her design is rockin’ if I do say so myself. But she didn’t hesitate to tell me she really wanted a Java box that contained her Most Recent Posts, Most Popular Post, Categories, and Archives. And the inspiration site she provided me with had this very element.

Inspiration Not Duplicate

Don’t ever ask a designer to duplicate another site exactly. Those who carry ethics won’t do it! Yes, I can implement elements from your inspiration site but I won’t give you everything another site has. Never ask a designer to copy every single element from another site.

Get a Quote

Good designers generally aren’t cheap. High quality personal designs take time and expect that you’ll be quoted accordingly. If you want something really elaborate or heavily coded, expect to pay your designer for that time.

The worst part for me of being a designer is the quote process. Once you have thrown a price out there, it’s left up to the person requesting the quote to evaluate if you’re worth it. And even though the designer firmly believes that they are, not everyone comes back to purchase a design once a quote has been given.

Realize when you get your quote that you’re being asked for a dollar amount that is entirely dependant on what you told the designer you wanted. It can take a few emails with a designer for them to actually give you a dollar figure so that they can get a better feeling of what your wants and needs are. Elaboration is key to a quote that is going to work for you! Don’t be afraid to be specific or on the flip side, turn over your design to the designer.

Last point with your quote is to make sure that the designer has detailed what you’re going to get for your money. Time is rarely stated but should be obvious. Part of the quote received from a designer will be for nothing more than the time it will take the designer. Be sure that if you don’t see what elements are included in your design, the turn around time, and the waiting time in your quote that you ask for this information. Never hand over money before you have all of the details from the designer.

Patience

This is the time of year where I have to ask all of my design clients for their patience. It’s hard and I’m afraid that people will be put off by my 5 to 6 day waiting period just for me to start on their design.

We are very much an instant gratification world and with design, it’s hard to give that. As much as I would love to start on my next custom client today, I still have others to finish up. And for me, I’m typically working on two or more custom clients at a time and still need you to wait patiently before I can start your design.

So, like I mentioned with the quote, make sure you know how long you’re going to have to sit and wait in anticipation of your new design. Your designer should tell you how long it’ll be before work will start on your design and a rough estimate of how long your design will take once they begin work. It’s important to be flexible with time. Most designers give time estimates that are contingent on the previous design customer loving every single step in their own process. Delays can happen and be understanding as long as you have full communication with your designer while you’re patiently waiting.

Stick to the Plan

Once your designer has started working on your site, do the best you can to stick the original development plan that you started with your designer. Keep in mind that if you don’t like what’s happening with your design you should by all means say something! In the long run, it’s going to be you that has to live with the final design and chances are you probably spent a lot of money to not like something. Don’t do that. However, realize that by changing the course of your design your designer may ask for more money. Expect that if things dramatically change, you will be asked to pay or forgo your new idea.

Enjoy

In the end, when your design is done and you’re just as in love with your new design as you were an inspiration site, be sure to tell the designer. Personally, I live for feedback. I want to know if you’re thrilled with what I’ve done or if you hate it. Feedback to what I have done throughout the process is great for me to continue to build my skills and know if I have made the process easy for you.

And remember make sure you help someone start the process all over again. If you can provide a testimonial for the web designer to use, do it! When someone asks who did your design, share the love. Designers need your commentary to ensure they’ve made their process a smooth one.