My Creative design Portfolio of the moment is from designer Dave Werner. His design portfolio does an amazing job outlining his work, his thought process and creative perspective. The layout while creative still lends an easy navigation and thorough overview of his work. He provided a taste of his dynamic talent and included examples of his vast creative reach. Great Job Dave; you are my creative Pro of the moment.

IF YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS FEED

Sponsor  iPage - Small business web hosting $3.50/mo!!

Recently I've been on a creative rampage; coming up with all sorts of really cool business ideas; some of which required a web presence. Since I'm not web design savvy I wasn't sure of the rules to fully vet a web designer or web design company. Needless to say I had to learn the hard way, as usual. I've outlined a few things to keep in mind as you start your search. My hopes is to be able to save you some frustration and to stare you away from the obstacles I feel into... head first!

Here's a brief background: So I went online and found a small business community website called startupnation.com where they directed me to fill out a form in order to receive a list of design company contacts. A day later 5 contacts showed up in my inbox. So naturally, I called right away to get a quote (mistake #1):

I was equipped with two things: The first was 3 website references - one for functionality, one for color and aesthetics and one for navigational purposes and two, a budget of about $5000. After a quick conversation with each company (mistake #2) I narrowed then down to 3; Company A was $3700, Company B was $4500 and Company C was $11500. Now as a shopper you have a decision to make; How is it that a single website design project can lead to a $7000 spread?

My immediate assumption is that you get what you pay for, RIGHT? ... WRONG! I asked my brother; a software engineer and founder of Consulteer; a software company in San Jose; and he told me that price does not dictate quality; and that there are many factors that influence the quote, some of which are; design company Vs. a freelance designer, building from scratch Vs. building from Pre-designed modules, Company location: Local Vs. National Vs. International and fair company Vs. Scam company.

A $3700 job could be just as good or better than a $11500 job. The key to your choice is research... and lots of it. What I didn't tell you was that my conversation with my brother came after the fact. After I chose the wrong company; after I signed an incomplete, ‘give up all your rights' proposal; after I threaten to get my lawyer; after I lost part of my deposit... I think you get the picture. Anyway, after the drama, I finally got most of my money back but lost valuable time and probably a few years off my life. So here I am, $700 poorer, most of my marbles back and a priceless experience: All that just to share with you my top 8 Do's and Dont's:

• 1) BEFORE THE CALL: Create a detailed design brief for your project. Know exactly what you want for your website, i.e. color, layout, functionality, pages, content, etc - It's tedious work but take the time to do it. Trust me the more you know the better.
• 2) WRITE OR DIE: Write down all the details you want on your site from the homepage layout to the details of the submit button.
• 3) VETTING TIME: Have each company send a list of sites they've completed so you can take a look at their work. One factor in your choice should be whether or not the company has done a website similar to the one you want. 2 reasons: One-the chances are great that they can do your site, and two- they may be able to use previous modules that they've already created on your site which might ultimately reduce your cost.
• 4) GO OUT ON A LIMB: Now this might sound a little crazy but once you've receive the list of websites; ask the designer/design company if you can call a few of these people to get a reference. If you can, try to stay away from their "prep" references. ;) This will either make or break the deal... trust me.
• 5) THE COAST IS CLEAR: Give the web design company your written notes for them to derive their proposal - doing the work in the beginning will save you lots of time and money when the project begins. Once the project starts, negotiating the price for a function that you thought was included and wasn't can be difficult when dealing with the wrong design company.
• 6) SITEMAP IS KING: This is like a flowchart for websites, it's a complete layout of your site; some companies are reluctant to do it; it's very time consuming but essential for you to have a visual of how your site will function once completed.
  
• 7) MILESTONES TO EAT: A good design company will give you timelines and milestones for the project - you have to know when your site will be completed, even a rough estimate will enable you to follow the project and gauge the progress of your site. Web design projects have a tendency to grow legs, taking much longer than anticipated.
• 8) WAG YOUR TONGUE: When coming to a final price; always ask the designer for a discount; ALWAYS... you may be able to save 10% by simply wagging your tongue.

So there it is... Let me know if I missing anything; comments, feedback welcome!

Confused on what web design firm to hire? Let us help you choose the right Web Designer for you next project

Sponsor  iPage - Small business web hosting $3.50/mo!!