Thursday, January 1, 2009

Searching For A Web Designer

By Stephen Grisham, Sr.

The art of web designing has changed drastically since the addition of the web 2.0. As this web keeps growing the skills necessary to create and maintain a web page now dip into javascript and a creative portfolio. This makes choosing the right web designer a difficult task as you need to find the artistic and technical balance.

The web design process is often difficult for business owners to manage. There are many confusing terms and technical jargon, which sound complicated, but are just a matter of familiarity. When planning your website, you should consider it as a flagship store or the face of your company. Think of planning a website like planning a building. First you need blueprints, then an artistic rendering, and finally the builders make it real.

Figuring out if you will need a database is the first step. A website with just videos, audio, text, and pictures has no need for a database. If you plan to sell from your website then you will be in need of a programmer to set this up. Take the time to look at other websites and keep note of what you like this way your designer has an idea of what he is getting into. It saves him time and you money as they run on hourly wages.

Once you decide what you need on your website it is time to locate your perfect web designer. Searching through the internet is the best option as it already is advertising their work along with other portfolios and reputations. Make sure you have your budget range handy as they often ask how much you will need to spend and this will determine the look of your project.

When seeking out a web designer, you should consider quality, reputation, portfolio, and personality. You may happen to find a person with very little professional experience, but a great reputation and history. Degrees and years of experience certainly factor in, but in many cases students currently freelancing are far better at web design than professionals who have 10 years experience, but none of it recent.

When deciding on your designer; consider their background knowledge of the computer languages. Such skills as image editing, XHTML, CSS3, and javascript are all of the necessary tools to put your site together. However if you want a more interactive page - an actionscript or Flashscript expert will be needed as well. Choosing a web designer with all of these skills may be more expensive but could save you money in the long run.

Portfolios are a great way to judge your designer. If all of their work looks the same; do not hire them, as they are likely using templates or just not creative. Templates on the other hand can be purchased for half the cost of a designer but are often unoriginal and hard to work with.

CMS's are also important if you plan to keep an updated site. These content management systems are available from blogs such as wordpress or professionals like Drupal. Make sure your designer knows how to skin images if you get a branded CMS so they can update your software.

After you choose a web designer you will need to create mock ups, or images that show how the website will look after it is completed. It is very important that you examine the mockups carefully before starting. Planning is the most important step in web development. After you and your developer agree on the mockups, your web designer should translate the images into valid XHTML and CSS. You can validate your web designers XHTML and CSS code online. - 15485

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