Tuesday, December 2, 2008

A Journey To Find A Web Designer

By Stephen Grisham, Sr.

Arts and talents change as technology advances; especially in a field such as web design. Ever since the web 2.0 has really kicked in, finding a web designer who knows all of the latest web skills and knowledge of javascript is key to your success. Locating the perfect mixture of a creative and artistic designer with all of the scripting knowledge in most areas is by far the best choice.

Web designing is often not updated in smaller businesses as it is difficult to manage. Creating anything on the web is a difficult task unless you understand the many different languages that computers dish out. After you decide you need to add or update your website; plan ahead. Start with the face of the company, the real image. Web designing is a craft just like engineering - plans are essential, followed by the craftsmanship to put it all together.

First, you should consider whether or not you will need a database. If you need to do more with your site than a contact form and dynamic text, images, and video, you will probably need a programmer too. If you are making a website for the face of your business, you may just need a web designer to begin. Research similar websites that you like and take lots of notes on your likes and dislikes. Don't forget links to the pages. Web designers frequently charge by the hour, so proper planning before you start will help your web designer work more quickly and will save you money.

After you have a good idea of what you would like to see on your website, it's time to start looking for a web designer. The Internet is the best place to look of course. There are numerous people already advertising their services, or you can place a free classifieds ad to request applications and portfolio links. You should also have a budget range prepared.

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.

Jargon is something you will not have to worry about as a quality web designer will need to have skills in the following; image editing, XHTML, javascript, and CSS3. However javascript is only necessary for moving animations. Any sort of movie clips or interactive elements often require someone with flash or actionscript skills.

When choosing the web designer make sure you look over their portfolio carefully. If all of their sites look the same, that means template - and do not choose them. Templates can just be purchased by you and for a fraction of the price. These are very unoriginal and do not look as good as a creative web designer could make your site look.

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.

The final step in the planning (once you decide on your web designer) is to create mock ups. These are just the images of your website representing what it will look like when its finished. Examine these with caution before you let the designer transform them into CSS and XHTML. Validating their code online is never a bad idea, yet sometimes it is just simpler to look at the product when finished.

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