Tips for Hiring a Web Designer

Websites don’t appear magically with pretty colors and awesome functionality, the magic is performed by Web Designers. Web Designers are one of the most integral parts of your organization’s online presence. Without user functionality and an attractive website, you will lose customers and valuable business.

As you can imagine, (good) Web Designers have become a rare commodity in the past few years. Every business is looking for designers with UX experience who can create stellar websites but the truth is, Web Designers can be hard to find, especially talented ones. Once you find one, how do you decide what makes them good? Here are a few tips on what to look for and where to look for your next rockstar designer:

Decide what you want. Going out and searching for your ideal Web Designer is a waste of time unless you know exactly what you want and are looking for. Beyond just the function of your website, what do you want it to feel, look or sound like? Pinpoint exact elements you’re looking for in other sites so that when searching for a designer, you can see what you’re looking for in their portfolio and that they’ve had prior experience working on projects like yours.

Do your homework. An established web designer or design firm should have a number of clients that they’ve produced excellent work for. Talk to these clients as a reference for the Web Designer. A designer’s websites can look amazing but working with them can be difficult and speaking to their previous clients will allow you to find these types of things out before you write a check.

Make sure they know their stuff! Any designer you consider should be up to date on their coding languages. Virtually all designers should be skilled in HTML and CSS. If you need languages more complex than HTML and CSS such as JavaScript or Silverlight, you are asking for an advanced Web Designer. Their portfolios should reflect recent developments with HTML and CSS and should not look outdated as if they are from 2000. Also, test the websites they have developed for usability and errors so that you can put their work to the test.

Know the difference. If you’re looking for a new website with lots of functionality and integration with other systems, you’re not looking for a Web Designer, you’re looking for a developer. Some freelancers claim to be pros in designing and developing but it’s incredibly rare. Web Designers are the people who make your website look awesome and run with the developer’s interface and make it usable.

Where to find them.
Thankfully, there are some great resources for finding Web Designers:

• MN Web Design Group
• MN Web Design Website
• Creattica
• CSS Mania
• Technical associations such as AIGA

Or save yourself lots of time and headaches and call us today, we know lots of talented Web Designers!