Happily Ever After – Finding your Mate

Don’t have clue one about finding a capable web designer? Here are some tips to help you find the designer of your dreams (and avoid design nightmares). It’s not that difficult if you know what to look for on your quest.

Choosing a web designer is kind of like choosing a mate. Aesthetic tastes, like romantic tastes, are subjective. And just like with relationships, what you don’t know about your partner can hurt you. Some qualities you want in both your mate and your web designer:

• good listening skills
• interest in your ideas and business
• reliability
• honest, straightforward communication style
• an ego that’s healthy, but still fits into a Volkswagen
• technical expertise

OK, so I’m stretching the metaphor a bit—but you get the point. If you’re going to marry this web designer and produce your progeny site, it’s a good idea to make informed choices.

You want a designer who will listen to you and care about your wishes, but who isn’t afraid to disagree with you and explain why. You want a designer who will explain relevant technical concepts to you in a clear, understandable way, and then follow through by doing what’s been promised.

In short, a great web designer can be counted on to communicate clearly, listen well, care about your needs and steer you straight. Not bad qualities for a mate either, huh?

Don’t go around kissing toads!

Finding a designer who meets your needs is easier if you know what your needs are. Start figuring them out! If you select the first designer you find or (shudder) the cheapest, it’s like kissing toads in hopes of finding royalty. You may get lucky, but you’ll probably just get cranky.

A good place to start is by asking friends and colleagues if they have sites and who designed those sites. Even if your pal had a web design nightmare, hearing about those experiences can help you avoid the same mistakes.

You may also search for local business sites you like. If the designer’s not listed on a site, send an email and ask who did the work. Although you’re not limited to local designers, some prefer to work with a designer they can meet face-to-face. If hiring local help is important to you, there’s always the good old phone book.

But remember, it’s entirely possible to hire someone half a world away to design your site successfully. Most of my projects are actually done long distance and it works out very well. Just make sure you’re comfortable with the designer and the arrangement.

When you have identified a few possible designers, go to each designer’s site and note what you like and don’t like.

Posted on January 27, 2009 at 12:37 pm in: Web Advice

Tagged as: Web Tips