How to choose a great web designer

Choosing a great web designer can be tough when you’re not sure what to look out for. To save headache from scope creep, I would suggest you ask the designer the following questions to ensure you are choosing a great web designer that will design a beautiful, yet functional site for you.

How long have you been designing great websites?

This is very important and is a direct reflection of the service you can expect. Newer designers may take longer to create a design for you, and not be used to keeping tight deadlines, so keep that in mind. Seasoned professionals have a system by which they approach each project, and they take into consideration your business and goals, as well as your ideal customer or client.

Do you create web designs from scratch, or use templates and pre-existing elements?

Custom design is the top of the line and will give your site the most unique and personalized look. Custom sites with amazing photography and the ones that really wow people. They’re also the most fun to work on! They are my personal favorite because I began my career as a graphic designer and illustrator, and custom design is my jam! However, sometimes the budget does not allow custom work, so templates can be a big help when it comes to creating something that is refined, even if it’s not super custom.

Templates will save TONS of time, so if you don’t need much customization, perhaps you can suggest your designer create something based on a template. I have created my own templates and snippets to use in sites, and others will have too if they are experienced.

Aside from being a web designer, are you also a web developer? Can you code?

You’ll be surprised if you expect your designer to deliver a full-fledged website but they deliver you a static PDF instead.  If your designer is not a developer, you might have to outsource that part of the project, and then they will be on your timeline, and the developer they subcontract to! The most efficient way to work is to find an organization that can do both.

They will be able to create your site in the shortest amount of time, and with the most efficient because coding things like style sheets allow changes to be made with a few lines of code, and that can be done in seconds. I personally do both and think in these times, every designer should know some CSS at least.

What is your client process as a web designer?

Ask this question to see if they have a clear process for how they work with clients. If they don’t, RUN! It’s not worth your time to hire someone who hasn’t had enough clients to have a process! If they do, listen to what they do to ensure that their clients are successful. Evaluating what the client needs based on their industry, the marketing plan, and planning ways to optimize the website are key things to look for in addition to the timeline. These sorts of things should be mentioned in their process. Even if they are just creating imagery, it is still important to consider the other elements. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. 

Lastly, make sure to have realistic expectations for a great web designer.

After asking these questions, you should have a better idea of what to expect from the designer. Please keep in mind that work can be good, fast, or cheap. You get to pick two. If you want something good and fast, it will not be cheap, and if you want something fast and cheap, it certainly won’t be good. I hope this helps in your search for the best web designs and web designers. And if you are interested in seeing how we create websites, feel free to browse our portfolio or other resources.