What do i look for in a designer?
I am assuming myself to be a client who is on the lookout for a good design for his blog. What do i look for in my designer?
Portfolio
Firstly, i go straight for the portfolio section in our designers’ website. It defines him in the realms of aesthetic designs, accessibility results and client lists. Portfolios should not be vague and misleading. If I have two websites with one displaying the screenshots of their work and one linking to the original websites, i would be definitely convinced by the latter. The reason simply means i get to experience what his designs would feel like.
Spiga.com.mx , thewebdesigner and WillBlackmore.co.uk are good examples of portfolios. They give proper details of what they have done and links and screenshots wherever necessary.
Website Design
Though his portfolio gets me the maximum of his design capabilities, a good website with minimal project listings also gets my attention.
Services
Services that my designer provides is also a measure for selection. The reason is closely associated with ‘loyalty of the customer‘ and ‘future projects’. For example I get my blog done with a designer who is only offering xhtml/css design with no flash oriented websites in his services list. I find his work appealing but still I would still prefer a design studio with a wide range of services. In the future I probably will come back to the same firm for a different kind of service.
Client List
An impressive array of popular clients can be very effective. Tofslie is one such portfolio. It has a good client base ranging from popular sporting brands like Nike and Adidas to Winter X Games champion Shaun White’s official website. That is impressive! Almost all the doubts about quality, accessibility and all the other criterion for selecting a designer reduces dramatically as the result of my website will be surely a good one.
Popularity
Someone popular in the blogosphere with a large number of loyal readers will automatically qualify as a good designer. They wouldn’t have been popular if their designs were bad. Bryan Veloso’s (the message is distorted?) and Veerle’s happen to be my favourite bloggers. And surely their portfolios show that they are talented designers’ too. Besides getting your website done by such popular blogger/designers is always good for me and my business.
Rates
Last but not the least, the rates he charges. Obviously when ‘high-end clients’ are catered by the designer, the rates go high. If it is a blog or a simple website with minimal number of features i would select a smaller, less exuberant design house. Nowadays finding one such designer is not at all a problem.
So i ask, ‘What do you look for in a designer?”
April 20th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
i study web design. so your thoughts are useful for me. even if i’ m not going to work as web designer at the moment (never say never).
and thanks for good porfolio samples. i’ m checking them out.