The best way to choose the right web designer for your project is to inspect the quality of their work. Take a good look at their design portfolio and keep the following questions in mind:
1) Did the web designer build the site? Is their name on it? Check to see if they built the site or just did some work after the fact.
2) Do the sites show a significant diversity of design? Check to see if the designer uses templates that are the same over and over again or if the designer started fresh and designed a unique site for the product/service being offered.
3) Do the sites demonstrate technical expertise? Certain things you may want to look for are xHTML, PHP, CSS2, JavaScript, mySQL, SEO, SEM, Social Media Integration, and application development, just to name a few.
4) Do the sites show attention to detail? See if the images are clean and crisp. How does the text layout look? You can’t hold a designer responsible for what the text may say, but you can certainly hold them responsible for the layout.
5) Are the sites properly focused on the product/service? You want the site to draw attention to the product/service being presented, does the site do that or does it take away or distract you from it?
Most of all trust word of mouth; see what others have to say about the designer. Don’t be afraid to ask the designer for client references. A good designer will gladly provide them to you so you can check it out for yourself. There are thousands of designers out there but it’s the level of service and the quality of their work that makes the difference.
Now, if all this talk has gotten you thinking about the kinds of design elements, themes and technologies you’d like to include in your website, take a few moments to share your thoughts by filling out our interactive form. The form covers a number of important conceptual areas, and completing it greatly assists us in helping you develop your project. If you’d rather print out a paper version, a standard pdf is available here.