Work Work Play

Getting the best out of your designer

On many of the bids I see placed on freelance sites, the most affordable and the most qualified are at completely opposite ends of the spectrum. This is another reason, I think we find seriously great designers forgoing these sites and meeting clients the more traditional way.

I think most of the established companies with show stopping design, even if they were quoting low would never be chosen for these jobs.

Why?

Because there’s a level of mediocrity that exists on these sites that makes even an average design site look out of place.

A company should not be able to say before understanding all specifications that they can build a site for you. However, companies and individual freelances alike do say just that.

Andy Rutledge outlines really well what should happen in the first design interview. Instead of talking about design and how to accomplish these things through design, we (designers) should be talking about:

• how the website fits into your business plan
• what you hope to accomplish
• your goals and your aims.

There’s no other way to measure the success of the site other than through setting goals. Also, there’s no other way to measure your own satisfaction without goals. If all it takes is 18 simple questions to build a beautiful site that serves it’s purpose and is profitable, there’s no reason not to answer them.

Understanding the function of a website does far more than simply talking about the design of the website. Like Andy says, clients often make horrible design choices, from cliché stock photography (smiling blond woman with headset, anyone?), color palettes, and menus that give web professionals pause. It can be very hard to tell a client, “no,” when you want a paycheck.

Start by telling the designers you’re working with your business aims and goals. Tell them how you operate. If they’re not receptive to that, then they’re not receptive to a successful website for your business. They’re receptive to adding another piece to their portfolio and getting paid, and chances are, the two objectives will never meet.