Insider Tips for Choosing the Right Web Designer

Stop! Before you rush to build a presence on the Web be careful! So-called Web designers are popping up in all directions. Owning Web creation software does not make one a Web designer. For goodness sake, free web design software can be downloaded from the 'Net in about 20 minutes.

For your site to look professional, function properly and meet search engine submission criteria you need a pro. There are so many Web designers available now… how do you make an intelligent choice as to who to use? Quite frankly, education, talent and skill are the keys.

The Benefits of an Educated Designer

A good Web designer will have some sort of formal education, whether it's from taking online classes, self-study, or a taking a certification program at a local college. Some of the classes they should have under their belt are HTML and javascript - at the very minimum. Here is a listing of the education requirements to become a certified Web designer at one local college:

Logic and Program Design, Introduction to Programming, Web Layout and Design Concepts, Dreamweaver, Database Management, Photoshop, HTML, Flash, UNIX, DHTML, Javascript, CGI and Perl, XML & ColdFusion, Generator, Dreamweaver Ultra Dev, Illustrator and Fireworks.

There is much more to design than pasting clip art onto a page. Find out what kind of formal instruction your potential designer has. Not only should they be educated, but he or she should be continuing their education to keep up with the latest software programs and ever-changing technology.

They Have Skills but Do They Have Talent?

Finding a designer that has the necessary skills is one thing … but do they have talent, too? A Web designer needs to have that spark of creativity - which is usually a natural talent rather then something that's learned.

Take the time to browse through the Web site and portfolio of your potential Web designer. Are his or her designs pleasing to look at? A designer has creative talent if he or she is able to coordinate colors to represent emotions and perceptions. For example, a feeling of excitement is portrayed with bright, happy colors, calmness with soothing soft colors, impact with vibrant, bold colors. We've all heard the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words". A talented designer knows how to selectively insert graphics into a Web page to enhance and give greater meaning to the copy without it looking like a three-ring circus.

A good designer will be able to create fresh, interesting graphics from scratch, they won't rely on over-used clip art and they won't use other people's designs.

The Value of Experience

Education is of utmost importance, but be sure that knowledge is enhanced with solid experience. Again, take the time to not only view the designer's portfolio, but also interview their previous clients. Was the designer timely and efficient? Did they answer e-mails promptly? Did the designer make an effort to keep them up-to-date on the progress of their Web site? Are they, the client, happy with their Web site design?

Traffic, Traffic, Traffic

A good designer takes the time to educate him/herself on all the elements pertaining to design. Promotion is one of those elements.

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