Finding a web designer for your business can be a daunting prospect but it need not be. In part one we looked at the more expensive options out there: web agencies and freelance designers however there are cheaper solutions around.
Crowd sourcing
Crowd sourcing has been a bit of a buzz word the last couple of years. The term, originally coined by Jeff Howe, describes giving a task to a community to collaborate to complete the set task. This type of outsourcing has really taken off when looking for work for the web. 99Designs is the largest crowd sourcing design community. The process is simple: communicate your brief, offer a monetary reward, sit back and watch the submissions roll in. You can then decide on a designer who receives the reward. While this a great way to generate a whole range of designs for the client, many professional designers avoid these services as they can often be a bit of a gamble and not worth the time spent on producing the designs so you are unlikely to attract the best. A UK based alternative to 99Designs is Design Crowd.
Theme websites
If you don’t have a big budget to spend on a web designer or an agency there are other options out there. There are hundreds of awesome themes online which are free to download and use as you please. Websites such as Template Monster and Themebot offer free themes which you can adapt. These are usually HTML files which you can download and customize. However, using and customizing these themes may take some technical know-how and if you’re not up to scratch and not willing to learn you may have to pay a web developer to work his/her magic for you.
Bonus tips
When choosing a web designer you’ll be confronted with a lot of options which have been discussed already. Kindly ask them if you can look at their portfolio of previously completed work and usually they’ll be more than happy to oblige. If you don’t like the style of their work then you probably won’t like what they’ll produce for you so this is a great way of separating the wheat from the chaff.
Remember the customer (you) is not always right. Yes you read that right. If you decide to commission a web design remember what you are paying a designer for. Utilise their knowledge, experience and their flair for design. Lead them on the correct path but don’t strangle their creativity.
