Saturday, December 20, 2008

Finding The Best Web Designer

By Stephen Grisham, Sr.

The art of web designing has changed drastically since the addition of the web 2.0. As this web keeps growing the skills necessary to create and maintain a web page now dip into javascript and a creative portfolio. This makes choosing the right web designer a difficult task as you need to find the artistic and technical balance.

Web designing is often not updated in smaller businesses as it is difficult to manage. Creating anything on the web is a difficult task unless you understand the many different languages that computers dish out. After you decide you need to add or update your website; plan ahead. Start with the face of the company, the real image. Web designing is a craft just like engineering - plans are essential, followed by the craftsmanship to put it all together.

First, you should consider whether or not you will need a database. If you need to do more with your site than a contact form and dynamic text, images, and video, you will probably need a programmer too. If you are making a website for the face of your business, you may just need a web designer to begin. Research similar websites that you like and take lots of notes on your likes and dislikes. Don't forget links to the pages. Web designers frequently charge by the hour, so proper planning before you start will help your web designer work more quickly and will save you money.

Once you decide what you need on your website it is time to locate your perfect web designer. Searching through the internet is the best option as it already is advertising their work along with other portfolios and reputations. Make sure you have your budget range handy as they often ask how much you will need to spend and this will determine the look of your project.

Reputation, style, and personality are some of the major things to consider when picking out your web designer. Do not just base your decision on degrees or professional experience, as there are students in the web design field who have the updated technology and are better at their craft overall than those who have been in the field professionally for years.

When deciding on your designer; consider their background knowledge of the computer languages. Such skills as image editing, XHTML, CSS3, and javascript are all of the necessary tools to put your site together. However if you want a more interactive page - an actionscript or Flashscript expert will be needed as well. Choosing a web designer with all of these skills may be more expensive but could save you money in the long run.

Be wary of web designers who have an extensive portfolio of sites that all look the same, such as websites made fully in flash. These web designers are often using templates. You can purchase templates yourself, usually for a lot less than hiring a designer if you have the software or knowledge to edit these templates. However, templates are often avoided because they are frequently unoriginal.

CMS's are also important if you plan to keep an updated site. These content management systems are available from blogs such as wordpress or professionals like Drupal. Make sure your designer knows how to skin images if you get a branded CMS so they can update your software.

After you choose a web designer you will need to create mock ups, or images that show how the website will look after it is completed. It is very important that you examine the mockups carefully before starting. Planning is the most important step in web development. After you and your developer agree on the mockups, your web designer should translate the images into valid XHTML and CSS. You can validate your web designers XHTML and CSS code online. - 15478

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