An Update On Significant Factors Of Hiring A Web Designer
After having designed numerous web sites over the past 12 years, I have discovered there are several prominent pitfalls I see in doing design work. I have build a list of a number of the top pitfalls and some tips to assist in avoiding or minimize these pitfalls.
Pitfall 1: Not Enough Knowledge – This pitfall I fell into mostly when I began designing websites. I started when I entered college and have no formal background in web page design. Equipped with a copy of Microsoft FrontPage 98, I determined looking for website visitors to let me design an internet site for them. I did not have the proper knowledge of what a web site was as well as that there would be a difference between a Web page as well as a Web site. I didn’t really understand what HTML was or what things to charge clients. I commenced charging $10 to get a Web site. I jumped within my clothes on and nearly drowned in the pool of labor to assembled a Web site and was ill-equipped.
Pitfall 1 Tips: Learning never ends so we all will use a refresher course in what we think we know. Learn to value your set of skills properly try to seek out to assist you, along with become dependent upon them. Don’t rely heavily for the tools you’ve got in your bag.
Pitfall 2: Do Not Undervalue Yourself – Just as when I started charging $10 for any complete Web site, I found that There were different ways I was devaluing myself. My reliance upon a single software application, which I later learned was not the best to use, allowed me to construct a false a sense knowing what I was doing. As I expanded my list of software and learned more, my pricing did not increase much. This was simply because it was known that I was the cheap guy around the block. Charging lower than the competition isn’t bad, providing its done properly. This would have been a hard lesson to find out.
Pitfall 2 Tips: We all don’t possess the same degree of knowledge. Concentrate on your strengths and work to minimize your weaknesses. Not all tools are top quality and not everybody sees things much the same way. Ask around or check about the Web to view what others inside your area offer and whatever they charge. Use this like a guide when deciding on your own fees. Take into account the length of time and resources you might have to devote and change from there.
Pitfall 3: Must Use Proprietary Software – When I first began I thought that proprietary software was the only thing out there to make use of. The name Microsoft stuck out and that is what I used. I have since crossed over to make use of open-source software to development, as being a Linux user and all sorts of. Regardless of the particular tools you utilize, a designer is merely as good as their tools. Become familiar with the tools you employ. There is good non-proprietary software that a designer are able to use and is not just for designers within a strict budget either.
Pitfall 3 Tips: Not all software packages are created equal and just because it has a high price does not necessarily make it better. I am a hand coder, meaning I write my personal code personally, so a great text editor appears to work beneficial to me. If you are seeking good graphics software, some alternatives to the big names are GIMP (for the majority of graphic work) or InkScape (a scalable vector graphic program). I use both, although I believe I went against mainstream Web design when I became a Linux user.
Pitfall 4: All Web Design is NOT Good Design – As I mentioned, when I started out I used Microsoft FrontPage 98. I did not know back then that the underlying code, which I seldom looked over, has not been exactly correct. The flow for my first websites were not so competent and the design itself was very amateurish. I would like to say I have made great strides in my adventure, but I have many areas to improve. Graphics is but one such area. I pull this area out to illustrate a place. Many Web sites lately have grown to be overburdened with graphics. I am not a graphical site hater the slightest bit, nonetheless it seems that at the very least some are 95% graphics and 5% content. Some sites are really poorly coded and some serve hardly any purpose for their owner. Not all Web sites are top quality and not all exhibit good design.
Pitfall 4 Tips: Not all Web sites are the same. Some sites work as mere informational in nature to point a person to contact a spot or to check out. Some are complete Internet stores and lots of fall inside middle somewhere. Some use proper coding, while some rely on items specific to some certain platform (Operating System, Web Browser, etc). Some sites rely heavily on graphics while others are mostly text. Work with your clients to design a Web site that actually work not only for the children, but also potential visitors. Keep in mind, nobody uses the latest version of Microsoft Windows and lots of might not even be using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
Pitfall 5: Design For the Client – When I began doing Web design, I designed sites depending on what the consumer themselves wanted. Anything your client wanted on their site, that I knew the way to do or could learn, I placed on their web page. Using the philosophy that the customer is always right was my driving force. However, I have found that the client just isn’t a web page design and might not know exactly what their visitors need to get from their site. Visitors are an amusing bunch of people. Some want every one of the flashy stuff on a web site, while others want direct access to a particular information.
Pitfall 5 Tips: The client probably won’t fully understanding how an internet site will work for the kids or their visitors. The client may have visited competitors websites and decided they need to be like them. Not only do you think you’re to listen to what you want, but to master as much regarding customers as well as the business since you can. This information can assist you in structuring a web site which will work for your client and visitors.
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