pjrvs — the blog of paul jarvis

how to work with a web designer

unfortunately when you hire a web designer, they’ve worked on more web design projects than you. so here are some tips to bring you up to speed on the best way to work one on a project. and know that this is based on how i (as a web designer) work best with clients – it’s not a bad idea to ask the one you hire how they typically like to work with the following points.

know your budget and work within it.
there are no “standard fees” in web design, and more expensive doesn’t always mean better. but being open about what you budget is makes it easier to quote because it can give a designer an idea of what features and functions they can include for that price. or save you both time in immediately seeing that there’s not a fit for the project. if you’re found a web designer you really want to work but might cost a little too much, you can always: request less features/functions, have less unique templates, save some items for a second (or third) phase, or even request less concepts.

be clear on what’s a “need” and what’s a “want”
the more features and functions your site, the longer it’ll take to develop (and the more it’ll cost), so it’s good to have two lists from the start. one are items you site has to have or else the whole thing will fall apart. the other list can be things you’d like – but can hold off on or sacrifice if they take too long or cost too much. the beauty of the web is that you can continually add to your site, so it’s ok to save things for later.

know what’s included
the end result, a functioning website, might be the same, but the deliverables required to get from nothing to that site might be different. things like the number of concepts mocked up, the number of revisions, time spend on fixing programatic errors, length of programatic warranty, updates after launch or maintenance, etc – these can all effect the price. make sure this is clear between you and the web designer at the start of the project so there are no surprises. it’s always best to be on the same page before contracts and money get involved.

understand the process
since you’ve hired your web designer because you like their end results, they’ve obviously got a process that works. web designers can work different from each other, so trying to get one work within a process you’ve gone through before might not work for them. so let them explain how they work (before you a sign a contract) and see if that jives with you.

be realistic about time
a web designer will know exactly how long it’ll take to do a project because they are the ones doing the work. if you have a date your site has to launch by, that’s fine – just be willing concede scope to get it done if your web designer says the timeline isn’t realistic. and of course, if they agree to a timeline, hold them to it.

be prepared, like a boy (or girl) scout
if you are thinking about taking on a web design project, know that you are required, as a client, to do a lot of work. so make sure you have time in your schedule to take it on, or it’ll result in delays in the project because of you. before starting a web design project, you’ll need to have things like:

• your style guide (if you have one)
• your logo in vector format
• high resolution versions of photography or graphics you want to use
• a list of your competition and what works (or doesn’t) about their sites
• a list of sites you like the look and feel of, and why
• a list of access to everything technical – like domain registrar access, hosting access, access to third-party things like newsletters or ecommerce solutions)
• your colour scheme
• fonts/typefaces
• existing print collateral
• a site-map
• a list of elements that go on each template in order of importance
• content written for all pages (this doesn’t need to happen prior to the project starting, but this typically where projects get held up).

know that changes to scope result in changes to price and timelines
this should fairly obvious, but if you decide during the project that you want something a little different, then be aware it can result in the price and timing being a little different as well. more work takes longer.

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keeping these things in mind will help your web design project run a lot smoother, and keep your web designer happy!

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