The Best Designer’s Skillset
When you hire a web designer or developer you should know what you are buying. Are you getting services from someone who is more of a techie with no design skills? Or someone who is creative but no has no chops when it comes to code and web site delivery? I recommend you look for an agency (or freelancer) that has at least five years of experience and here’s why:
- WordPress is a tool. Plugins are more tools. Learning how to upload themes and plugins does not make a successful website. It’s what you do with those tools that counts. Compare it to a sculptor or painter. Simply handling chisels and paint brushes do not make you a successful artist. It’s the art school and the years of experience that turns a piece of stone or canvas into a work of art. Ok, maybe I’m going overboard. But, I think you get the idea.
- Gathering information, and organizing it into something legible and dynamic is another skill web designers must have. Most text that the client will present needs editing and enlivening. Knowing the key words to include is a plus. Is the text presented in a way that makes logical sense? Do the links work and give user feedback? Good user experience is essential if you want a low bounce rate.
- How is the art managed? Good photography and graphics are other important elements in a website. Some background in photography would be a good indication you will get a nice looking website. Whether stock or professional, the web designer should act as a good art director should.
- What about typography? The fonts should be sensible and legible and not fight with the design. Colors are important too. Do the colors and fonts align with the current trends?
- Being timely and available for the client is a no brainer. If your designer is taking too long to get back to you, or is having trouble with launching the site for any reason could be a disaster. You will have wasted your valuable time and money. It happens, believe it or not. It is important that your designer has good support from the theme developer and hosting company. Getting advice is sometimes needed when problems are encountered.
- Last but not least, Does the designer forget about you after the last bill is paid? Does he or she answer your calls? You should receive the information you need to access the website that belongs to you. If necessary, you can give the user name and password to another designer to pick up the pieces. But, I hope that isn’t necessary. WordPress is wonderful software. In the spirit of Open Source, we hope you have a great experience. Just look for the six qualities I’ve mentioned above and I’m sure you will!
