September 23rd, 2011
Our web design company often hears stories of “the last web designer”… you know, the one who bungled everything and ruined our clients’ lives for a spell – all for a hefty fee, of course. We pride ourselves on being web designers, first and foremost, but at our core, we are also “fixers.” There is something very satisfying about troubleshooting to address a client’s acute needs and righting a wrong. We’re sort of like the ER surgeons of web design in that respect. Anyway, we’ve noticed there are several types of web “gurus” to avoid if you want an honest web design at the end of the day.
- Avoid “Webmasters,” “Gurus,” and “HTML Experts.” These are all code words for unskilled amateurs.
- Avoid someone who uses FrontPage to design sites. You want someone well-versed in code.
- Skip the guy who wants his name plastered all over every single site. One honorable mention should suffice.
- Look for someone with more references than people who are “all in the family.”
- Steer clear of anyone trying to push you toward expensive Flash animation (which was so 5 years ago).
- Avoid anyone promoting embellishments like on-page counters, shooting stars, midi music, dancing bears, etc.
- Don’t go with a website design guy who puts the “Best If Viewed In…” disclaimer on your site. Decent programmers will make your site compatible with any current browser.
- Avoid web designers who seem very opinionated and do more talking than listening.
- Skip the college designer who is willing to work for next-to-nothing.
- Do not go with a company that does not publish their contact information.
Avoid these website design disasters and find an honest-to-goodness designer with experience and a functional understanding of what makes a successful website.
Just do me a favor and keep wrtinig such trenchant analyses, OK?