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Posts tagged Designer
Understanding The Role Of A Web Designer
Jun 19th
As a web designer, I get all kinds of requests , for information other than web design, and as a web designer I’m not suppose to really to be able to do things outside of the web design area. I believe there are a few misconceptions about what exactly a web designer does. In this article I am going to nail down exactly what a web designer is and what they should be able to do. This article pertains to small business website designers and not to bigger businesses where they are looking for someone who specializes. First I’ll touch of the differences between a web designer and a web developer. A web designer is someone who creates the visual design and layout of a web page. A web developer is someone who does the behind-the-scenes programming of a website. For example a web developer creates the code for database websites.
Web designer’s definition:
They give business organizations a web presence by building them a website. Web designers are professionals who organize information, create page layouts, while communicating the business’s information/opinions in a website. Web designer’s create another medium for the business to expand into. Creating a website enables the business to attract new customers, showcase its services products, and to do business across countries (as opposed to one location).
What things do web designer’s do?
That’s a really good question. It is definitely hard to nail down what every designer must do in order to call themselves a web designer. A good web designer should be able to do both the design and the development, unfortunately for you the consumer it doesn’t always work that way.
Your web designer must be able to perform the following:
::Understand and keep current will all new emerging technology
:: Layout web pages with HTML, XHTML, XML , and other programming languages
:: Program HTML (hand code), JavaScript and CSS
:: Translate your ideas, needs and expectations into a web page.
:: Design navigation elements (such as navigation bars)
::Create graphics in Photoshop or any other professional imaging software
:: Effectively participate in a web development team
:: Have an understanding on how to create Flash (authoring software used to create animation programs)
:: Understand and implement web standards
:: Have an understanding of Search Engine Optimization
:: Have a basic understanding of typography, graphics and color theory
:: Understand needs of users and of usability testing
:: Have ability to analyze a target market
:: Understanding of cross browser problems and how to fix them
A great web designer also has knowledge of coding languages such as:
:: C++
:: Python
:: Java
:: JavaScript
:: Cold fusion
:: SQL
:: PHP
Sometimes it might be difficult for a web designer to have all those different programming languages under their belt. It is like knowing English, French, Chinese and German. Quite complicated. The more languages they know the better. Well that should help you on your search for a good web designer!
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How to Finding the Best Web Designer
Jun 17th
It takes a lot of skill to design and develop a website which is creative, fast-loading, optimized for search engines, and looks that same on all browsers. For these and other reasons, it is very important to choose a web developer who can deliver high quality results.
Here are some tips to help you choose a web developer.
View Their Portfolio
Most freelance web developers and trustworthy companies feature samples of their work in an online portfolio. By viewing these samples, you can get an idea of what skills a developer has as well as what kind of work you can expect from them. Be sure to verify that the site are fast-loading, that the design is professional and creative, and that the sites are easy to navigate. If you are satisfied with their portfolio, then you should start to ask more in depth questions.
Verify Basic Site-Building Knowledge
While you may have been impressed with a web developer’s portfolio, you should ask the following questions to verify that the site that they create will be developed in the most efficient way.
Is the developer familiar with web standards and does their HTML validate?
Does the developer make use of external CSS (cascading style sheets) files?
Are all images and graphics optimized?
Does the developer use unobtrusive JavaScript? Is all JavaScript placed in external files?
Learn About Any Advanced Functionality
Beyond the basic HTML and JavaScript, you might be interested in having others features added to your site such as interactive flash components, secure payment gateways and shopping carts, a blog, or a contact form.
Have your web developer suggest which features can be added to your website.
Maintenance Options
After your website is built, you may still be in need of a web developer to help you update your site. So before you begin a job, you should keep this in mind. One question you may ask is if your website can be built around a content management system (CMS). Such a system will enable you to update your website on your own, which over time, may be less expensive than paying a web developer every time you need an update. (Note: This will increase your initial costs, but will save you money in the long run.)
Website Performance and Search Engine Optimization
You should also inquire about what expectations you should have with regard to certain performance metrics such as how long it takes for pages to load, and how easily it will be able to be indexed by search engines.
In terms of load time, all pages should be able to load within 8 seconds on a 56kbps modem, which translates to well under 2 seconds on standard internet connections. If your site loads slower, then you might want to search for someone else. A good web developer will code your page and optimize your graphics to achieve this quick response.
As for search engine optimization, ask your web developer what steps they will take to make your site search engine friendly. Inquire about meta tags, use of heading tags, alt tags, and title tags.
As you can imagine, there are countless other factors which should be taken into consideration when looking for a web designer. However, the criteria listed above will help you in finding a trustworthy developer for your next project.
Good luck.
Sofia Sapojnikova
Vesta Digital
http://www.vestadigital.com
Blog: http://www.vestadigital.com/173/section.aspx/67/post/how-to-finding-the-best-web-designer
Web Template or Web Designer?
May 2nd
Budget is limited right? But you need a pro website for your new business and that web designer’s quote was too high right? So you gonna do it yourself? (or get nephew Jimmy to do it for peanuts, afterall he is a computer whizkid at only 13 years old)? Maybe a web template is the answer – they are so cehap compared… find out which is best for you.
So a DIY Web Template it is then? Well you need web design skills if you are gonna do it yourself… and the software… and what about registering the right domain name… setting up email accounts for all the staff… getting the right type of web space to host the site… how you gonna add a web form? Oops! that will cost mega-bucks!
Erm, so maybe web templates ain’t so cheap after all ? But Web Templates looked so cheap!
Well, Well, Well, a pro web designer is undoubtedly worth the money if you have the budget. He/She will build you a customised web site with your business logo, snazzy imagery in your brand colours, nicely laid-out text and menus. They may add a little Flash animation to create impact and a online contact form that helps your prospective customers contact you from the website. SOUNDS GREAT!
But your website needs to do a lot more that look pretty. The more professional and experienced web designer will go a few steps further, beyond the bells and whistles. He/She will make sure the code is validated to W3C standards, it is accessible to the disadvantaged, it works in all modern browsers such as Internet Explorer, FireFox, Mozilla and Safari. They will ensure the content is search optimised with keywords for Google and Yahoo, etc. They test all the links work. They’ll submit the site to the search engines that matter. They will install a ‘hit counter’ so you can check how your site visits are coming on. And best of all they will give you honest and practical advice on all things web, stuff they have learned over the years. Because they’re web design experts.
DIY web templates are just the begining and if looks got you to the top of Google then I’d say GO FOR A WEB SITE TEMPLATE. But the reality is the web is too big and competitive for you NOT to get the web designer in. Get serious about your website, it’s a major part of your online marketing mix after all. Our opinion is GET A WEB DESIGNER – it’ll pay for itself.
Yep, there are thousands of web templates very cheap but the Google and Yahoo top 10 don’t seem to list them – enough said!Try These, they may help:
* G-Force UK Web Templates example of web templates
* Digital Idiom UK Web Design Customised / Bespokeweb sites
* W3C Web Standards World Wide Web Consortium
* Google WebMaster Search Tips So is it web template or web designer?
… good luck !!
Finding a Local Web Designer – your Guide From a Sacramento Web Designer
Apr 28th
I am a Web Designer from Sacramento, CA, but this guide is for anyone who lives anywhere inside the United States or out. The idea behind this article is to tell you why finding a local web designer rather than a web designer hundreds or even thousands of miles away is still a great choice. Hopefully, by the end of this article I will have convinced you that finding a web designer locally has many advantages over the alternatives.
In Sacramento, there are many web designers – both working in firms and freelancers. It is most likely the same in the area you live. Even still, with such a wide selection, many people still opt to find web designers overseas. The reason why is simple – cost! But these days, it doesn’t always have to be as expensive as you might imagine. When I first took the plunge as a freelance web designer, I set my prices remarkably low in order to get business rolling and put my name out there. My prices were a fraction of what most people were charging for comparable services. Even overseas web designers would have a tough time competing with my prices. To this day, I still feel like I have extremely competitive rates. What I am trying to illustrate here is that there certainly are deals to be found – you just have to look! Check the phonebook and call around. Check craigslist in the “services” section. Contact web designers and let them know what you want and what your budget looks like. Many of them would be more willing than you might think to work with you on the price. Try to mainly target freelancers. Freelance web designers are people who work for themselves rather than for a web design firm and, therefore, are usually capable of much lower prices due to the greatly reduced overhead that comes with running a traditional business with employees, an office, etc.
Even if you could save money by hiring a web designer overseas, you really have to ask yourself if it’s worth it. First of all, what about the communication barrier? Are you going to spend more time than you would like in order to insure that the web designer knows exactly what you are looking for? Are you willing to settle with something that maybe isn’t exactly what you want? Granted, this isn’t always an issue, but many people do run into this dilemma.
Being able to meet your web designer in person can make a huge difference. You can sit down with him/her and discuss face to face exactly what you are looking for. This can be the difference between getting exactly what you are looking for in a brief period of time, or getting something that you settled with after hours of back-and-forth dialog between you and an overseas web designer, frustrating email conversations, and unnecessary gray hairs.
In another article, I will go more in-depth in regards to what you need to know when finding a web designer – local or remote. For now, here is a brief overview:
- Negotiate prices. Regardless of what they advertise, most web designers (especially freelancers) are willing to negotiate to reasonable terms.
- Get quotes from multiple web designers. I recommend at least 3-5. However, you should also take into account the quality you would most likely receive from each one – which brings us to my next item…
- Check their references. Your prospective web designers should have a portfolio of work from previous clients. Use their past work to estimate the quality of the work you will receive while gaging the web designer’s skill level. Is their skill level as high as their prices in comparison to the other web designers you talked to? If not, maybe you should scratch that one from your list.
- Decide on a cost for the completed web design project, not an hourly rate. Having a set price for the completed project means you know exactly how much you will pay at the end and removes the risk of paying someone to slack off.
- Decide on a firm date in which your web designer should have your site completed. If you skip this step, you risk having your web designer put your project on low priority as newer and maybe more lucrative projects come his way.
- Ask about “Web Standards” and SEO (search engine optimization). In a nutshell, having a web site that follows Web Standards means you will have a web site that is efficient and highly accessible while performing SEO means people will be able to find your site through search engines (see my web site for more information on this important topic).
Now you’re reading to hire a web designer for your site. If you read everything up until this point, consider yourself educated and prepared. I wish you the best of luck in your web design adventure, and just remember to have fun with it!
- Tony Thiara
While a freelance Web Designer and SEO consultant, I also specialize in online marketing campaigns, graphic design, and more. My web site is Sacramento Web Design & SEO – which is also where my contact information can be found as well as additional resources related to web design.
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