Making a Purchase Site-Unseen
Hiring a designer to design you a website is like buying a house before you know what the finished product is going to look like. That makes it tough for a lot of clients to make the right selection. Here are just a handful of typical selection methods:
Scenario 1
Client finds a designer who has a body of work in their business sector (i.e. food and beverage) or in the appropriate medium (web, print etc.)
Scenario 2
Client has a particular style in mind (i.e. clean, corporate) and finds a designer whose own personal design style matches
Scenario 3
Client picks a designer based on a referral from a colleague or friend or selects a design based on cost considerations
What is just as important as the end product is the designer’s process which often gets overlooked when evaluating their portfolio. The process becomes particularly important to look at especially if you are hiring a freelancer and not a design agency. In an agency setting the designer has other colleagues to rely on for help with communication strategy, project management, technical support and quality control. When flying solo, a freelance designer will require skills in a number of areas.
Experienced designers are good translators. Not only can they transform your business or marketing strategy into a visual framework but they can also predict (based on previous experience and research) what design elements might be more apt to engage your target audience. On top of that they may be able to help your brand or product stand out from the competition.
So if you’re going beyond the style and looking for good visual interpreter here are a few items which will help make the site-unseen purchasing a little easier:
- Ask the designer to talk about a project where by they enhanced the company’s ability to connect with the intended audience
- Ask the designer to talk about a project where they successfully executed the organization’s business goals
- Ask the designer if they have any supporting documentation beyond their portfolio i.e. research, written design rationale, creative strategy or creative brief documents
- A freelance designer will also have project management, some technology and quality control skills. If your project requires these skills ask the designer to provide you with some examples that are relevant to your project.
Other useful information on choosing a graphic designer:
