How to hire a web designer and not be mistaken with the choice?

A good website is needed for any business today, regardless of whether you will sell something using it. This is why the demand for web designers is very high. Hiring a designer is not difficult because there are quite a few jobseekers. But a wide variety of options is not always a good thing.

It’s hard to get lost in the dazzling variety of resumes and portfolios. And the likelihood of making the wrong choice (especially if you are a newbie in this area) is very high. Below you will find a step-by-step guide that will walk you through the journey of hiring a good web designer from start to finish. And you will also find out why Ukrainian web designers are so good and why the whole world is working on outsourcing with Ukraine?

Consider the phenomenon of choice overload, where an abundance of options makes it challenging to choose one since many alternatives also mean numerous possible mistakes. The likelihood that you will be overwhelmed will only be exacerbated if you are entirely new to working with designers. That’s why we’ve put together this step-by-step guide that walks you through the process of hiring a web designer from start to finish.

Step 1. Start by writing a web design brief

Before hiring a web designer, you must have a clear understanding of what you need. You might be thinking, “Obviously … I need a website.” But what is this site? How many pages? What content should be on each page? What should be the headings and paragraph text? What style do you need?

All these (and other) details you will need to communicate to the web designer. If this is your first time creating a website (or working with a designer in general), you may be unclear about what exactly a web designer does and does not do. Typically, a web designer will take the bare content of a site you provide to them and style it according to your brand design services and his knowledge of web design standards. With this in mind, make sure you have as much of the following as possible in advance to prepare yourself to be successful with a designer:

Digital Strategy: Why Are You Building a Website? What are the (measurable) goals? A marketing consultant can help you with this.Market Research: Include both your target audience and competitors.Budget & Timing: Consider both ideal and maximum timing and price.List of pages and required site elements: Consider creating a simplified schema and sitemap.Logo and Branding: A logo and/or branding designer can help you with this. Don’t forget to consider things like fonts and color schemes.Site Content: A copywriter can help you with this.Images and Videos: It is possible for a web designer to find stock images on their own, but note that you still have to buy licenses. You can provide your media with more authenticity, but keep in mind that you may need to hire a photographer/video producer to get good quality.Stylistic guidelines: Browse several web pages to find the styles you want to emulate or avoid.File Requirements: If you work with a programmer, know what types of web design files they will need.

Finally, you will need to bring it all together into a design brief to have a design specification ready to hand off to a designer.

Read about how to write a branding brief in our blog; it will be beneficial for you!

Step 2. Decide which designer you need

A “web designer” is usually the first type of designer that comes to mind when people say, “I need a website!” But the truth is, website design is just one of many disciplines in the broad field of digital design. Therefore, it is essential to understand different disciplines to ensure that the web designer is the one you need to achieve your goals. In some cases, you may need multiple designers or specialists.

Typically, the term “web designer” includes professionals who focus on the visual side. Don’t confuse this with a web developer. That is, what users see and interact with. These designers create website layouts offline using programs such as Photoshop or Sketch.

When it comes to mobile design, most web designers these days will work with both mobile and desktop versions of the site to maintain visual consistency (although you’ll need to check with your designer ahead of time). At the same time, if you want a mobile design with a higher level of user experience (for example, when shopping, chatting or creating a profile), you will most likely need an app designer and/or a UX designer.

Step 3. Make a List of Potential Web Designers to Hire

Now that you have a good idea of ​​what you need to do and who you need to do it, all that remains is to find a web designer. Of course, you will have to find not one, but several: you have to cover all the possible options widely and make a list to make sure you have a lot to choose from. Let’s take a look at some of the more common resources for hiring a web designer:

Freelance Sites: Freelance platforms are global online communities specifically designed to provide creative people and potential clients with a place to meet and get work done. On a platform like 99designs, you can easily browse designers’ portfolios, write messages to them, negotiate a price, collaborate through the project workspace, send and receive files, exchange secure payments, and provide feedback without leaving the site.

Professional networking sites: You can create a job posting on a site like LinkedIn. This can allow you to reach a wide range of candidates, but you will have to do the background check yourself (although many companies use automatic resume checking software). These are generally more useful for permanent positions than for one-off projects, and they also help find local talent.

Recruiting Agencies: They use your project terms of reference to bring you candidates for interviews from their own verified list. These agencies charge a fee for referring the candidate you hire, usually equal to a percentage of the new employee’s salary for the first year of employment.

Web Design Studios: These are fully staffed agencies providing design services. They are usually a one-stop-shop where clients can get everything from marketing consultancy to web design. Instead of working with one web designer, clients get a whole team of professionals. You save time, put your “future brainchild” in the hands of experts seasoned by practice, and get quality. A good site is labor-intensive.

Turning to the design studio, you get guarantees and minimize risks. A professional team will not say: “we didn’t succeed” or “what we did, it will be done”. The pros are interested in the final product. They want the site to work correctly and bring benefits. This is a plus for portfolio and reputation. The client can follow each stage, can control the process, supplementing or showing wishes.

Once you’ve picked the right contractor, you don’t have to search for a company for rework frantically. It takes time and nerves, not to mention the cost.

Step 4: Choose the right option for your project and discuss the cost

Now it’s time to narrow down the list of candidates. Remember, you don’t just need a great web designer – you need the right web designer. To find one, you will need to research the portfolio and professionalism of each designer.

A designer’s portfolio, of course, has to look impeccable. More importantly, all design examples should be equally good. When looking at a portfolio, don’t limit yourself to a few first jobs (usually the best), but make sure your candidate has many examples and meets quality standards. You can find a portfolio of Gapsy designers on Behance.

Step 5. Discuss terms and costs

When hiring a web designer, the last consideration is the most practical one: figuring out if their budget and schedule are the same as yours. Some web designers standardize their rates (per page, per hour of work, etc.) regarding cost. Some will vary the prices from project to project after they estimate the amount of work.

It is essential to make sure you understand what specific pricing terms exist. When and how is payment made? Are mobile and tablet versions included? How many revisions can you request before you cross the line of additional labor? What happens if web design takes longer than expected? What happens if any of you need to cancel a project?

One of the surest ways to derail a project is to misunderstand the exact conditions early on, so try to keep in mind every detail that comes to your mind.

You can find out about the website design cost and a mobile application design cost in our articles, or contact us directly, and we will be ready to discuss any of your desired projects.

With many years of experience in website and mobile application design, animation, motion, and brand design, we know what the client needs and what is expected on the market. We understand how important it is to provide a straightforward user flow and experience in design and an understanding of the pain and mistakes of each user, taking this into account when building a design and avoiding pitfalls. Convince yourself of our professionalism, take a look at our services and case studies. We are looking forward to cooperation and the implementation of your project.