Web Design - Choosing a Web Designer
A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Raj Rao
Web Design Skills Overview
Web Design is both an art and a science. Art because it requires aesthetic sense as well as knowledge of colors and presentation. It is a Science because it requires fair amount of programming knowledge, although the coding part is substantially reduced.
Web Design is the process of integrating graphics, photographs, text, multimedia elements with the programming code to create a web page that can be displayed on the Internet Browser.
Web Design is a skill that can be learnt by almost anybody with a limited knowledge of computers and Internet. However, good web design requires considerable experience and innate aesthetic sense, which can be acquired over a period of time.
Web Design - Expectations from Designer
Web Design is a business requirement because it affects the way the visitors respond to your website. Hence, the expectation from the web designer is very high.
Generally speaking, you would expect the Web Designer to have in depth knowledge of the Internet usage and also basic training in Arts. Programming skills will be an added advantage.
In addition, the Web Designer needs to understand the Internet technology used for displaying the pages using different Internet Browsers as well as all the latest technologies being implemented in the Internet Browser.
A person proficient in Web Design should be able to understand the business requirements and translate that into a web design that responds well to the target audience.
Increasingly, Web Designers are called upon to handle programming of the static web pages (as against the dynamic web pages) to reduce the chance of mismatch in the conceptual web design and final outcome.
Web Design - Tips for Selection of Web Designer
Before you start looking for a web designer, it is prudent to make a wish list of what you expect from the Web Site and its audience. A well defined audience will be a great advantage in fine tuning the web design. For instance, if your web site is likely to be visited more by females than males, then it makes sense to use pastel and soft colors. If you have a pre-dominantly children as your audience, it is necessary to make the navigation very easy and fun.
After you have identified your requirements, you should look for a designer who can personally interact with you, because web designing is an interactive process.
Secondly, the Web Designer should have some experience in handling design of websites of your category. For instance, if you intend to develop an Education related website, it helps if you can find a web designer who has developed some websites for other schools or universities.
Thirdly, the web designer should be in a position to show you his portfolio of web designs. The more varied the portfolio, the better because that gives a wide range of conceptual capabilities.
Finally, it is always good to get a sample of your website developed before you award the contract. This will ensure that you get what you expect.
