This is the last post in my How to Choose a Web Designer series, and it’s coming to you a day late because we’re moving house this weekend and I’m mostly running around in a panic rather than writing blog posts. So far we’ve covered the different kinds of services people call “web design” and which of them you might actually need, how to judge a designer on their portfolio so you can make an informed comparison, and what sort of questions you should be asking someone you’re considering for the job. In this final part, I’ll go through some important things to bear in mind when making your final decision.

Price

Obviously this is one of the first things you’ll want to know, and it’s tempting to just go for the cheapest deal you can. Some portfolio sites you come across will have guide prices listed, some will not, personally I don’t believe there’s something inherently “bad” about making prices transparent but statistically bad designers will do this more often than good so just be wary.

Don’t let a low price fool you, either, a custom design from a terrible designer for $100 is not a good idea when you can buy a well-designed template for $30 and just put your logo on it.

One more consideration, price-wise, is whether they charge hourly or per-project. Project pricing has the advantage that you know exactly what the costs will be, whereas hourly has the advantage that you only pay for however much time is spent. It’s a delicate balance, I prefer project pricing for the certainty of it.

Personality

It’s actually quite important when you’re working with someone online that you don’t detest their very existence! After a couple of emails discussing your project you should get a feel for who is overly formal, who is a bit too informal and jokey (like me!) and who you generally feel comfortable talking to.

Relevant Experience

It’s all well and good hiring someone who creates amazing illustrated blog headers, but if you’re looking for a functional company site make sure they do that too. And so on!

Bringing it all together

If your budget is low, what you’re probably looking for is someone who can do the majority of your site themselves (ie a designer/developer), who works on a project basis rather than hourly, and who has a portfolio with similar projects to your own that have turned out well. If they’ve not worked on your type of site before, the design could end up needing lots of tweaking/revisions and going over-budget.

If your budget is more flexible, you have more choice. Whether to hire design and development separately is up to you, and will depend on whether you can find someone with all the necessary skills that you feel comfortable working with.

In the end, only you can know exactly which things are most important to you. Some combination of the above should go a long way to helping you decide, however. If the series has given you something to think about, or you need more guidance, feel free to leave a comment.