Determining Quality in Web Design
Folks, don’t be fooled by web designers these days. There is a difference between ugly, mediocre, and clean web design. I’m befuddled by the onslaught of the ugly and the mediocre on the web in the name of quality. For example, check out some samples of ugly:
Now, compare those to some examples of what I call mediocre (a step above ugly):
All of the sites you have seen come from companies who are considered the market leaders for web design. It doesn’t take a graphic design expert to see the lack of quality in these designs. Now, for examples of the clean, the beautiful, the professional sites:
Logo Pond
Socialtext
Fusionary Media
Shoutwire
On a technical level, we could get into exactly why the latter are better than the ugly and mediocre sites. But really, everyone can see why. And there are designers out there that have the touch. Please, go find the ones with that touch. The key to identifying their skill is by previewing their portfolio and comparing it to sites you know are well-designed. Be careful: sometimes, at the insistence of their clients, they will alter the design and sacrifice quality. I just recently made adjustments to a client’s site that I believed were steps in the wrong direction, but hey, they get what they want. So, more importantly, look at the portfolio on the whole. Give it a grade. And shop around until you find the designer that will deliver a good design, not a mediocre one.
The problem in this industry is that there are relatively no barriers to entry. A high school kid can jump in and charge you for terrible work and it will cost him the same as some powerful design firm. Anyone can jump out onto the internet and start designing. But there are those that are the cream of the crop. College recruiters painstakingly sort through all the high school football players to find those that are qualified to play Div. I college ball. And the NFL has a draft to filter still the pros from the amateurs. In the web design world, there certainly are pros and a whole lot of amateurs. So put in place your own draft, and pitch around your idea to a variety of designers. If they don’t offer a free price quote, move on.
