How to Work with a Web Designer to Create a Great WordPress Site

How to Work with a Web Designer to Create a Great WordPress Site - The White Label Agency

Do you want your site to be decent? Ask developers to create it using some themes. Do you want your web presence to be outstanding? Hire an experienced WordPress designer to create a design from scratch.

Before you start looking for a right person you should realize what kind of person you need. Web developers can code a site for you but not with a unique design but standard themes. Web designers build pictures in customers’ minds. And every time people will think about you and services you offer they will remember pictures and colors as most people’s way of thinking is visual. Psychologists say that people usually think with images.

Understanding the necessity of design you’re faced with the problem how to hire WordPress designer. Who will be the right person? What might be useful to examine before talking to a person? What to ask during the first communication? Here are some tips for hiring a web designer.

Finding a WordPress Designer

  1. Take a decision about your budget. You should know how much you can pay and what for. Designers can vary widely in their rates, so this will help you to narrow down who might be a fit for you.
  2. Decide where you would like to look for a designer. Sometimes it really matters with whom you’ll communicate during the whole project and where that person lives. If several hours of time difference is a problem, it’s better to hire WordPress designer in your time zone. On the other hand, it might be worth the inconvenience in this case. What’s a few hours compared to a really impressive homepage?
  3. Check out portfolios of web designers. This will help you to decide whether you like a designer’s aesthetic. It might give you some ideas for your own site. Definitely visit the sites in the portfolio and make sure they are still live and using the same design.
  4. References. This is standard advice, but they really are important. Do not hesitate to ask for them and actually check them out out. This can give you information not only about professional skills of the person but also their personality. You can get often get a better picture of an individual’s working process and results from asking others.
  5. If you want to use a certain platform or content management system (CMS) make sure the chosen candidate has already designed for it. Different CMS have all sorts of possibilities and constraints for design. The visual elements can be anything and everything but the available functionality may vary with the CMS. (Read more about why many graphic web designers choose WordPress as their preferred CMS.)

Preparing for the Website Design Process

  1. Check whether your preferred designer will be able to finish the work in time. Reach an agreement about deadlines.
  2. What happens if you don’t like the initial design? Some companies are confident enough to offer unlimited revisions, while others require additional payment after a certain number of rounds.
  3. Some day in the future you’ll probably want to make changes in your design. With this in mind, ask the designer if they will be able to do it for you and what the cost would be. Maybe as a long-term customer you’ll get discounting.
  4. What will you have at the end of designing process? Your goal is to create website that will work for you, but what kind of files will you receive to pass on to developers? Different versions of mockups, logos, etc. should be available in PSD, AI, PDF, EPS formats. The first two are the most popular.
  5. Check to be sure that you will be the person who owns the design. To have guarantees it’s better to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Its structure can be suggested by you or the person/company who is preparing to take your task.

Communicating a Vision for Your Website’s Design

  1. First, decide what you want for the website. What do you want the website to communicate, and to whom? What styles and colors do you like? Which features and functionality do you need? Check out our detailed list of questions to consider so you can give your designer as much detail as possible.
  2. Communicate your detailed vision in writing. This will provide a reference for your designer throughout the project, and also a starting point for the designer to think about what else they need to ask you.
  3. Once your designer has had some time to think it over, follow up with a brief call or meeting. Ask the designer how they imagine the project based on what you have asked for. Make sure you’re on the same page. This is also a good opportunity to ask if the designer needs any more information from you to begin work.
  4. If you are not happy with the initial results, don’t be shy about asking for revisions. Design is an art and not a science; it doesn’t always come out exactly as you imagine the first time. Talking on the phone rather than only by email or chat is well worth it in this phase to make sure the designer actually understands your opinions.
  5. When revisions are done, enjoy your beautiful, one-of-a-kind website!

It’s up to you whether to follow or not tips listed above, but the one thing you ought to do is to have your own vision of the future site: the point to start with. Everything in this world begins from the smallest items: rain from drop, wheat from grain, business from idea. Be brave and bring your ideas to life!