5 Tips to Get the Best From Your Designer
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If you’re after the perfect theme for your blog, odds are that you’ll be hiring a custom theme designer. Unfortunately, footing the bill isn’t enough to get you that perfect dream. You need to be able to work well with the designer, or it’s all going to waste.
Getting the right information and goals to the designer is key to success. If the two of you aren’t on the same wavelength though, problems will arise. Fast. Who wants to fork out a good few hundred dollars and not get exactly what they needed in return?
Getting the Very Best Theme
- Be honest about what you know. You are hiring this person, you do not need to impress them with your technical know-how. It helps if you know what you’re doing, but if you don’t, say so! I have no problem working with a less than savvy client, but when the client is letting on (or truly believes!) that they know more than they really do, there are always little bumps.
- Examples mean more than words. Don’t try to describe the site you want, show the site you want! Quotes examples of color schemes you like, of backgrounds you like, and of everything else. Rarely will both you and the designer take the same meaning from words. Images are much clearer.
- Respond quickly. Ordinarily you may not check your email all too often, and perhaps not at all on weekends, but if you know that your designer might be working on it at those times, you need to keep tabs. Why not set up a separate folder for only those emails, and check only that folder? If your designer gets held up because you took 3 days to send over the company logo, you can bet that their enthusiasm has been dampened.
- Don’t shy away from anything. Leaving something unsaid is going to leave you regrets when the project is finished. If there is an aspect of the design that you’re unsure about, mention it. If all you do is add a “PS – Do the bullet points really have to look like that?” to your next email, it’s enough. It is better to get it out in the open. Of course, this also applies to questions from the designer, in particular; those about the cost. The last thing you want is for your designer to get the idea that you’re too afraid to part with your cash in the end.
- Take their advice on board. There is a reason that you are hiring them. They can do more than just turn your pre-conceived images of your new blog into reality. Listen to their advice, and take it on board. Of course, you will always be able to have the final word in a decision, and don’t be afraid to tell the designer that a certain aspect simply has to be done as you have asked.
In the end, your personality will come into play a lot. As a designer, it is much more enjoyable (And thus productive!) working with a good-natured, friendly person who still retains a certain air of professionalism when needed (By that I mean prompt replies, payments on time etc. Not your grammar in emails and such!).
Get on the right side of your designer, and they’ll bend over backwards to get you the very best design possible. Take your time choosing a person that you feel you can work with, then just get stuck in! It might even be fun.
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About the Author
Michael Martin
Michael Martin is the founder of Pro Blog Design. He works as a freelance web designer, loves WordPress, and has an unhealthy addiction to smilies.
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What I consider to be the challenge is that when there are customers (not that I’m a designer) who don’t know exactly what they want. They know only about what they Don’t want. And they can tell you what they think only after they see your design/prototype. But heck, even having being honest, they can’t show any example (color schemes, background etc). Why? because they don’t have any reference to begin with. They dont surf the net very often, outlook express is the world they know the most. The designer might end up working on a poor design, not because she is incompetent, rather because the client has an afwul taste of design :mrgreen:
The above applies to more than just blog theme design, it applies to web design in general.
To better understand the clients’ taste, I usually ask them if they already have any site that they like.
During a meeting with one of the potential-clients, one of the staff reacted appallingly to my request, accusing us for the lack of creativity and stealing people’s ideas.
I was like WTH!?!? :)
Hi Michael,
As a designer myself, I can echo all of these points. It’s very important that the designer and client have a good working relationship and exchange of ideas. If they don’t, nobody will end up with exactly what they want.
Good communication makes it easier for everybody.
– Mason
Actually you know it by the first two mails, if you can cope with the client/designer.
Btw: good luck with the Pro Blogger contest.
Good write up, they are all true. In the past, I’ve only had to hire a designer (for a website, not a blog), 4 times. 2 out of the times, the designers were quick, and knew exactly what I want. In one instance, I paid the designer $450 dollars, and gave me a “custom” design, only to find that he didn’t design it for me, he had designed in for another customer and then changed the the logo and told me it was custom.
I didn’t accept that because the previous customer had a copy of the design on their website. What a mess.
The second designer, he was rather young, but asked me to trust him (worse mistake). We went over the details, plus the deadline. He said “no problem!”. I paid him of half, and a few days later he showed me half of the design that he was working on. Which was great. Then he said he had to go on vacation with his parents and that he won’t be back for 3 weeks. I needed the design in 2 weeks. That was a bigger mess.
So, just to conclude. As a designer, do not take on as many projects as you can, and do not try to undermine your customers by giving them a design you already created and trying to pass it off as a custom design. You may get away with it, but eventually it will come back on you.
I’ve had clients that declined my service last year but this year they called us and signed-up for web design service. :) Reason? Fear of free-lancers being lack of commitment.
They know that by going with a company, they’re assured proper service and no sudden stuff like “Oh hey gtg kthxbye.”
There’s another company who rang us up a few days ago – they had no control over the domain and neither their webhost and had no idea how to go about it! The person who handled their site went AWOL and avoid contact.
What a predicament eh?
I used to do some paid jobs in the past for web development but in all of those cases it simply lacked completely on not just the points you mentioned since that’s just for the theme but also everything else.
For me and the people I did it with that simply was the reason to stop as well, since what’s more annoying than those clients which ask you to do the job but simply don’t have a single clue on what they want? Each time they kept on coming with changes, the most ridiculous at times like pages 5000 pixels wide and suggesting that horizontal scrollbars aren’t in favor for many people just weren’t taken into regards.
Not to mention completely scripted pages which had to be revised totally numerous amounts of times with a terrible communication sometimes having to wait up to a week before getting a response.
Let stand the designing part which came along with the coding, also on that changes kept having to be made and eventually time on a single project could take up 5 times as much time as needed at first simply because they didn’t have any clue on what they were actually looking for.
So if you’re a client which wants work done, for the sake of your designer and developer plan it out at front and be responsive, it works a lot better from both sides.
I hate clients that think they know it all ;(
And the only reason I hate freelance…
So, so, true! Great post. I especially like a person who knows what they want and sends it to me in ONE email, including all their log in info, that makes things so much easier on me, and fast response that is #2 on my list that will make you my most favorite design client. ;)
Maximillian – I know what you mean. Some people are great at being critical, but not so great at being helpful at the same time. :(
goldfries – Wow. That’s a rather shocking reaction! I’m not sure what I’d do if that happened to me face-to-face!
milo – That’s usually true, though it won’t work on designers/clients who are full of promises, but few deliverables… :(
Robert – That’s very true. It’s easy to think of the horror stories of clients not paying, but it is just as easy for the designer to get sneaky as well. You’re right about what you said though. They will get found out in the end, and a damaged reputation for them will be more hurt than the risk is worth!
goldfries (the 2nd ;) ) – That’s a good point. It also goes to show that a good company doesn’t mind paying more for their web site, when they know that they are getting a great service in return. Not all freelancers can offer that.
Slevi – Very true. It’s one reason that setting out some sort of conditions/contract at the start can work wonders. If the client thinks that unlimited edits are a part of the deal, then you’re going to have a headache…
Starfeeder – lol – I know the feeling. :lol:
Heather – Likewise. Some good, clear emails (In particular, at the start of the project!) are simply invaluable later on. That’s one reason that I prefer email to phone. If I ask a lot of questions in one email, and get the sort of reply you mentioned, I can refer to it constantly throughout the job.
Michael, that’s just part of the story. That staff threw her sarcasm from across the room. And after I politely explained to her the purpose of requesting more details such as what sites that they liked, I guess she was stumped.
So guess what she did in the end. She heeding to her superior’s request (the person we met) to bring us some printed documents, she walked over – threw the document on our meeting table, looked at me with a fierce stare and said “I AM YOUR CUSTOMER, YOU KNOW THAT?” (not verbatim but that was what it meant).
It was funny, I was shocked and her superior was embarassed and apologized.
I never followed-up on the project though, neither did they came back to us. Didn’t have a good FEEL about working with them, especially when there’s a possible troll lurking around. :)
As a designer, I always to my part to educate my clients or potential clients, after all I’m not only a designer but a techie and programmer.
Some clients are just a P.I.T.A while others are such pleasure to work with. Some love us so much, they brought business to us. :D A sure sign of good service provided!
lol – Yeah, I don’t think I’d particularly want to work with that client either! xD
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