I love the question so many people ask when I tell them what I do.  “So, how much do you charge for a website?”  The question is almost universal, so there must be something to it.  It’s as if everyone is familiar with the concept of tattoo flash on the wall of a parlor.  They pick the piece they want and the tattoo artist gives it to them.  Sadly, web design is not that way.

I believe the problem lies in the tendency for people to want something but not know what it is they want.  When it comes to designing anything, a car, a purse, a building, a website, etc. there needs to be a set of requirements.  Usually, the last one on the list is styling.  When designing a logo or a user interface there is a set of requirements, just like anything else.

Failing to plan is like Homer

Have you ever seen the episode of the Simpsons where Homer’s brother Herb asks him to design a car that’s perfect for families?  Homer jumps in with no plan and Herb is ruined.  Herb defined his audience, the family man with annoying kids, but failed to account for Homer’s stupidity.  I love Homer…

The plan is the important part of the design process.  Everything else grows from the plan.  You wouldn’t build a house then have an architect blueprint it for you, would you?  The same should be true of your website.  If you have a designer give you a price before the project is defined (or your designer has a menu to choose from) odds are they aren’t a real designer.

Gone are the days of assuming the Internet is a passing fad.  No website is as bad for business as no business card or telephone number.  Even if all you want to do is a simple about us page with some contact information, it’s vital that you get this done.  That being the case, I can direct you to some folks who will do it on the cheap (I might even do it if I have the time).  If you want to take full advantage of all the web has to offer, however, you’ll need to develop a strategy and talk to someone who can help you develop it.

Any competent designer is going to ask you questions.  It is vital to the process that you answer those questions as completely as possible.  Some of them may seem strange or irrelevant, but answer them anyway.  I like to ask clients what they’d want their website to do if they could have it do anything in the world.  You’d be surprised by the answers I get (no, not that…).  The reason I ask is, it cuts through the client’s preconceived notions and helps me understand what they’re really after.  I also like to know what they’d like to get from their web presence in the short, medium and long term.

Every question you answer gets a good designer or developer closer to realizing your vision.  Every question you don’t answer is a hole that could result in disappointment for both of you.  I seem to get clients that run the gamut states of preparedness.  It’s my job to get them “completely ready” before starting work.  It’s better for both of us if I do that rapidly.

From your feedback, we build a plan, and from the plan comes a proof.  From the proof comes a finished product.  Everybody is happy if everything is defined.  If nothing is defined, the project is likely to fail.  If you cover as many bases as possible at the outset, you cut the chances of failure by an order of magnitude.

Plan first, then build.  It’s common sense that should apply to everything, including a website.

This was a fun project for a local friend.  The point was to poke fun at bad design and maybe make a few enemies in the process.  I think it worked.

The site was designed to be kitschy and obnoxious, which I think we accomplished, but it was also supposed to be simple.  No movement (that isn’t an ad) and no crazy plugins that do crazy things…  Just a site where you can go and get a laugh at the expense of others.  The header was made in the GIMP, which is one of my favorite image editors (I can hear other designers snickering).  In actuality, I really dig this site for looks.   The content is a matter of personal taste.  Several of the sites featured have been re-designed, so I guess it’s working…

The original theme is called Japan Style.  It was a decent theme, but I really only wanted the paper images from it.  The CSS is different as well as the header and behavior.

OMFG This Sucks!

I like to design websites.  I like it so much, that I occasionally take on a pro bono project provided it’s for a worthy cause (either that or if a friend of mine has a good idea that’s just for fun).  I have a list of friends who are also designers with whom I converse about design related things and the state of the profession.  We even trade work and referrals on some occasions.

Why would we trade work, you ask?  It seems, on the surface, that giving your potential client to someone else is silly, but look at it from the perspective of the client.  Have you ever met someone who you just knew you couldn’t work with?  There are many reasons you might not be able to work with someone, from the person just rubbing you the wrong way to irreconcilable differences of opinion.  In the design realm, it helps to be adult about those cases.

There are a whole slew of reasons to recommend a client to another designer, not the least of which is style.  No designer is everything to all potential clients.  If my style doesn’t match your business model, attitudes or direction, does it make sense for you to hire me?  Networking with other designers gives us an opportunity to make sure the client gets exactly what is asked.  As any decent designer will tell you, style is vital, especially where a company identity is concerned.  A good image can make a company as surely as a bad one can sink it.

Not all logos send the right message

Have you ever seen a logo and thought, “What was that guy thinking?”  There is a question of style that was never asked when you see things like that. The client either didn’t think through what was needed or didn’t understand that a logo is one of the more important decisions that a business can make.

So what’s the deal with spec (speculative) work?  Firstly, we’d have to define it.  If you come to me and say, “Design me a logo and if I like it, I’ll pay for it,” what should I say as a rational person?  I can think of a few monosyllabic replies which would apply, and the only one which is proper is “no.”  If you were a home builder and someone came to you with a proposal like that, I’m sure you could relate.  That’s what spec work is.  Do the work, and get paid if it is accepted.

You can see how shirts could be lost with this business model.  So, why would anyone chose to do it this way?  Well, the answer is simple.  Many would be designers join the various websites which promote this concept and start cranking out work for people they’ve never met and businesses they know nothing about.  They usually do it to start a portfolio, but some do it to see if they have what it takes to be a designer.  Either way, somebody loses, and usually both sides.

Personally, I think spec is a blight on the design industry.  Not only is it unfair to the potentially hundreds of other submitters (the poor saps who didn’t win), but who ultimately owns all that work?  Does the creative who came up with it, or the company to whom it was submitted?

What about plagiarism?  In the spec community it seems to be rampant.  Let’s say that you have a spec contest to design a logo, and award goes to a 14-year-old kid in Plano.  Did he steal that logo or portions of it from a local company?  Maybe.  You’ll find out when the lawsuit papers show up.

Most good designers don’t want to get a client specification followed by a paycheck.  They want to get to know you, your business, your clients or customers and find out what will appeal to everyone involved.  Speculative work cuts out that personal part of the process.  There is no way to nail a design of any kind on the first try, and believing it should go that way is only going to hurt the client.  Most designers will have an open loop, gathering feedback from multiple sources as they go through the process.  That 14-year-old kid in Plano…  Not so much…

I support initiatives aimed at ending speculative work, but at the same time, I know that those initiatives will not completely eradicate it.  There is obviously a market for it, or there wouldn’t be so many places to have it done.  The only way to stop this unfair, unethical practice is to educate would be buyers of the dangers.  Potential lawsuits, potential missed opportunities and potential business failure are all inside the realm, because design and branding aren’t things to just get off the plate.

Think about that when you shop around.  I’m biased against spec, naturally, but if you look past the surface and into the heart of the matter, you would be too.

I actually enjoy working with politicians.  It’s funny how everything is an emergency, but then when there are no emergencies anymore everybody seems disappointed…

This site was a custom job where I pretty much had the run of the show on design.  It was features they were after.  Once again, this is WordPress (seems like it’s been a while since I’ve done one that isn’t), and uses a “magazine style” theme.  The slider box is a custom job (based on contentslider.js) that pulls from four predetermined categories.  We got a little membership / continuity software in there (Wishlist Member), some SMS text messaging and a wicked auto-responder / mailing list manager.

The membership software is specifically for managing the volunteers and staff who help with the campaign.  It’s a novel approach to the idea of continuity, but it works very well.  The place where this site shines is the backend.  Too bad most people will never get to see it.

Elect Stephanie Hodges