How To Select A Web Design Partner

As a graphic designer,chances are many of your design projects are web-based – and clients want one-stop shops.A plethora of technologies and platforms make it impossible for one person to be a jack of all trades,and you probably don’t even want to.You’re a graphic designer,after all,not a web (or mobile or app) developer,and you want to focus on creating high-quality designs for your clients.Thus,in order to completely fulfill clients’ needs and desire,you need a web design partner who is able to implement your designs for the digital world.Choosing a great web design partner can prove a difficult task,so take the following tips into account to make sure the web design partner you select will help you earn more profits – without hassles – for years to come.

Evaluate quality of work

Quality is paramount.Your web design partner should be able to produce premium-quality code quickly and efficiently.Their code must meet web standards and work across all popular browsing platforms.Code should be clean, and the outcome should be dynamic.And while no single developer can know all coding languages,they should at least know how to code in the platforms you design for.Also, make sure their code is secure – you don’t want to launch a new website that can be taken over by a junior high hacker an hour later.

Evaluate experience and knowledge

Find out how well your developer knows code.Is your developer formally trained or self-taught?How many years of experience does he have?How many different clients has he worked with?Does he know contemporary codes, such as HTML5, which will allow you deploy a more dynamic,interactive and visually striking design?

Seek references

Call your potential partners’ references and have an actual conversation with them. Find out how reliable they feel your developer is,how they feel overall about his quality of work,and what they feel he might have done better.Knowing your developer’s weaknesses is just as important as knowing his strengths.

Establish pricing

Find out how much your developer charges to ensure it is consistent with your own rates. You should be able to make money off your developer’s efforts,if even just 10 to 20 percent.If you charge $150 an hour and your developer charges $300, you’ll price yourself out of your own market.If he charges $50 an hour, that might be a red flag that he’s not worth as much as you are.

Determine responsiveness

When you’re evaluating your developer,take note of how responsive he is.Does he answer the phone, or at least return calls and emails in a timely manner?If not, move on.

Determine intelligence and intuitiveness

Your developer should be smart, like you,so you don’t have to waste time explaining things twice.Moreover, you should be in tune with one another.Your candidate might be a great person who is smart and has plenty of experience,but if you can’t get on the same page,then you’re setting yourself up for costly miscommunication.

Flexibility

How flexible is your web partner candidate?Can he change the direction of projects at a moment’s notice?Can he meet for a web chat with your client, and maintain your brand image while doing so?Make sure he is someone you can count on to value your client’s business as much as you do,and that he is willing to go the extra mile to deliver premium work.

Understand billing terms and practices

You should come to terms on billing before you choose your web design partner.Does he invoice at 30 days?Take 50 percent upfront? You need to make sure you can get paid from your client before you have to pay him,certainly, and knowing what the terms are upfront will streamline the entire process.

Support policy

Does your web design partner back his work?Does he have monthly support fees, which you can markup? How responsive is his support?Make sure you understand the specifics before you enter into a partnership.

Attitude and personality

You don’t have to be beer drinking buddies, but you do have to be able to get along.In general,your web design partner should be likable.When you can respect and appreciation one another,you build the foundation for a long-lasting,mutually beneficial business relationship.