Hopefully this is allowable...if not my apologies in advance.
I was hoping to get some suggestions about how to go about hiring someone to do a site design, specifically things to look for/request, etc in order to feel that I've made a sound choice. I've been burned recently as the designer I was working with left me high and dry with a script and no documentation so I could take the ball and run with it. It's impacted the redesign I've been working on [of which Efic has been a huge help for archiving]- I could not harness said script's capabilities because I had no documentation to reference and work with. I've decided to halt my many repeated attempts trying to get a response to my inquiries, accept the money paid out as a loss and start again. I was wondering if anyone would share some pointers, things to seek out/request when looking at potential designers. I know this time around if I'm given a script recommendations I'll not move forward unless I have a copy of the documentation accessible and/or accessibility to a support resource [that would not solely be the designer]. Also, if anyone has designers they want to recommend, I'm open for those as well. Any pointers/recommendations to help outline what I'm looking for when I prepare my Request for Proposal would be welcomed too.
Well some sites have reputation points
A bit of searching I did
elance: http://www.elance.com/index.html
rentacoder: http://www.rentacoder.com
a guide: http://www.sitepoint.com/article/how-to-hire-a-web-designer
another guide: http://graphicdesign.about.com/od/smallbusinessresources/ht/hirewebdesigner.htm
I am rebuilding efiction! Join us on irc! #efiction at
Thanks for the linkage..reading through it now. 🙂
While I've never hired anyone to design for me, I've been paid to design images and layouts for people before. One thing I'd recommend is that you request a portfolio. You want to see what they've done so you'll know if it meshes with your style and what kind of quality they provide. In the case of web development, you want to see that they complete the work and what is possible with the applications they've developed.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Also, I when doing contract work, I ask for half payment upfront and the rest at the end. Perhaps you could work those into your next job so that if you still need something from the designer, they have some incentive to give it to you.
Thanks Carissa. I appreciate the pointers 😀
