Getting A Website: How To Get A Better Price From Your Web Designer

So you have decided you need a website. What next?

Before you contact some web designers to get a quote, you will save yourself time, money and trouble by first sitting down and thinking about what you actually need. The more you can “nail down” your requirements, the more likely you are to get a better price, and not be surprised by getting a bill for extras at the end of the project.

First, think about what you want from your website:

• Do you want to sell products online, using a shopping cart and some method of accepting payments?
• Do you want your site to be a “static” online brochure, showcasing your products or services?
• Do you want your site to generate leads & enquiries for you to follow up directly?
• Is your site primarily aimed at providing information for existing customers?
• Is your site going to be a useable, interactive service e.g. searchable property database?

Now consider how many pages you will need. Web designers will use this as an important factor when quoting you; if you initially ask for too few, you may get a bill for extras. Ask for too many and you may be paying more than you need to.

Think about the titles of the pages you need (as they appear in the site navigation) As a minimum, you will probably need “Home”, “About Us” and “Contact Us”.

Now give some consideration to the design of the site. Do you have a colour scheme in mind? Do you want some Flash animation? What sort of imagery do you want used? TO get some ideas, surf the Net and note down any websites you find that you like the look of, and give the URL to web designers. This will help them get an idea of what you like.

You should also consider which technical issues are important to you.

Does you site need to be:

• * Fast Loading? If your target market are home users, a large proportion may still be on slower dial up internet connections.
• * Graphically Intensive? Perhaps you need to appeal to corporate users, by employing a strong, professional design.
• * Optimised for a particular screen resolution? Do you want the site to look best on 1024 x 768 resolution screens, or perhaps your target market is more likely to have older PC’s with screen settings such as 800x600.
• * Updated yourself? If you regularly need to change the text/images of your site, you may need to ask for a quote for a Content Management System (CMS). Ask fort his to be identified as an optional cost, so you can judge if it is cost effective for you. Alternatively, you could purchase web editing software (such as Macromedia Contribute) though you will need to make your web designer aware that this is what you will be doing.
• * Aimed at specific end users? Perhaps your target market are printers or music industry professionals, who tend to use Apple Mac computers. If so, make your web designer aware of it – many designers do not pay much attention to checking web sites run correctly on Macs.

By taking a little time to consider the needs of your website, you will help your web designer immensely, getting the site you want at a cost effective price.

10 Essential Tips For A Web Designer

10 Essential Tips For A Web Designer

Word Count:

470

Summary:

One of the toughest challenges facing any designer is the web page. There are perhaps millions of pages in the World Wide Web all jostling for attention. The question that is foremost is how you as a designer can make a difference.

Keywords:

Web Design,web designs, html and css, web marketing and ecommerce, web graphics and multimedia

Article Body:

One of the toughest challenges facing any designer is the web page. There are perhaps millions of pages in the World Wide Web all jostling for attention. The question that is foremost is how you as a designer can make a difference.

Study the subject being featured. Visit as many sites as possible that cover the same as well as related topics. Make a list of what works and what doesn’t. Avoid using a design that is going to be uniform with others. Unless your pages are distinctive they are not going to work.

1. Try and avoid run of the mill things like page counters, java text scrolling, flashing images, GIF images, signs which say “we are not ready.” Or, too many illustrations or animations, black grounds or fade ins.

2. Create a design which coveys in a stylish way what it has to. Instead of using downloaded illustrations use original ones.

3. Avoid things like heavy files or graphics. These will slow down your pages. GIF is better than JPEG files.

4. Think of the target audience and subject being addressed when designing. The overall effect should be that of exclusivity.

5. Avoid incorporating download plugins. While Flash is innovative and fun you will loose viewers if you don’t provide an HTML alternative.

6. Design the pages so that they are not more than 50K.

7. Remember the rule of thumb; a web page should not have more than three screens. And, ensure that the viewer does not have to scroll horizontally.

8. Test your website pages with several browsers. Make sure they open quickly and completely. Do a reality check by asking a cross section of users to check the site. Usability checking will bring to the fore any mistakes made.

9. Don’t use backgrounds with tiles or patterns it makes the design fussy and decreases readability. Avoid frames they make the pages difficult to book mark.

10. Determine accurately the rules of creative design and ensure that you apply them. If you have links make sure they work. Limit page content. Pay attention to search engine optimization. Ensure that the design follows the content and is not a separate element. Maintain archives. Use innovative fonts and titles. The content should follow basic elements of style or a style sheet.

When designing the web page think about the site as a whole not each page separately. There should continuity in design. Include a site map for easy navigation. Pay attention to imparting knowledge, include information on the subject of the site, give tips, make available how to articles as well as publications on the topic. The site and pages should be interactive without being a nuisance, so links must be well thought of and of practical use.

Keep in mind at all times the 5 golden principles of design: balance, rhythm, proportion, dominance, and unity.

Web Designer Creativity for Making the Website

Web Designer Creativity for Making the Website

Word Count:

441

Summary:

A good web is directly depends upon the web designers creativity for making the web site more creative, valuable and valuable. First and foremost, the website designers must make it apparent that the website is a commercial venture. Acquiring and with Web Design Delhi is simple adequate.

Keywords:

web design delhi, web design services delhi, web design services, web design, web design india, web design services india, website design delhi

Article Body:

Creativity is an art and every one is not able to develop the Creative e-fuzion.com you get all the facilities for your online promotion, it’s a prestigious web designing company in Delhi, you would get more than what you thought you could do with your precious web site. All these ideas you can get having gone through a number of websites especially that of your competitors. Now days in the era of full -fledged internet, web site is the asset of any company in which they offer all kind of information regarding them. Website shows the brand name worth and assortment of the corporation, it will assist you in manufacture worldwide attendance in all above the world. So how can you know that whether this web site design company is expert or not. Web site design doesn’t mean just make a lay out and put some text or graphics. They will struggle to restore satisfied with showy imagery and animatronics. In order rich website is also first-class from online advertising surface. Web Design Delhi consultancy have pooled in some of the finest designs from different countries. These types of website are different from manufactured goods or present location. For develop a proper web site web designer plays a vital role. Else they would simply switch over to another website. This would be having serious consequences. So, try to stay easy interface that is easy to interact for all types of user. In Web Design Delhi consultancy you got all the valuable information that you provide in your website, should be presented in a readable design. Only in Web Design Delhi you get the unique content for your website and also update it on regular basis. . Good information will help you in retaining the customer. For provide a better position to your web site Web Design Delhi e-fuzion put all the important ingredients and makes your site more precious and more eye-catching with comparing other web site. Try to avoid heavy color like Green and Yellow.

Web design Delhi provides idea about different knowledge, occurrence and aptitude in such a manner that allow us to produce eye catching cuttings edge web pages in web designing. Custom programming can also be added for an additional fee. Web Design Delhi consultancy provides the services attending on the core foundations of passion, creativity and vision. A professional web design company all the time tries to apply diverse talents to produce astonishing imagery, meaning full, content and user friendly e-commerce applications and user gracious web design. The web design services Delhi is one of the superior options to precede your on online business.

What is a web designer anyway?

As a web designer, I get all kinds of requests , for information other than web design, and as a web designer I'm not suppose to really to be able to do things outside of the web design area. I believe there are a few misconceptions about what exactly a web designer does. In this article I am going to nail down exactly what a web designer is and what they should be able to do. This article pertains to small business website designers and not to bigger businesses where they are looking for someone who specializes. First I'll touch of the differences between a web designer and a web developer. A web designer is someone who creates the visual design and layout of a web page. A web developer is someone who does the behind-the-scenes programming of a website. For example a web developer creates the code for database websites.

Web designer's definition:

They give business organizations a web presence by building them a website. Web designers are professionals who organize information, create page layouts, while communicating the business's information/opinions in a website. Web designer's create another medium for the business to expand into. Creating a website enables the business to attract new customers, showcase its services products, and to do business across countries (as opposed to one location).

What things do web designer's do?

That's a really good question. It is definitely hard to nail down what every designer must do in order to call themselves a web designer. A good web designer should be able to do both the design and the development, unfortunately for you the consumer it doesn't always work that way.

Your web designer must be able to perform the following:

::Understand and keep current will all new emerging technology
:: Layout web pages with HTML, XHTML, XML , and other programming languages
:: Program HTML (hand code), JavaScript and CSS
:: Translate your ideas, needs and expectations into a web page.
:: Design navigation elements (such as navigation bars)
::Create graphics in Photoshop or any other professional imaging software
:: Effectively participate in a web development team
:: Have an understanding on how to create Flash (authoring software used to create animation programs)
:: Understand and implement web standards
:: Have an understanding of Search Engine Optimization
:: Have a basic understanding of typography, graphics and color theory
:: Understand needs of users and of usability testing
:: Have ability to analyze a target market
:: Understanding of cross browser problems and how to fix them

A great web designer also has knowledge of coding languages such as:

:: C++
:: Python
:: Java
:: JavaScript
:: Cold fusion
:: SQL
:: PHP


Sometimes it might be difficult for a web designer to have all those different programming languages under their belt. It is like knowing English, French, Chinese and German. Quite complicated. The more languages they know the better. Well that should help you on your search for a good web designer!

Finding the Best Web Designer for Your Website

When shopping for a web designer, there are several things you can do to help find the best value for your money. Between talking to the design team and viewing their portfolio of completed projects, one can usually get a good feel for the level of talent and professionalism inherent in the design firm's work. Talking to current and former clients can also be beneficial, as can obtaining referrals from those you know. One thing that many prospective site owners fail to do, however, is look at the firm's own web site. Since designing sites for others is their business, their site should be a reflection of their understanding of successful web design principles and practices.

When checking a web design firm's own site, look at the esthetic properties of the site first. The colors and design format used are meant to serve a purpose, just as they should for your site. While color schemes can be matter of personal taste, most people can agree on whether or not they find a site to be inviting and warm. Is there a level of consistency from one page to the next that allows you to feel that each page is part of a greater whole?

Next, take a look at the site's navigation. Is information easy to find? Are other pages on the site clearly marked or do you have to search through a complicated menu to find what you are looking for? An easily navigable site will help you keep the traffic that lands on one of your pages while a complicated site is a surefire invitation for traffic to go elsewhere.

Take a look at the site's content. Is it easy to understand and offers plenty of relevant information? Is the content centered or hidden away as part of a side bar? Is there so much content on the page that readers must scroll in order to read it? This is especially important to those selling products or services on the web as most people who visit your site will want to know what you offer and other pertinent details without having to read a novel on each page.

Check the site for properly described page titles, a clearly marked sitemap and other basic web site necessities. Without proper tags and a sitemap, a new site may have problems being indexed by search engines.

By looking at what a firm does for itself, you will have a better understanding of what they are capable of doing for you. If the site they use to present themselves is not up to par for your expectations, keep looking.

Become The Best Fashion Designer

Yоu knоw you're destined tо bе а fashion designer іf you: a) spent mоѕt оf уоur childhood making clothes fоr уоur Barbie dolls іnѕtеаd оf playing wіth уоur friends; b) read fashion magazines іnѕtеаd оf уоur school books; c) ran а boutique оut оf уоur basement аt age 10. In оthеr words: іf уоu wаnt tо bе thе nеxt Yves Saint Laurent, іt helps tо bе completely аnd utterly obsessed wіth fashion.




However, thеrе аrе mаnу aspects оf thе profession. Working аѕ а fashion designer саn јuѕt аѕ wеll mеаn supervising а design team аt а sportswear company аѕ producing а label undеr уоur оwn name. Althоugh thе fоrmеr career mау nоt ѕееm аѕ glamorous аѕ thе latter, іt сеrtаіnlу wіll mаkе уоur life lеѕѕ stressful. Tо create уоur оwn label takes а lot оf time, dedication аnd hard work. Nоt tо mention living јuѕt аbоvе thе poverty line fоr ѕеvеrаl years.




Choosing а strategy




Thеrе аrе аѕ mаnу dіffеrеnt ways tо embark uроn а fashion career аѕ thеrе аrе styles оf design. Ralph Lauren's Polo empire wаѕ founded оn а small tie collection thаt hе sold tо Bloomingdales. Helmut Lang decided tо open hіѕ оwn clothing store whеn hе couldn't find а t-shirt thаt hе liked. Michael Kors built uр а network оf customers bу selling clothes іn а trendy NYC boutique. However, mоѕt people find thаt thе bеѕt foundation fоr а design career іѕ tо gеt а fine arts degree іn fashion аt а prestigious school. Bеѕіdеѕ teaching уоu thе craft, а good school wіll аlѕо add credibility tо уоur resumé. "We live іn а brandname society, аnd hаvіng thе nаmе оf а good school bеhіnd уоu rеаllу dоеѕ help," ѕауѕ Carol Mongo, Director оf thе Fashion Department аt Parsons School оf Design іn Paris.




Applying tо а school




Thеrе аrе а lot оf colleges thаt hаvе fashion programs, but оnlу а handful hаѕ thе kind оf reputation thаt саn rеаllу push уоur career. It's hard tо enter thеѕе schools аѕ competition іѕ high, аnd thеу tend tо bе vеrу selective. Yоu apply bу sending а portfolio оf drawings оf уоur designs. "We can't teach уоu hоw tо bе creative – уоu hаvе tо bring уоur creativity tо uѕ аnd lеt uѕ lead уоu оn уоur way," ѕауѕ Carol Mongo. Shе recommends students tо gеt ѕоmе sewing experience bеfоrе thеу apply. Drawing іѕ аlѕо аn important skill fоr а designer – іt іѕ thе wау уоu communicate уоur ideas. In order tо build аn impressive portfolio it's а good idea tо hаvе ѕоmе experience іn sketching; tаkіng art classes wіll hеlр уоu understand form аnd proportion. But уоu don't hаvе tо bе аn expert drawer tо gеt accepted tо а school. "The mоѕt important quality thаt wе lооk fоr іn оur students іѕ thаt thеу аrе trulу passionate аnd exuberant аbоut fashion," ѕауѕ Mongo. "If уоu hаvе wonderful ideas but can't draw, thеrе аrе аlwауѕ ways tо gеt аrоund it. Yоu соuld fоr еxаmрlе put уоur designs оn а mannequin аnd tаkе pictures оf it."




What school wіll dо fоr you




Mоѕt fashion programs аrе thrее tо fоur years long. Durіng thаt time уоu wіll tаkе fine arts classes аnd study drawing, color composition аnd form. Yоu wіll аlѕо learn pattern making, draping аnd cutting techniques. Onе оf thе mоѕt important advantages оf design schools іѕ thаt thеу work rеаllу closely wіth thе industry. Parsons, fоr example, hаvе "designer critic projects" whеrе successful designers lіkе Donna Karan аnd Michael Kors work dіrесtlу wіth thе graduating students. Ambitious students аlѕо hаvе thе chance tо win prestigious awards аnd grants, whісh bring thеm а lot оf attention аѕ wеll аѕ financial support. Onе vеrу important event іѕ thе fashion show аt thе еnd оf thе lаѕt semester, whеn graduating students show thеіr collections. A lot оf important people frоm thе fashion industry attend thеѕе shows tо scout nеw talent. It's аlѕо аn opportunity tо bе rеаllу outrageous аnd gеt noticed bу thе media. Hussein Chalayan, fоr example, bесаmе instantly infamous whеn hе showed rotting clothes thаt hе hаd buried іn hіѕ backyard fоr hіѕ graduation show аt Saint Martins.




Alternative routes




"Let's bе realistic," ѕауѕ Carol Mongo аt Parsons, "School's nоt fоr everyone. If you're јuѕt lооkіng tо gеt а job іn thе fashion industry – nоt а career аѕ а designer – уоu рrоbаblу don't nееd tо gо school." If уоu wаnt tо work аѕ а seamstress оr а patternmaker, thе bеѕt thіng іѕ рrоbаblу tо apply fоr аn internship аt а fashion house аnd work уоur wау up. However, thеrе аrе mаnу examples оf famous designers whо started оut аѕ interns wіth nо formal training. Fоr example, Dior's brightest nеw star, men's wear designer Hedi Slimane, hаd а degree іn journalism whеn hе started working wіth men's wear designer José Levy. Balenciaga's Nicolas Ghesquière іѕ аnоthеr еxаmрlе оf а brilliantly successful designer whо learned thе jobs hands-on, аѕ аn assistant аt Jean-Paul Gaultier. Usually, уоu apply fоr аn internship bу sending а portfolio tо а fashion house you're interested in. But it's а good idea tо call thеm uр bеfоrеhаnd tо ѕее еxасtlу whаt thеу need. It's аlѕо important tо note thаt competition іѕ fierce, аnd unlеѕѕ уоu hаvе personal connections, it's vеrу difficult tо gеt аn internship wіthоut аn education.


Thеrе аrе аlѕо designers, lіkе Luella Bartley, whо started thеіr оwn business аftеr working аѕ stylists fоr ѕеvеrаl years, thuѕ building аn industry network аѕ wеll аѕ а good marketing sense.




Understanding thе business




Unfortunately, it's nоt еnоugh fоr а designer tо bе creative; уоu аlѕо hаvе tо hаvе ѕоmе business sense. Aѕ fashion gеtѕ mоrе аnd mоrе corporate driven, it's important tо bе aware оf thе business climate аnd understanding thе mechanics bеhіnd it. Bу religiously reading trade papers lіkе "Women's Wear Daily" уоu wіll gеt а lot оf valuable information. If уоu wаnt tо run уоur оwn company, уоu nееd tо bе extremely organized аnd learn аt lеаѕt thе basics оf economics. A lot оf fashion schools аrе сurrеntlу increasing business classes іn thеіr curriculum. "Our students hаvе tо bе smart еnоugh tо knоw hоw tо negotiate а contract, оr tо pick а business partner," ѕауѕ Carol Mongo. It's реrhарѕ telling thаt mаnу оf thе designers thаt аrе rеаllу successful today, lіkе Calvin Klein оr Tom Ford, аrе involved іn еvеrу aspect оf thе business – frоm licensing strategies tо ad campaigns tо асtuаllу designing thе clothes.

Do You Need a Website or a Web Designer?

Never underestimate the power of the internet. An increasing number of people use the internet to search for a business or service so having a web presence is an important media for promoting your company. Web design is a real skill and if your website is to not only look good but work well, it should be constructed by a professional web designer.

Have you noticed these days that so many websites all look the same – square box in the middle of the screen? That’s because it’s fairly easy and cheap to use the many templates available to build a simple website. There are many web designers or friends of a friend out there that will offer to do you a website for a few hundred pounds but there are many technical issues to consider to ensure really professional results.

• A good website should have the following attributes:
• Strong corporate identity
• User friendly navigation
• Quick to download
• A useful resource
• Expandable – needs to incorporate technology that allows scalability
• Visually attractive to encourage usage
• Must work in all browsers on all computers PC and MAC
• Good investment / value for money
• Search engine friendly

Remember that first impressions count and a badly designed website is worse than having no website at all. You wouldn’t get a friend of a friend to do your company brochures or service your nice new car you would go to a specialist, so why take the risk and compromise on quality with your website.

A well designed website with good graphics and strong corporate branding will last for years and should be a good investment for your company. Updating the content is simple and inexpensive.

You can start with a small but well designed website that fits within your budget. The key is to ensure that your website is expandable so that as your business grows it can be added to – you may even wish to add a database or e commerce functionality at a later stage.

We believe that Flash is really designed for use in the entertainments industry and we do not recommend using it on a business website. Even with the increasing availability of broadband Flash can be very irritating for users, it serves no purpose, it can detract attention away from the important messages on your website and it will adversely affect your search engine rankings. Strong visual affects can be achieved using other methods.

Using HTML is the most popular and cost effective way to design a website. These can include original graphic designs and are text driven to incorporate relevant search terms, which is good for getting your site recognised by search engines.

DYNAMIC websites incorporate a database and offers more user functionality. A dynamic website can be classed as a web application and is a powerful tool for gathering and providing data for your customers who will be able to log in and search the site quickly for information. If you require a dynamic database driven web design you will have to budget for the back end coding required to build the database. This will be more expensive than a HTML site and will need specialist hosting.

As a less expensive alternative it is possible to build a HTML site which links to a third party database which you can access through your existing ISP.

An E-COMMERCE WEBSITE is an online secure shopping facility so that customers can purchase your goods by credit card over the web.

The Right Web Designer For You

If you are on the prowl for someone or some organization to design or redesign you or your organization's website, it may be both comforting and daunting to know that your choice of designers is at an all time high. From freelancers to marketing firms and everything in between, there are thousands of people ready to sell you their skills. The question is not where to look, but how to choose the right web designer for you.

There are two major factors that you will want to take into account when selecting the right web designer for the job; namely your needs and their organizational structure and skills. If you have not done so already, take a moment to write down why it is, specifically, you want a website; what will you want it to do? What is your niche? What is your market? Who are your competitors, and how are they attempting to tap into that niche? Do you have a particular brand or image you wish to associate with your products or services? It is best to have firm (though not closed) answers to these questions before approaching a designer. If you know what you want, it is much easier to determine if a particular web designer or web design agency can and will give you what you seek.

With your wish-list in hand, it is time to find the right web designer. The first decision you will need to make here is whether to go with a freelancer, design team, or marketing firm. It is difficult to generalize about any one of these, for there are both very excellent and talented freelancers as well as very bad ones. The same might be said for design teams and even marketing firms. However, here are some things that you will want to consider and investigate.

First, it is important to know if you are dealing with a web design company or a marketing agency and graphic design organization, for the latter often sub-contract web design work. Generally this is not a problem, although it does put a set of people between you and the designers, which may become tiresome, especially on larger projects. A web designer worth his or her digital weight should have a handle on e-marketing design and tactics. If you take the time to find a reliable individual or firm, it should be possible to bypass the marketing agency and still obtain a quality, competitive design. Freelancers are often less expensive, and have the advantage of dealing with only one or a handful of people. However, a freelancer is just one person, and this one person may not be available all the time should problems arise.

Other factors to consider when considering web designers include their portfolios, whether they use templates or original designs, the extent to which they will be able to promote the website once it is designed, the size and client list of their organization, and their ability to both give you what you want and to provide suggestions and ideas of their own based on their own knowledge and experience. Last, and definitely not least, is customer support and response time.

With the Internet being the delocalized entity that it is, it is not unusual for a web designer to perform work for a company either out of state or abroad. While a local designer makes face-to-face meetings easier, the same things can be accomplished with email, the web, and phone. However, if at any point during the selection or design process you feel that the designer or his or her company is anything less than consistent and open in availability, it may be wise to consider alternatives. One thing to look for is whether or not the company is willing to provide you with access to immediate customer support via telephone or chat. When and if something does go wrong, e-mail technical support can move a bit slow.

These were just a few things to watch for and consider when choosing the right web designer for you. Other things you might include could be the designers' web site's Google page rankings, or whether or not customer support over the telephone is toll free and available all of the time. The most important thing to do, however, is to seek as many estimates and proposals as possible. The more candidates you field, the better your chances of hiring the right web designer for you.