Even in tough times, people are always going to need things designed. Here are some ways to save you and your clients money as you take your design business through a recession.
Before you pick a developer and sign on the dotted line (right beneath the small print about your first born and burning in the fires of hell and all that) you’ll want to consider the factors that will contribute to the overall cost of your project and beyond.
Consider these 5 ways to save money on web design costs for your business.
1. Be Clear About What You Want
If you’re working with a designer, it is important to take all the guess work out of the scenario before you begin working on website development. Designers can’t read your mind. They need to know what you want in order to be able to produce results that will gel with your vision. Understand that some of your ideas may not pan out, but be as clear as possible with your designer when you talk about the design process. Tell your designer exactly what you want, and you’ll get the results you’re after without any expensive complications.
2. Plan Your Project in Advance
Don’t go into a web design project without planning ahead. Before you even begin shopping for hosting and design services, you should have your project planned out in detail. Draw up layouts for your imagined pages, and decide on a color scheme for your website. Consider what fonts you will want to use, and start a collection of images that can be worked into your site. Planning your project in advance will remove the need for large amounts of brainstorming and developmental work in the early stages of development.
3. Hire a Design Intern
The design industry is as competitive as it is expensive, and you may be able to find qualified designers and brilliant design students eager for the opportunity to gain experience with you. A design intern can solve many of your problems at once. Interns do some of the most impressive and original work in the industry, and your internship program can save your business lots of money. Consider hiring an intern to help with your design process, offering college credit, possible future employment, or recommendations to other employers in lieu of salary.
4. Write Your Own Copy
Designing the visual side of your website is only one part of the design process. Writing the content and copy is a completely separate issue, and one that your designer is likely not equipped to handle professionally. You could hire a copy writer to help develop engaging copy for your pages, or you may be better off writing on your own. No one knows your business better than you, and you can put your own ideas into words without outsourcing.
5. Build on an Existing Theme
Modern technology makes it easier than ever for complete amateurs to fulfill their own website design needs. Consider building your own pages off of an existing theme. Website templates can be found in numerous places all over the web. Some are free, while others need to be purchased. Whatever you choose, building on a theme can streamline your design process immensely by allowing you to build pages yourself, or by relieving your designer of the majority of heavy development work.
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About the author: Aabia Liz is a 23-year old freelance writer, graphic artist and photographer. She writes articles on technology for several print magazines as well as technology blogs.
