Many web development projects - large and small alike -

can produce difficulties for both sides of

designer/client relationship. There are opportunities for

designers and clients to become frustrated. Most

businesses have little experience of commissioning web

projects, and for designers it is difficult to communicate

their needs to clients.

There are a number of concepts that will help both

sides of relationship, and most importantly from

client side of equation, keep costs down.

Spend Smart

Remember what services you are buying. Paying a web

designer to carry out data entry or word-processing tasks

for your web project is not a cost effective use of your

web budget.

Unless you are engaging your designer to carry out

copywriting or copyediting services for you, try to ensure

that source materials are in a form as close to

final product as possible.

Plan Properly

Get as much work done up front as possible. Changes are

easier in planning stages than in execution. If

you are uncomfortable with colours or layout at

concept sketch stage, it is safer not to assume that

niggles will 'grow on you' as time goes by.

Trust Your Designer

Trust your web designer. Whilst it is true that

customer is always right, but designer should be more

experienced in field of Internet design and

development, and should be able to offer you plenty of

constructive advice at all stages. If you cannot trust

your web designer, you may need to find another web

designer that you can.

Know What You Want

Try to establish your own requirements in advance. The

more information you can present to your web designer on

who your company is, what your company does, your target

audience, and so on, better.

Building a basic profile of your requirements before

engaging a designer is free. Having a designer build a

profile of your requirements from scratch will be

chargeable, even if charge is not transparent.

Concentrate on your goals and objectives.

Think Results Not Methods