A few days after you post your request for quotes on Web design job boards, your email inbox will be flooded with applications.
If you're lucky, you'll run into a design in a designer's portfolio that closely matches your vision. More likely, however, you'll be faced with wildly varying quotes and a wide spectrum of designer skills and experience.
Here are a few tips for winnowing down the list to the one ideal (or as close to it as possible) designer.
1. Reject anyone that doesn't follow directions.
This step will cut down the number of viable candidates significantly. Incredibly, many freelancers blast the same form letter to every potential client without carefully reading their RFPs. Don't waste your time with candidates who can't (or won't) follow directions.2. Reject anyone with a casual or unprofessional tone.
If they are lazy when soliciting jobs, they will be lazy when building your website.3. Glance at some portfolios.
Once you've eliminated the obviously unqualified, you are looking to add candidates to your shortlist. Don't spend too much time analyzing every portfolio. You will dig deeper once you've narrowed down the field to 10-15 candidates.
Look for an amazing portfolio. Everyone can draw. Not everyone is an artist.
4. Get references from previous clients.
Once you have your shortlist, you should spend some time researching each candidate. Sometimes you can't tell exactly what the designer did just by looking at their portfolio.
- Did the client give them very precise direction or did they come up with the concept on their own?
- Did the client already have a particular layout or was that a creative decision the designer made?
- Was the designer resistant to tweaks or open to suggestions?
- Did the designer meet all the deadlines and deliver what was asked?
These are questions only previous clients can answer.