June 20, 2007 at 18:51How to choose a designer for the project and not miscalculate?
Each time, thinking over a new project or starting to redesign an existing one, I try to connect a new designer to the work, although it would be easier to work with an already familiar one. I do this for two reasons:
- firstly, a new designer is always a new outlook on things, it’s a person with the help of whom I myself can look a little differently at what is planned to be implemented, as well as what has already been done.
secondly, it is an opportunity to get to know a specialist and later work with him regularly, already knowing what result can be expected from him.
It should be noted right away that although the following recommendations are applicable for searching for various specialists, this article will discuss the search for the leading website designer , as the theater “director” of the project would say.
The reservation of the “host” is needed because, as a rule, several designers participate in large projects. For each front of work, a narrow specialist is involved - one designer draws a logo, another creates vector images, a third conjures over icons for the site ... in separate niches you can display interface planning, flash inserts, photo processing, etc. And all this together is brought together by the same “leading designer” and it is he who creates the final visual structure of the site.
Where do the designers come from?
So, the decision was made to start work on the project, the issue with the programmers, editors or who else we needed was resolved, and the position of lead designer of the project was still vacant. We begin the search and find three alternatives. We can find a designer:
Experience has shown that good specialists combining human sanity and high professional qualities are extremely rare. But we still do not want to overpay. And not because of congenital stinginess. It has simply been proved long ago that exceeding average payment indicators for one or another work front does not guarantee an automatic increase in quality.
So, we are looking for a designer and identified three nesting sites for these outlandish creatures. Consider them:
Friends recommendation
The human factor in the designer who came on the recommendation, the most predictable of the options considered. You can find out from friends recommending him information about a person’s ability to get involved, about life and professional priorities, about character, etc. After all, the human qualities of this one of the main team members play no less important role than his professional level.
The disadvantages of the “recommended” designer are that he can be a contact and flexible person, but not a strong specialist, however, the magic word “recommendation” sometimes obscures the look and lack of knowledge, sometimes it is too late.
Contacting a design studio
It would seem - which is easier? Need a designer - call a design studio in your city and be happy! However, this, unfortunately, is not at all true. As a rule, even the best design studios are organized and built to be a website manufacturing factory. Usually these are corporate web representations, the structure of which is simple and straightforward.
The studio manager (if this is a good manager) will paint you “individual approach” and “unconventional thinking” in paints for your designers. But in 99 percent of cases it will be ... not quite so. Everything will happen, like in a joke about a gourmet who paints a waiter for a long time, how this time you need to prepare a veal chop for him, indicating everything up to the exact age of the calf, the place where he grew up, the herbs he ate, but the waiter, assuring the client, that everything will be just like that, comes to the kitchen and tells the cook: "Vasya, a steak two times ...". And where did these nuances painstakingly outlined by the client disappear? It all came down to a unified solution ...
The conclusion is that if you are doing some unusual project, contacting the studio is almost a guarantee that you will get a formal steak (which can be of very good quality), instead of a truly unique solution and a non-trivial approach to the subject.
Independent search
And, finally, the last option is to try to find the designer yourself. The forums and sites where you can place ads with vacancies are known and I will not list them. It is worth mentioning only that in recent years the effect of publishing free ads on freelance sites has been decreasing. A free ad very quickly goes down, giving way to new projects by other employers, and not everyone who might be of interest to you has time to see it. Therefore, for large projects, I recommendbuy a paid ad that “hangs” for several days on the main page, fixed at the top of the list and will be viewed by a much larger number of potentially interesting specialists.
In addition, we must not forget that a paid ad, clearly distinguished from the mass of others, indicates to designers the seriousness of your intentions. Which is also important.
In a word, in the choice of a designer, the most faithful, although the most troublesome way is an independent search and selection. True, it makes sense only if you are able to distinguish the work of a good designer from a bad... but if it’s not, you probably still too early to read this article. It will not bring you practical benefits. I proceed from the fact that, looking at the work presented in the portfolio of a specialist, you are able to draw a conclusion about his professional viability. At least about ...
How to choose the best one from the right ones?
Imagine that all preliminary steps have been taken, recommendations from acquaintances have been received, announcements have been published and you have collected links to a couple of dozen portfolio designers who have already familiarized themselves with the project and are theoretically ready to start working with you. How to choose one?
In order to conduct the initial screening, considering the portfolio of applicants, we draw attention to:
As a result of screening “by professional criteria”, 2-6 applicants should remain. They need to take a closer look.
It is worth paying attention to age. It does not play a critical role and is sometimes even misleading. But still, too young a designer is usually bad, because of his unpredictability. And a person aged is often quite bony in his views, which can also interfere with work. The optimal age for the designer, in my opinion, is 26-30 years. By this time, he manages to become a good specialist, but has not yet lost the ability to perceive new things, to experiment, to get carried away.
Then, it is worth clarifying for yourself in which countries and cities the applicants live. The possibility of personal, not just remote communication is a big plus. Yes, and the place of residence of a person allows us to draw some conclusions. It is one thing to communicate with a person from Moscow, another thing is from somewhere from a small town in the Far East. Neither is better or worse. Just communication will be built in different ways. And this must be understood.
Concluding the study of personalities of applicants, we move on. A great help is the presence of a personal blog designer or projects created "for yourself." This will allow us to look at it from the human side. Who is he by nature? Snob? Whiner? Optimist? A lover of girls? .. All this makes it possible to paint a more complete picture. Imagine a person more clearly.
And finally, the last thing I do before making a final decision, I conduct preliminary discussions with applicants via ICQ, e-mail or phone. In these conversations, I seek to ascertain the motivation of the person. What, besides the desire to receive money from me, drives it? Is there any danger in the process of working to stumble upon narcissism and ambition in the spirit of "all idiots, one I know how to." How is the designer configured in relation to the project, what does he want to have in the bottom line when the work is completed? If there is no professional interest in the project, this is not the right person ...
The question is - why is everything so complicated? Because it is precisely human qualities in the process of work that come to the fore. Willingness to informally approach the project and lead it not to the moment of final calculation, but to logical completion, the desire to do well “not for fear, but for conscience”, the ability to rise above one’s ambitions and admit a mistake, if any, etc.
It is important to understand that when choosing a leading designer, you select a project co-author, a colleague whose personal and professional qualities will directly and indirectly affect the final result.
Original text - Spiridonov.ru (notes of the Internet producer)