Where does a web design start?
Often a web design from a certain concept. A concept is often much bigger than the web design. The concept consists of it story that you would like to tell your customers. It's the concept ideas behind a design. Usually a concept has been implemented company-wide and there are often already existing design elements. Think of a logo, stationery, posters or business cards.
A web design is therefore not possible without a concept, because you want to be sure that the appearance of the new website matches the story you tell as a company. Concepts can be simple or very creative and very well thought out.
The web design builds on this. It must bridge the gap between what the organization stands for and wants to convey and what the user sees on his screen. The two must be in balance with each other and they must to beat. Good web design starts by looking at what is already there and what story needs to be told. If necessary, that story can be refined and translated into the right look and feel for a website.
Who is the right person to create a web design?
There are many parties that can make a web design for you. An advertising or design agency can do that for you, but also your internet agency. And there are also freelance web designers who can create beautiful things. But who do you actually hook up at what time?
A number of things are important to consider when considering having a design created for your website.
- Is there already a clear creative concept or story that you want to tell your customers?
- Are you looking for a very creative, out of the box design? Or functional and sleek?
- What's your deadline?
- What is the expertise of the party you have in mind? Do they have experience with the type of design you are looking for?
If you don't have a concept for your design yet, you are often still looking for one the story that you want to say as a company. You are still looking for a concept to be developed that fits well with your message. The more complex that story is and the more creative its expression must be, the more often you are better off with an advertising or design agency. They often have very good creative people who can come up with the craziest things for you.
If you already have a concept, it is usually more interesting to have the design developed directly at your internet agency. A good agency always has good designers who can perfectly translate a concept into a website.
Do you have a tight deadline? Then consider outsourcing the design work and development work to one party. That moves a bit faster because many issues can be dealt with internally. Also take a look at the portfolio of the party that will make the design. You have something in mind and you see quickly enough whether the club you have in mind could make something similar.
Don't forget to involve your internet agency!
If you decide to have your design made by a design agency, advertising agency or freelancer, always involve them direct your internet agency during the design phase.
The internet agency is the party that ultimately has to develop everything. They can advise on the technical (im)possibilities associated with creating the design. They can also clarify how the design should be delivered. Although there are many standards, everyone delivers a design in a slightly different way. Consultation about the delivery in advance can save a lot of hassle in the development process.
Pro type: You can also ask your internet agency which design and advertising agencies they have had good experiences with. Then you can be sure that the collaboration will be smoother because both parties are more attuned to each other.
How long does it take to create a web design?
How long does it take to get a to have web design made depends of course on many things. If a concept still needs to be worked out then everything will of course take longer than if there is already a concept. And it also makes quite a difference whether you need a website with 7 templates or 15.
As a rule, creating a design takes at least two weeks (80 hours). Then we assume that there is already a concept. Most of the work is in the first few templates. Many generic parts of the design are then devised, such as the header and footer. As more templates are designed, each subsequent template takes less time to design.
More extensive designs that also require consideration of a concept can take several weeks. Also remember that there may be a lot of feedback on the design, which means that many adjustments have to be made in the meantime. At Van Ons we regularly come across designs that have taken more than four weeks of work. But the result is often there.
Think about the content!
In the articles on how to make one functional design for your website this was already discussed. Think carefully about the content you want on the site before you start working on the design. And once the design is in place, take a very critical look at whether you can fit all your content in the right way.
Don't forget to look at the smallest details. Such as names you want to give menu items. A long piece of text in a button such as “view more of our portfolio here” must fit well in a button. And also see if you enough have text. Sometimes large blocks are reserved in a design for a lot of text, but if you only have 2 sentences to put in it, it looks strange. In the coming weeks we will go into more detail about a design, so stay tuned!