A Breath of Fresh Air

It takes research, humility, and skill to truly understand your customers well enough to serve them better than your competitors.

Cooper, Alan. Cooper Interaction Design (2002). Design>Web Design>Consulting>User Centered Design

Cheaper Over Better: Why Web Clients Settle for Less

Schumacher explains why clients hire bad web designers (and what good web designers can do about it).

Schumacher, Adam. List Apart, A (2000). Design>Web Design>Consulting

The Client Did It: A WWW Whodunit

Why is it that we allow ourselves to be put in a compromising position where the client tells us how to be web designers? Maybe it's because the perception among the wider public is that 'anyone' can make a website. And they're right. Anyone can make a website--but not everyone can make an emotionally engaging interactive experience that will live in the visitor's memory. (Similarly, anyone with access to a photocopier and a stapler can 'make a book,' but good books are scarce.)

Shepherd, Robbie. List Apart, A (2000). Careers>Consulting>Web Design

Client’s Needs, Client’s Wants and Finding the Balance 

Since a healthy percentage of Reencoded readers deal directly with clents, it’s time we take a closer look at how to deal with them. It’s not uncommon for a client’s wants and a client’s needs to head in completely different directions. Hopefully these tips will help you draw the two back together and provide the client with a product or service that they’re happy with and that suits their requirements.

Praschan, Mark. ReEncoded (2008). Careers>Consulting>Web Design

Designing Two Nonprofit Web Sites on Less Than $350 US per Year Each

What do you need to design a World Wide Web site for a nonprofit organization? If you have less than $350 U.S. per year, you need knowledgeable, dedicated volunteers with HTML and design skills, and their own computers. Then you can weave the Web to fit both the readers' needs and the creators' skills. To create content and a workable organization, follow four key rules: 1) know the needs of your potential readers, 2) select a well-defined content area, 3) use available (or affordable) technology, and 4) set up a mechanism for approval, organization and change. Two Ottawa-based Web sites met these rules in different ways. Peaceweb, the World Wide Web page on Quaker peace and social concerns, set out rules for approval, organization and change first. PoloniaNet, the Polish-Canadian Web site, staked out a well-defined content area first. Each group had a strong sense of identity and a common vision. While each of the two groups had multitalented individuals, other nonprofits may need different persons to fill each of the four roles described by Joel Snyder [2]: architect, graphics designer, programmer, and content provider.

Stieren, Carl and Zbigniew 'Paul' Rachniowski. Simware (1997). Design>Web Design>Consulting

Estimating Online Projects  

Describes a detailed process for estimating the time and costs of online communication projects.

Drakeley, Caroline A. Intercom (2003). Careers>Web Design>Consulting

Getting Paid

As businesses struggle to stay in business, many are short–changing vendors or woefully delaying payment. Zeldman laments the difficulties of getting paid.

Zeldman, Jeffrey. List Apart, A (2002). Careers>Consulting>Web Design

In Defense of Difficult Clients

Challenging clients: avoidable pain or necessary stepping stone to enlightenment? Rob Swan considers the benefits of un-perfect clients.

Swan, Rob. List Apart, A (2006). Articles>Web Design>Consulting

Marketing Your Web Business  

Leonard-Wilkinson presents several ideas for marketing Web businesses to appropriate audiences.

Leonard-Wilkinson, Theresa A. Intercom (2002). Careers>Consulting>Web Design

The Ones That Don't Come Back

On occasion, (and only about 5% of the time) a client will not renew with us. They give us various reasons for this, the most common of which has something to do with 'not the results I was expecting.'

Wilkie, David. Search-This (2005). Careers>Consulting>Web Design

Pricing and Selling Web Design Services

Price your services appropriately in line with your competitors. Never sell yourself short - always make sure your clients appreciate what they're buying.

Hunt, Ben. Web Design From Scratch (2006). Careers>Web Design>Consulting

Selecting Professionals

Before you get too deeply into establishing your firm, you will need to surround yourself with business professionals who have seen all this before. Putting time and research into the process of selecting these professionals can lead to trusting business relationships that will last for years. Web design firms can count on needing at least an accountant, an attorney and a bank. Corporations will also need a registered agent if they are incorporating outside the state where the business is conducted. Some portions are repeated between professionals since the processes of selecting them are similar.

Kramer, Scott. List Apart, A (2001). Careers>Consulting>Web Design

When You Are Your Own Client, Who Are You Going To Make Fun Of At The Bar?

Should your blog have a business? Jim Coudal shares insights into the adventure of transitioning from client services to product creation.

Coudal, Jim. List Apart, A (2005). Careers>Freelance>Consulting>Web Design