There’s some really good advice in this post for web designers about managing clients, but interestingly enough I thought back to a recent experience hiring a Drupal design firm and found the advice here cuts both ways.

The continuing growth of Web 2.0 startups means designers can expect to be approached by a lot more clients with five-figure budgets who are virtual novices to the web design process. Without proper handling these clients can be extremely difficult to work with.

The thing to remember about this process is that the very nature of web design has changed dramatically over the years. What used to be focused mostly on the graphic design aspect has evolved to include a lot of custom coding. The amount of code in modern web design can be daunting, so when you hire a web designer it is really important to be clear about the coding requirements in addition to the design expectations. As is usually the case with contractor relationships the key to success is found in good communication before, during and after.

Typically you will end up hiring a couple of people to cover the different disciplines, as it’s pretty rare to get someone who is equally adept at both the design and coding aspects.

BTW, if you need someone for a Drupal projects, I’ll personally vouch for Kitt at CodingClan.

Tags: Web design