I wondered what web designers and web design companies actually did for a living. Am I wrong, or are there not enough web design jobs to keep all of these web design companies busy full time.

I'm probably just lacking in the business dynamics education department, but I think of things like
1.) cost of office space
2.) cost of paying employees
3.) cost of taxes

and look at the websites of all of these web design companies, and ponder to myself, how do they stay open full time. Are they offering a service I'm not aware of.

You got companies like 2advanced, that has 20-30 employees, HUGE office, actually it looks more like the have a building, alll those expenses. How is it that they can get enough work to consistently pay for all that stuff. I've looked at at portfolios of web design companies, and it doesn't seem like they have enough clients to maintain those salaries. And web design service is typically a one time deal, you don't keep getting paid for creating a site once, expect for maintenance fees.

So, where do these companies get their money????

When one design costs more than some people make in a year, it's not hard.

You also have to realize the 1 man shows out there that basically BS people into thinking they are some big company..

Originally posted by westcan
When one design costs more than some people make in a year, it's not hard.


I realize that, but to me it still doesn't add up. let's say a firm charge's $40,000 for websites and they design 12 for the year. Only $480,000. Not enough to profit from when it's a big firm with all those expenses

You have to look at how much their expenses are.. Some people actually run it out of their home. So they don't have to pay all those bills they would have to pay if you had your own building.

and $480,000 is alot for one year

It all depends. I'm sure the more established web design companies have plenty of work to keep them busy. You know what they say about word of mouth. Not only that , they have more money to play with as far as advertisements,etc go so they can afford to do that in an effort to bring in more clients. It's quite possible that many of these bigger firms upsell services such as 'site maintenance' to get a regular monthly fee from the clients. As mentioned, some firms charge A LOT for their work so they can make up for their overhead (land one corporate job and you might make $30K for a seemingly 'simple' site - from what I've heard about ceonex). Land a project that requires considerable custom programming in php, asp.net, etc and advanced features and they might be billing out their services at $100/hr and up. There are many factors at play. Perhaps they work as an 'outsourcing partner' for someone else and therefore have to stay in the background for certain projects and cannot display the project on their own website as part of their portfolio. One of the best ways to get design work, especially if you're a smaller shop or an individual is through strategic partnerships with other firms/businesses.

"Big Company" in today's day and age is a bad thing. We are a small company but that helps us alot ...

1. We can make quicker decisions.
2. We can give more personalized service.
3. We can provide the same or even a better product at a fraction of the cost of the "Big Company" because of our low overhead.

In today's market I'd much rather be a small company then a large one.

Just my .02 cents + tax.

There are opportunities everywhere when it comes to web design.

99% of businesses can benefit from one in some way, shape or form.

You just have to be willing to take the small jobs too.

Due to the advent of legal issues, there are a lot of web design companies who do a lot more design work than they post in their web site. When I was doing web design, I did a project for a company that required me to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and abide to legal terms, one of them not allowing me to display my work I did for them in a portfolio fashion (don't know why, but the compensation was good).

there are so many new sites/redesigned on the internet each day that the big companies manage to stay aflot since everyone knows about them and small ones manage to make some money cause they are cheaper.

for example I'm sure that any big business has heard of 2advanced so next time they need to redisign their site/make a new site they might go to 2advanced. I'm almost sure that companies such as 2advanced also take on smaller jobs, like banners and such..... they just probably don't find it usefull mentioning every job they did in their portfolio

BTW the big companies charge alot more for their work then small companies.... I knew a person who e-mailed a large flash design company (similar to 2advanced) about a "small flash banner" that he needed for a site (not much scripting, not php/asp or whatever) they told him that $300 wouldn't even cover the cost of them booting up their computers..... I mean for a simple banner they don't even consider taking the job since he "only" offered $300

Believe me, professional sites from large web design agencies can take months in development.

Forget the front end, that can be designed in a few days/weeks.

The backend with databases, servers, caching, load balancing and then the all important scripting code and COM objects take MONTHS.

I've worked with (not for) some very large web design agencies in the UK and believe me, they are always busy.

Originally posted by KIAHost
"Big Company" in today's day and age is a bad thing. We are a small company but that helps us alot ...

1. We can make quicker decisions.
2. We can give more personalized service.
3. We can provide the same or even a better product at a fraction of the cost of the "Big Company" because of our low overhead.

In today's market I'd much rather be a small company then a large one.

Just my .02 cents + tax.


So you are saying you would rather be where you are than where iPowerweb or 1and1 are? I mean small companies are great and all...but if you are looking at it financially, your ultimate goal is to grow larger...

But I understand your point.

Nah, I still prefer 'manageable.' Big enough to exist, small enough to tolerate.

Hmm... really? I haven't met any yet. Some provide very high quality work I must add, they have my fullest respect and regards.
Originally posted by Trifolic
You also have to realize the 1 man shows out there that basically BS people into thinking they are some big company..

Anyways, to answer some of your questions endore rocks, some people just do it because they love it, and is just a side job (like me). I may charge very low compared to other companies, but I make enough to buy me goodies such as a PC, taking the family out to dinner, pay taxes, ect. Jipping customers and making big bucks isn't my main reason for doin web design.

I mainly do it because, well, during my free time, this is what I enjoy to do. The challenges that some people set for you is at times frustrating, yet exciting. And when you accomplish what you think couldn't be done, it's a great feeling, and to see what you create be put to good use with pride, well heck, it's a great feeling. You can call me crazy, but I can assure you I'm certainly not :rolleyes: (you thought I was going to say something else, didn't you!)