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  1. #1

    How to hire a webdesigner

    Look guys I have been scammed 2 times already by people and I have tried many ways to confirm their identity but I always get screwed. Anyways, perhaps you guys could give me some tips on what to look for when looking for a designer and what things I should demand from them?

    I am not sure if this was the right section to post this in...

  2. #2
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    I personally don't do business with anyone with whom I can't have a phone conversation (and I'll call anywhere in the world to have it). Registration as a legal entity seems like a reasonable baseline. Sole proprietors (read: independent contractors) can do this just as readily as any company. Look for Inc., LLC, LTD, or a similar suffix after a company name or individual proprietorship, and check it to make sure it's valid.
    Studio1337___̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.__Web Design

  3. #3
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    That's a valid point. I actually don't know how I could design a website without speaking to my clients. I prefer to meet with them in person, and if the project is big enough, I'll spend the money to fly out and go over everything.

    Here's a big clue if a designer is worth the trouble: can they accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal? If not, you should probably look for someone else.

    Communication is the most important thing when it comes to designing and developing a website. If there's miscommunication, you, as the client, won't get what you want. It's a two-way street though, you, as the client, should also be able to express your ideas in a way that the developer/designer can produce the results.

    Of course the obvious, ask to see some of their work, and more importantly, ask to see some case studies. Can the developer you choose increase your rankings? Can they generate a profit for you? Can they increase your traffic? If they can, and they can prove it, you've got a good developer right there.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fixago
    Here's a big clue if a designer is worth the trouble: can they accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal? If not, you should probably look for someone else.
    that isn't true, if they accept all them payments it often means they are a business and will charge full wack. if you go with a small company or freelancer they will only accept paypal, check or direct transfer. and the work will be as good (if not better), cheaper and more friendly and personal support.

    you should look at the portfolios and testimonials. and it is also a good idea to get in touch with someof the clients and ask what the service was like.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by daveredfern
    that isn't true, if they accept all them payments it often means they are a business and will charge full wack. if you go with a small company or freelancer they will only accept paypal, check or direct transfer. and the work will be as good (if not better), cheaper and more friendly and personal support.

    you should look at the portfolios and testimonials. and it is also a good idea to get in touch with someof the clients and ask what the service was like.
    I was under the impression we were talking about not getting scammed, and not how personal or friendly your encounter is going to be.

    I do web development. I can accept all forms of payment, everything from Visa to American Express. I don't have a team of graphic designers, IAs, programmers, or any of that other jazz. It's just me and two other guys and we all have our strong areas.

    I would hope whoever you deal with is a business, I don't know why you said that in a bad way. When it comes to not getting scammed, a company that's actually a legally registered entity says a lot more about them then someone who only takes PayPal and can cut-and-run whenever they want.

    I guess you get what you pay for :-/

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Fixago
    That's a valid point. I actually don't know how I could design a website without speaking to my clients. I prefer to meet with them in person, and if the project is big enough, I'll spend the money to fly out and go over everything.
    If both parties(designer and project owner) is commited to the project, remote communication or face to face communication doesn't really make a big diff. Communication is a problem only when either party are not commited to it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fixago
    Here's a big clue if a designer is worth the trouble: can they accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal? If not, you should probably look for someone else.
    For online payment, Paypal is the most common payment method used, second by Western Union and money booker. With a premium/business account with paypal, the account holder is able to accept payments by credit cards.

    IMHO, I don't see why payment methods are part of the determining factor for a designer's professionalism.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fixago
    Communication is the most important thing when it comes to designing and developing a website. If there's miscommunication, you, as the client, won't get what you want. It's a two-way street though, you, as the client, should also be able to express your ideas in a way that the developer/designer can produce the results.
    Agree on this point totally. Good communication can really help to build trust, rapport, mutual understanding and commiment.

    Quote Originally Posted by Fixago
    Of course the obvious, ask to see some of their work, and more importantly, ask to see some case studies. Can the developer you choose increase your rankings? Can they generate a profit for you? Can they increase your traffic? If they can, and they can prove it, you've got a good developer right there.
    There is a difference between designer/coder and developer.

    If you are looking for an exclusive template design for your website, do check out
    Your Exclusive Template Hunt

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by UnitedPakistan
    Look guys I have been scammed 2 times already by people and I have tried many ways to confirm their identity but I always get screwed. Anyways, perhaps you guys could give me some tips on what to look for when looking for a designer and what things I should demand from them?

    I am not sure if this was the right section to post this in...
    IMHO, the chances of being scammed by project owners are higher than by designers. As a project owner, you are in a better position to protect yourself easily. Would you be able to share more on how you are being scammed twice?

    Was it because of payment problem? If this is so, escrow payment is a good option.

    Was it because the final products are not to your satisfaction? If this is so, you can spend more time trying to communicate and build a level of understanding with your designer.

    When you work with someone new, try not to throw in a big project immediately unless you are convinced of their credibility. Start from small projects as test run until you are comfortable with entrusting bigger projects.

    If you are looking for an exclusive template design for your website, do check out
    Your Exclusive Template Hunt

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    There are alot of freelancing websites. You can contact the designer and than hire him at some free lancing website. That would be safer.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by UnitedPakistan
    Look guys I have been scammed 2 times already by people and I have tried many ways to confirm their identity but I always get screwed. Anyways, perhaps you guys could give me some tips on what to look for when looking for a designer and what things I should demand from them?

    I am not sure if this was the right section to post this in...

    check this guy out, zeppio.com, he is a freelancer and very talented with a reasonable price.

  10. #10
    You can find talented designers on freelance sites

  11. #11
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    I owuld sya look at portfolio, and try to get in contact with some of the other customers and see how their experience was.

  12. #12
    How did you get scammed? Did you pay upfront and they never delivered?

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by jts_01
    check this guy out, zeppio.com, he is a freelancer and very talented with a reasonable price.
    Out of curiousity, what kinds of work has Zeppio.com done for you?
    Studio1337___̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.__Web Design

  14. #14
    save yourself alot of trouble, work with a reputable firm, or get an escrow service

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
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    Another option you need to check on is guru.com

    They offer the ability to use their escrow services and we have found many good programmers/designers through their system.

    Hope that helps.

    Eric

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
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    Another option.
    Find people through career departments at colleges/universities.

  17. #17
    Join Date
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    London
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    I agree with what the rest say.

    1) Get full contact details (including official details such as bank IBAN number)
    2) Go with a registered company (you will have someone to help when things go wrong)
    3) Either pay in installments or use an escrow service.

    Rgds,
    Chris
    Walker

  18. #18
    There are few good designers in this board, you may contact them or better to place ad in related section, i hope you may get good response there. Always consider their good number of posts and overall reputation in forums before you hire them from any forum.

  19. #19
    Hi,

    I have ended my search for a designer down to exo-style. He seems like he knows what he is doing and he is very kind from what I can tell. He has some refrences....
    http://www.webhostingtalk.com/search...archid=1433427

    Let me know what you guys think...

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by UnitedPakistan
    Hi,

    I have ended my search for a designer down to exo-style. He seems like he knows what he is doing and he is very kind from what I can tell. He has some refrences....
    http://www.webhostingtalk.com/search...archid=1433427

    Let me know what you guys think...
    I have no feelings one way or another on Greg, since I've not done business with him. I guess the right question here is what did you do differently in your talks with Greg that you didn't do with the other two designers to ensure you've chosen someone on the level?

    Most people are decent human beings when it comes down to it, and odds are Greg will end up being a fine choice for you. I'm just curious to see how this thread, your past experiences and the advice you received impacted your decision-making process this time around.
    Studio1337___̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.__Web Design

  21. #21
    This time I checked the posts and topics he was involved in and I discovered that he had a issue in the past but apologized about it here on WHT. Which made me a bit uneasy but it also helped me because it seemed he was responsible enough to accept his mistake. I read some comments from people who bought from him and done work in the past. Also he seems to sell quite a lot of stuff here so he seems reliable due to all those reasons. Plus I have his address and phone number as listed on his resume.

  22. #22
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    Well good! I hope this works out well for you Please share the end result!
    Studio1337___̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.__Web Design

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by coderdesigner
    If both parties(designer and project owner) is commited to the project, remote communication or face to face communication doesn't really make a big diff. Communication is a problem only when either party are not commited to it.
    I suppose that's true if you're doing a site for under, oh, I guess $5k or so. It's not worth it. I don't know what kind of sites you do though.
    Quote Originally Posted by coderdesigner
    For online payment, Paypal is the most common payment method used, second by Western Union and money booker. With a premium/business account with paypal, the account holder is able to accept payments by credit cards.
    Is it now? Do you have stats to back this up? Maybe that's true for you, but for me, it's credit card. I can't remember the last account I did where the client payed using PayPal (or if they even had it).
    Quote Originally Posted by coderdesigner
    There is a difference between designer/coder and developer.
    Agreed. Personally, I think a developer is the person you want to go with; they have the ability to design a website and program a website. That's something a designer and programmer lack, they don't have the combined skills. I'm a web developer, not a designer, not a programmer. My other partner deals mainly with the Apache and server side of things. He's all about the security, the technical nitty-gritty, the databases. The other guy is strictly about programming. I'm like their bridge, so we work extremely well together.

  24. #24
    Finally, I have had a good experience thanks to Greg Beldam!

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