5 ms·

well you do need a good design, the web has matured...if your site looks like crap people will leave. but you don't need a designer for that. 1. istockphoto g

by vaksel 16y ago

well you do need a good design, the web has matured...if your site looks like crap people will leave. but you don't need a designer for that. 1. istockphoto gets you a ton of illustrations that you can use to spice up your pages. 2. 99designs gets you a good logo or any other custom work you need. Some people will knock 99designs...and yes the quality may be worse than one you'd get from a top of the line designer. But it'll be miles ahead of what you can achieve on your own, and you'll get to avoid paying thousands for a logo. from my experience, a single illustration can turn a boring and bland page into something that's decent.

tofumatt 16y ago
The real issue with sites like 99designs isn't the quality (though it IS mostly terrible), it's the _consistency_. If you're getting a bunch of different designers to design you something over their lunch break with no interest in or knowledge of your company/goals, you're gonna get something different every time. Seriously, skip the kids at 99designs and hire a local freelance designer. Maybe you can get lucky and guarantee them [X] number of hours a month in exchange for a lower rate.
- vaksel 16y ago
  you are forgetting that we are talking about a startup here...they can't afford $12K for a designer. And who cares about consistency..it's just something to use for a few months until the site gets profitable to get someone good. You just don't want something that looks like crap. And you can always just use the one person whose design you picked for more work. And it's not like you are guaranteed good stuff from a local designer...plenty of them are worse than the "kids" at 99 designs.
  - foleyfoley 16y ago
    I think if you actually screen who you hire you will find someone who cares about their work, is talented, and will understand you are a start up and charge accordingly.

by vaksel 16y ago

tofumatt 16y ago

The real issue with sites like 99designs isn't the quality (though it IS mostly terrible), it's the _consistency_. If you're getting a bunch of different designers to design you something over their lunch break with no interest in or knowledge of your company/goals, you're gonna get something different every time. Seriously, skip the kids at 99designs and hire a local freelance designer. Maybe you can get lucky and guarantee them [X] number of hours a month in exchange for a lower rate.

vaksel 16y ago
you are forgetting that we are talking about a startup here...they can't afford $12K for a designer. And who cares about consistency..it's just something to use for a few months until the site gets profitable to get someone good. You just don't want something that looks like crap. And you can always just use the one person whose design you picked for more work. And it's not like you are guaranteed good stuff from a local designer...plenty of them are worse than the "kids" at 99 designs.
- foleyfoley 16y ago
  I think if you actually screen who you hire you will find someone who cares about their work, is talented, and will understand you are a start up and charge accordingly.