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So how does one go about finding a great unknown designer? The only three routes I can think of to find a designer (that I could afford) are: 1 - contest site

So how does one go about finding a great unknown designer? The only three routes I can think of to find a designer (that I could afford) are: 1 - contest site, 99designs. Might end up with a good design but much of what I see there is average at best. 2 - elance, et al. Hit or miss. Poor over hundreds of profiles and throw a dart at one that looks appealing. 3 - search Google, blogs, message boards,..similar results as #2? I'm building a new webapp now. In a few weeks, I'll need to engage a designer as this time around I decided not even to attempt it (product looks like hell if I do it). There are tons of PSD2HTML firms. Its hard enough to pick one of those. How do I even find the right person to create the PSD, especially when I would actually prefer a single person that can do the PSD and the HTML/CSS work as this is someone I can go back to as I need incremental improvements. From my perspective, this market is still tough to filter though.

bad_user 17y ago
> I decided not even to attempt it (product looks like hell if I do it) You should try reading on the subject though. Design is not only about how the site looks, it's also about the user's workflow, and if you don't have some good sense on that, your app is going to feel like an ass, no matter how shiny it is. It often happens that the design drives implementation changes. I also have problems in that area, but I know a good design when I see one, so what I do ... I draw the general layout, and then I search for a design that looks good enough and that fits the layout, and then I steal from that design (only the minimal to make it look decent, while adding elements of my own). Sometimes the result is crappy, sometimes it's decent. Overall it's better than nothing, because you're not too ashamed of giving a link to your friends to get early feedback.
enra 17y ago
So how do you find a great unknown developer(or a lawyer, accountant, business guy...)? By referrals and knowing people. Would you consider finding a great developer(one that could afford!), from some hotscripts-site(couldn't think anything similar to 99designs), elance, google and message boards? Great designers are just as hard to find that great developers or great people in general. And usually they don't work for cents.
- jhancock 17y ago
  I am a great developer, so I know how to identify other great developers. Not so with designers. Sure, we work in the same economy but I'm not connected. btw, I'm not looking for "cheap". I'm looking to find someone good without going paying the overhead of an expensive firm.

bad_user 17y ago

> I decided not even to attempt it (product looks like hell if I do it) You should try reading on the subject though. Design is not only about how the site looks, it's also about the user's workflow, and if you don't have some good sense on that, your app is going to feel like an ass, no matter how shiny it is. It often happens that the design drives implementation changes. I also have problems in that area, but I know a good design when I see one, so what I do ... I draw the general layout, and then I search for a design that looks good enough and that fits the layout, and then I steal from that design (only the minimal to make it look decent, while adding elements of my own). Sometimes the result is crappy, sometimes it's decent. Overall it's better than nothing, because you're not too ashamed of giving a link to your friends to get early feedback.

enra 17y ago

So how do you find a great unknown developer(or a lawyer, accountant, business guy...)? By referrals and knowing people. Would you consider finding a great developer(one that could afford!), from some hotscripts-site(couldn't think anything similar to 99designs), elance, google and message boards? Great designers are just as hard to find that great developers or great people in general. And usually they don't work for cents.

jhancock 17y ago
I am a great developer, so I know how to identify other great developers. Not so with designers. Sure, we work in the same economy but I'm not connected. btw, I'm not looking for "cheap". I'm looking to find someone good without going paying the overhead of an expensive firm.