Something about Website Design

Every satisfied customer on every website starts in the hands of a experienced web designer. This professional has the ability to capture the client’s vision, bring the design elements to life, and ultimately create a website that appeals to consumers. This is not easy task since it involves both creative and technical abilities, so a top web designer is experienced in many different disciplines. 

Likewise, an in-demand website designer will also have insights into the business and marketing worlds to understand how a website can meet a client’s needs, convey their brand, and help embrace new customers online. This knowledge is used to maximize things like lead generation and overall engagement levels.

Web Design vs. Web Development In A Nutshell

In essence, web design refers to both the aesthetic portion of the website and it’s usability. Web designers use various design programs such as Adobe Photoshop to create the layout and other visual elements of the website. Web Developers on the other hand, take a website design and actually make a functioning website from it. Web developers use HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP and other programming languages to bring to life the design files. 

Web Design – A Closer Look

Web designers must always begin by considering a client’s website objectives and then move on to an Information Architecture (IA) to set a website’s information hierarchy and help guide the design process. Next, web designers can start creating wireframes and finally move to the design stage. Web designers may use several basic design principles to achieve an aesthetically pleasing layout which also offers excellent user experience.

Design Principles

Balance – It’s important for web designers to create a balanced layout. In web design we refer to heavy (large and dark colors) and light (small and lighter colors) elements. Using the correct proportion of each is critical to achieving a balanced website design.

Contrast– In color theory, contrasting colors are ones placed opposite one another on the color wheel (see also complementary colors). Web design offers a few other areas where contrast is applicable. Designers look at contrasting sizes, textures and shapes to define and draw attention to certain sections of the website.

Emphasis– We touched on this a bit when discussing contrast. Emphasis is a design principles founded in the intentional “highlighting” of certain important elements of the website layout. It’s important to note that if you emphasize everything on the page you end up emphasizing nothing. Imagine a page in a book where 80% of the content is highlighted in yellow…does anything really stand out? This is the time to take a look at that Information Architecture for direction.

Consistency – Also called repetition or rhythm, consistency is a critical web design principle. For example, clean and consistent navigation provides the best user experience for your website visitors.

Unity – Unity is the relationship between the various parts of the website layout and the composition as a whole. Based in the Gestalt theory, unity deals with how the human brain visually organizes information by grouping elements into categories.

Web Development – A Closer Look

Web developers, sometimes called programmers, take the design created and build a fully functioning website. To put it (very) simply, think of the design as a non-interactive “picture” of a website. Developers take that design and break it up into it’s components. They then either use just HTML or a more dynamic approach incorporating programming languages such as PHP to develop the various website pages. More advanced web developers may choose to utilize a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress or Joomla in order to streamline development and allow clients an easy way to maintain and update their website.

Web developers may convert a static layout into a dynamic website by using image and content sliders, active states for links and buttons, and other interactive elements.

Defining your project and writing a perfect job description

It pays to do a little bit of homework before hiring a web designer since it can have a drastic effect on the overall price and the quality received. For example, a simple website without any large customizations can be launched with a pre-made theme at a minimal cost. This may not be suitable for websites anticipating lots of custom layouts and/or extensive traffic, so it’s good to know up front what type of designer will be required or if you’ll also need a developer.

Web Design Job Post Template

Take a look at an example web design project description. Keep in mind that many people use the term “job description,” but a full job description is only needed for employees. When attracting a freelancer as an independent contractor, you typically just need a requirement of work, job post, or any other document that describes the work to be done.

<Project Title>

Project Overview

ABC Company is looking for a web designer to create a custom theme for our e-commerce store. This project will be to create a responsive, mobile-friendly design.

Deliverables include:

Mock-ups for each page of e-commerce site (approximately 20 pages)

Custom navigation and HTML elements

Graphics integrated into two homepage carousels (12 images total)

Setup of online shopping basket

Deadline for deliverables:

All tasks must be completed by <date>.

This project requires the following skills:

Expertise working with <design software>, <mobile/responsive framework>, <Adobe Photoshop>, or <CMS template builder>

E-commerce experience is a plus

Understands responsive design

The work will also require a great view for detail and preliminary retail experience, preferably in the electronics/automation industry. We would like to begin this project no later than <date>, so we plan on hiring a candidate by the end of the week.

Analyzing Web Designer Profiles & Portfolios and Hiring Freelancer

After posting a detailed, well-thought-out project description that defines what you’ll need from your web designer, it’s time to start analyzing proposals. How do you select the top talented designer for your project?

Experience, Smartness & Work

When it comes to finding the top talented web designer, start by reviewing for portfolio samples that match your requirement. Be sure to ask freelancers about their experience with other facets of design as well, and consider the overall goal for the website being built. 

Finally, it’s important to verify that a web designer understands the brand in question and its overall goals online. A qualified professional will be able to give a list of any expected obstacles, plus estimate the amount of time the project will take and the total cost. Since complex website projects could require months to complete, a good working relationship is essential.

With the right freelance web designer, you can end up with a finished product that brings your vision to life. Just take the time to create a detailed project description, review each freelancer’s proposal and portfolio, and ask them a few web design interview questions to determine if they’re the right fit for the project.

PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Pre-processor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML.

PHP is one of the main languages used in dynamic web development. It’s one of the oldest language and a common component in the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP). If you want to create a website or any back-end web service, PHP is one of the main languages you can choose from. If you need revisions to an existing application that runs on a Linux server, it’s common for the back-end coding to be done with PHP.

About PHP Developers

PHP developers are often simply called “back-end engineers.” A PHP developer is responsible for writing server-side web application logic. PHP developers usually develop back-end components, connect the application with the other (often third-party) web services, and support the front-end developers by integrating their work with the application.

They’re turn client’s specifications into a workable, tangible product that runs on a web server. Although PHP can run in a Windows environment, it’s more commonly used on Linux servers with Apache running as the web client. Many PHP developers package their applications this way with Linux and Apache to make it easier for the client to host it.

PHP developers code the functionality and brings an app to life. Collaborating with designers, they ensure that the front-end application is appealing to users. You may find that some PHP developers have front-end design skills, but often times, they work with UI and UX designers to create a user interface that’s engaging and supported by solid back-end functionality.

What Can You Expect from a PHP Developer?

It is a PHP Developer's job to write, test and maintain the code for web pages and computer graphics programs. They use PHP, a widely used scripting language, to build websites, programs and applications that computers follow to perform functions. They are also responsible for writing, troubleshooting, testing and maintaining the source code for computer programs. If needed, PHP Developers also assist team members in problem solving.

A PHP developer should be able to visualize your application and what you need based on your conversations and documentation (if you have any). They should be able to understand your business so that they can provide you with an application that supports your goals and business logic.

PHP developers mainly create two types of applications: web apps with a database background, and APIs that provide your existing software and data to mobile apps and other developers. PHP code powers the back end of a web app, so a PHP developer will design and architect your code and the way it works to support the front end. APIs are often used when developers or apps need to query your internal data, and they allow you to provide this data to the outside world. For instance, your app might pull a list of tweets from Twitter’s API. A PHP developer will read the API documentation and implement it into your website. APIs are also used with some mobile apps to power the app’s data services.

Deliverables could be full source code files, or some developers help you upload the code to your web server of your choice choice. If you’re building a website from scratch, it’s vital that you choose a developer with the skills necessary to tackle a project from the ground up. A senior-level developer will know how to manage a project (they might assign a project manager), set expectations, estimate costs, and give you organized, scalable code that you can work with for years.

Just like other development areas, PHP developers have a variety of skill sets and levels. Senior-level PHP experts often have several other languages in their arsenal. They should be able to design a full application from the ground up. Junior-level developers have a few years of experience, but they often need to work with, or have their work reviewed by, a senior-level developer to ensure that code is efficient and properly written.

Defining Your Project

A developer can only do as good of a job as the specifications or information they get from the client. Communication is key so that your PHP developer fully understands your concepts and goals. When you post a project, you must be able to communicate key elements so that you can get the best estimates from the best developers.

Before you post a project request or talk to developers, you should sit down and map out your idea. This can be done using images, presentations, or other types of documentation. For instance, you can draw your own wireframes and then explain each concept in writing. Developers bidding on your project can get a better idea of what needs to be done and estimate far more accurately.

It can be difficult for a client to understand the duration of a project and its cost, but a developer can sit down and discuss project scope, a reasonable timeline, and any deliverables that you can expect during the project’s development process.

Writing a Project Description

Once you know what you want from your end product, it’s time to write your project description. You need to be concise but provide enough detail to attract top developers. You can attach documents and provide video links to your project description to help developers better understand your goals.

Below is one sample of how a PHP project description may look. Keep in mind that many people use the term “job description,” but a full job description is only needed for employees. When engaging a freelancer as an independent contractor, you typically just need a statement of work, job post, or any other document that describes the work to be done.

Title: PHP Developer Needed to Build E-Commerce Website

Description: We need a PHP developer to build an e-commerce platform for our website. We have a rough wireframe document that explains the front end and the back end. We need help determining back-end architecture, so we want a developer to determine the way it will be built. We currently have hosting and need help uploading the code after it’s finished. The e-commerce store will host our product catalogue, take orders, allow customers to sign up, and then send email reminders to customers that left products in their shopping cart.

You can modify this description to better fit what you’re looking for, but it gives the basic requirements that a PHP development project might have.

PHP projects can take a long time, so expect a big project to take several months. PHP projects may require sit-downs to understand your requirements, design, coding, prototyping, and testing. All of these extend the deadline and can require several months for larger projects. A developer might even add a small percentage of time to the duration to ensure that deadlines are met. As with any project, the more descriptive your post is and the more you communicate with your programmer, the smoother the process will be.

Web design encompasses many different skills and disciplines in the production and maintenance of websites. The different areas of web design include web graphic design; interface design; authoring, including standardised code and proprietary software; user experience design; and search engine optimization. Often many individuals will work in teams covering different aspects of the design process, although some designers will cover them all. 

The term web design is normally used to describe the design process relating to the front-end (client side) design of a website including writing mark up. Web design partially overlaps web engineering in the broader scope of web development. Web designers are expected to have an awareness of usability and if their role involves creating mark up then they are also expected to be up to date with web accessibility guidelines.

Although web design has a fairly recent history, it can be linked to other areas such as graphic design. However, web design can also be seen from a technological standpoint. It has become a large part of people’s everyday lives. It is hard to imagine the Internet without animated graphics, different styles of typography, background, and music.