: How do I go about finding a Graphic Designer for a personal job? I'm a web developer guy. I've got about zero artistic capability to create a design but I can take a design and create an
I'm a web developer guy. I've got about zero artistic capability to create a design but I can take a design and create an amazing website out of it. I would like to find a graphic designer to create a design for my personal website but have no idea where to look for one. I've posted to elance but just get a bunch of generic replies from people who did not read my post at all.
Another problem I have is I don't know how much the work I'm looking to get done should cost me. I know the quality of work the marketing company I work for charges people, but I can't afford 10k-30k for a design. I know things are not free in this world, and I am very willing to pay to have the work done, I just don't want to get ripped off myself. I just need the Photoshop file(s) for the design.
What I'm looking for I've posted below. How much should something like this cost to have designed? Where is a good place to find qualified graphic designers? Would it be appropriate to ask for a quick sketch of a general layout (10 minutes to make type thing) before hiring a designer (I don't want work done for free, but I want to make sure its something I like before paying any money or having them do any real work)?
I’m looking for an artist familiar
with the Steampunk genre and who is
familiar with designing websites. I am
a web developer and am looking to
create a unique personal website to
showcase my skill set but do not have
the artistic capability to do the
graphical design work. I am willing to
allow you tag or link or something
identifying you as the artist/designer
on the site in an un-obtrusive way if
you wish.
I am not looking for a typical web
design with a menu on the top or side.
I’m looking for something more unusual
but still easy to navigate. The site’s
structure will not deep deep, only 2
levels at most. I’m thinking of a menu
landing page for each subpage or
section. Clicking the item takes you
there and clicking a separate element
on that back will take you back to the
menu and/or previous section. This
site will be developed in html5 with
javascript on a PHP platform. I would
like the site to not use flash at all.
For example www.jkrowling.com/ is a site that has a unique navigation
style. It is in flash and if not
anything that I am interested in
design wise, but it gives you an idea
of what I mean by unique navigation
The site structure is:
Landing Page
Biography (About Me)
Resume
Projects (This need to take into account scrolling or paging
through them)
Individual project pages
Images (Listing any number of galleries)
Individual image pages
I would like room for 2 additional
pages/section on the main page (6
total) for future use. I’m thinking
there should be no scrolling needed on
the landing page.
All page content should fit in an
width of 950 pixels. Background
elements and images can fill out
beyond that up to 1900 in width (but
does not need to the full 1900) the
content will be displayed and as much
of the background elements and images
will be shown as the users browser
will allow but will not use the
scrollbars to see.
I am looking to have a lot of user
interaction on the site, i.e. when the
mouse is over a gear, it will spin,
Steam rising animation, bubbles
moving, etc. This will all be done in
javascript by me but to accomplish
this I need the photoshop template to
be broken out into layers, each gear
on a separate layer, rising animation
each frame being a layer, etc.
Some design aspects that I like:
This is an image of an existing site.
I like the colors and general design
elements that exist but would like
elements elements to work with on my
site. I do not like the layout of the
overall site.
blackmoondev.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/steampunk_design_dante_900.jpg
I very much like the calendar in the
bottom left of the following image.
Something similar with layers for each
month/day/hour so I could create a
working calendar. Maybe something
where the background is a separate
layer so the image (the galaxy) could
be changed out but the glass effect
would still be there regardless of the
background.
fc06.deviantart.net/fs28/f/2008/094/c/b/3232design_steampunk_wallpaper_by_3232design.jpg
Below are some old style documents I
could see as background elements. I am
thinking I would need the images as
separate, higher resolution files. I
could place them on the webpage but
have them popup when a user clicks on
them for a detailed view. The images
need not be of anything real or
particular.
www.topdesignmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/712.jpg fc08.deviantart.com/fs39/f/2008/350/2/3/Steampunk_Odysseus_by_chrislazzer.jpg
More posts by @Lengel450
2 Comments
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Clients won't be able to instantly navigate through Where's Waldo. Are you actually looking for something that busy? I'm assuming you're leaning towards the least busy of those -- you just want steampunk overtones.
Assumption 1: You are interested in going freelance for development work or you are already doing this.
Assumption 2: You want the steampunk style because it is a way of describing your personality -- techie and into the steampunk lifestyle.
As one coder to another, my suggestions go as follows:
Make a list of deviantart or dribbble artists who specialize in your style
Shorten the list to those who
have a history of converting their
sketches to photoshop (unless you
really love them, then ask if
they're interested in doing/learning
that part at a discount rate)
Make very specific and small
requests of each artist
Assemble it
Find a web designer with full
website screenshots on dribbble
whose websites have a lovely user
experience and whose twitter
followers seem to respect their
opinion/knowledge to tweak your
UX/UI, modify the images, and ensure
the colors all play well with
eachother (the other designers
didn't specialize in creating the
full composition & web conventions)
I think this is the most satisfying way to go and it has the following benefits:
You get a list of names of people
whose style clients may request
(since it's a centerpiece of your
portfolio) & friends may ask about
You ensure you get full psd
documents so you can edit later
You get some experience working
with several people on that list &
learn best practices in
collaborating with designers (you'll
be needing that for years to come);
if one artist flakes or life
interrupts their work, you have
fall-backs
You get to play at design in a
non-damaging way & code it up
You appreciate the difference
(and the value of each) between
graphic designers and web designers.
Expected cost?
Hourly rate should range from
-5/hr, maybe stretch to
0-5/hr for an excellent web eye
at the end
Total cost depends on the number
of images you request and how
detailed you want them to be
If you do a border (e.g. a
dirigible-as-a-frame) , one key image
(e.g. a faint robot looming over the
dirigible whose eyes are clickable
buttons), and a couple custom
buttons, it shouldn't be too bad (K
images + 0 web UI/UX scan & spoken
discussion)
If you insist on having as many
images as some of your screenshots
(shudder.. terrible UX.. please
don't), then quadruple that estimate
Personal recommendation
- keep the steampunk minimalist (otherwise it can easily look tacky) -- one faded background image or icon and some texture is enough to create a steampunk aura
- don't actually ask the artist to design the web page, just elements of it (full page design gets more expensive) that you can re-use on each page or tweak for each page
Good luck!
I think you've got your answer: ask here! (Not me. You lost me at "Steampunk"... :-) )
More generally, you want to see examples of work the designer has done that are roughly in the market you're aiming at. Doesn't have to be an exact match -- a good designer should be able to work in almost any style -- but you would want someone who clearly speaks the right visual language.
In your initial conversations, gauge how easily you can communicate and how quickly the designer grasps what you're saying. Design is all about communication (it has no other purpose), so if you aren't comfortable communicating with him/her/them, you are going to have an arduous time getting the design you want.
From an initial brief, and after quizzing you a bit on the details, the designer can give you a ballpark figure for the work and a rough timeline. If those are good, you've found a designer. If not, look elsewhere.
Another possibility is to visit a local design school and ask for grads and near-grads who are looking for jobs. They'll be less expensive than an established design house, for obvious reasons, but (in my experience, anyway) they are often bursting with fresh ideas that they haven't had a chance to do anything with, and they're looking for opportunities to establish a portfolio of professional work. In your case, you might well find someone you completely hit it off with, who becomes a long term partner.
Take a look at the answers to this question. They will give you an idea of what you should look for, and expect.
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