The decision to choose a freelance web developer, as oppose to a web development company, often arise from a client’s budget constraints. The idea of soliciting the services of a “company” can be very intimidating to someone on a tight budget since web development companies are known to be much more expensive. This being the case, anyone in need of web site design and development can have it done without hurting their pockets. However, the most important thing that people often overlook is that all freelancers are not created equal. A storyboard artist for hire spend their talent and skills in a serious art company.
Getting a great deal on web development services is not the same as getting a great deal on tangible goods for sale. When searching for a freelancer to work on a web site, the client will often get seduced by numerous offerings of very low prices. Concerns about the quality of the finished project is overshadowed by the excitement of getting a great deal. Such an oversight will often leave the client feeling disappointed in the end. There are many different types of freelancers out there and all with varying levels of skill and experience. Choosing the right one requires a keen sense of knowing what to look for and what questions to ask.
When searching for a freelancer, a client should only consider those who are able to provide an online portfolio of their work. If a freelancer cannot direct you to a personal website to view their body of work, but instead emails you a few url’s of past projects, that is a sign that they might be new to web site development. Stay clear of this type of freelancer. The quality of work in an online portfolio should reflect the client’s taste and represent examples of the direction the client would like their new web site to take. A portfolio should also contain a sizable collection of quality web site projects. The number of projects displayed as well as the nature of the websites within a portfolio collection should give an indication of how long a freelancer has been in business as well as the level of their experience.
If after viewing a freelancer’s portfolio, and the quality of the work seems to meet expectations, the next thing to do would be to inquire about their work process and pricing. Here is where the decision to choose a particular freelancer is made. The client will always try to get a quote from more than one freelancer in an attempt to get a reasonable quote that is compatible with their budget. Many clients will make the mistake of deciding on a freelancer solely because the freelancer offered the lowest rate and not because of the freelancer’s quality of work. It’s always a good idea to get as many quotes as possible. This will give a general idea of how much the intended web project will cost and help the client determine how much they would be willing to spend for a professionally executed web site.
The following are descriptions of some of the different types of freelancers that are competing for business in the freelance market:
The Newbie Freelancers:
Design Ability: low
Technical Ability: low
Experience: low
Anyone with access to a computer, internet service and a rudimentary understanding of web page creation can decide to start offering freelance web design services. All that is required is a very inexpensive purchase of an HTML editor software and you are ready to start soliciting clients. This group may range from the typical high schooler working out of their bedroom, the college student, or just someone who decided to start dabbling in web design while working a regular day job that is unrelated to the web industry. Because of their inexperience and limited knowledge of web technologies, your precious web project ends up becoming a learning experience for these freelancers. The risk of not receiving timely customer service and not having your web site completed on time becomes very high. Consequently the finished product will most likely convey an amateur-like workmanship. These freelancers will offer the lowest prices out there since they are learning on the job while trying to get there feet wet in the freelance pool.
The Overly Artistic Freelancers:
Design Ability: medium – high
Technical Ability: low
Experience: low – medium
You will most likely receive a decent, to very attractive, looking website from these type of freelancers mostly in part because they tend to be very visually artistic. This group has the ability to produce attractive web sites, but the inability to produce one that is functionally efficient. Their artistic skills far out weight their technical skills. The end product often results in a web site that takes too long to load in a web browser due to the inefficient use of very large or numerous images. These web sites also do not do well in search engines such as Google or Yahoo because the freelancer will ignore the underlying code to the web page while paying most, if not all, attention to the way the site looks. Artistic freelancers are also hardcore advocates of building an entire website using Flash. Flash allow designers the freedom to do almost anything artistically as related to a web site. If executed properly, a very visually appealing, graphics heavy website can load very quickly without delay within a web browser. With their lack of technical know how, the overly artistic freelancer will focus more on getting the web site to look great and ignore the technical aspects of optimizing the flash web site to load very quickly.
The Techie Freelancers:
Design Ability: low
Technical Ability: medium – high
Experience: medium – high
This group is often very technically savvy and has the ability to produce a fully functioning and technically efficient web site. Where they fall short is in the visual design department. Clients looking to build a visually appealing web site using the services of such freelancers will most often end up being disappointed. These freelancers are known to be web programmers and developers who are trying their hands at designing as well. This attempt often results in a horrible visual experience for the web site visitor. Even though the finished product may be a solid, functioning web site, the look of the web site might leave visitors with the impression that it was created by an amateur.
The Well-Rounded Freelancers:
Design Ability: medium – high
Technical Ability: medium – high
Experience: medium – high
A client will usually be satisfied with the work produced from this group of freelancers. Because of their level of experience in the field and rare ability to be both artistically as well as technically savvy, the workmanship of their work is usually top notch. Among the vast population of web freelancers, the well-rounded freelancers are the minority. The prices from this group might be a little higher than a rookie freelancer, but the client will be able to have confidence that the final product will most likely be quality, professional work. Read reviews about good storyboard artist.
Sean James is a Creative Director – Web Developer in the Orlando, FL, area.
To view his body of work go to http://www.seanjamesinteractive.com
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