How To Choose The Right Web Agency
I have a niggle which has been on my mind for a few years now; how does a business owner know which web design agency or team to use, and how do they know how good that team’s designers are? Unless you have a very deep understanding of design, it’s almost impossible to tell if an agency is just going to use themes and templates to build your new website.
So, here’s a handful of things to look out for when deciding which team to use for your new website.
How to tell if they use themes or templates?
Do you want a bespoke, custom website? If the answer is yes, then be careful; a lot of agencies and designers use themes and templates, which will end up looking generic. Here’s what you should look out for:
Firstly, get hold of their ‘portfolio’ — it might be on their company website. Does each website have similarities?
Page Menu Design
Comparing their websites, are there 3 or 4 that have similar page menu designs at the top? Themes and templates often use a simple design across the page menu, so this is an easy one to look out for.
A custom, bespoke website may have pages placed in unique positions in the menu, styled differently across their portfolio, and the design and styling generally across the menu will alter from website to website.
Check each site; are there sections on the homepage that feel like ‘cookie clutter’?
A custom, bespoke website is carefully planned and designed using wireframes (see next point). Often on themes and templates, they will use what’s already designed, adding your content and imagery. So, you might want to look out for the structure and whether a website really has essential sections or are they just cookie clutter.
Wireframes — themes and templates don’t need these, so watch out!
A true bespoke agency will start with wireframes and design concepts tailored to your brand, not a pre-built layout. Ask to see their design process — if it begins in Figma or Adobe XD.
At Hatch, we design in Adobe XD before making the website itself. This is an indication that we’re not using themes or templates. We’re designing from scratch, a blank canvas.
Ask to see their design process, their early design work for clients, rather than just the finished product.
As above, if they can show you their work leading up to building websites, that’ll give you a clear indication of how they operate.
By looking at design processes, you’re potentially exposing their methodologies.
As a business owner, it’s this question that you definitely want to pose to the agency!
How to decide if something is ‘great design’
Look at the detail of each section, content block and every button.
Devil is in the details. The styling of these elements shows a big picture as to how good they are at design.
