Most designers, whether graphic or web will have a range of their work on their website.  It’s their showcase and gives you a flavour of what they’ve been working on.  We have a few of the sites we’ve built recently on ours for you to have a look at.

So how do you digest what you see in front of you?  Should you be looking for someone that has already done the site you have in your mind or someone that has the ability to?

Here are five things for you to consider when looking at a portfolio:

Look at their site first

Before you even look at the portfolio have a good look around the actual designers website.  Are they giving you the right vibe? Do you think they seem like people you’d like to work with?  Also think about the design of their site and whether you find it easy to find your way around.  Has it been well thought through? Are you getting a good user experience?

Whilst the portfolio is a showcase of work the actual site you are on should be an extension of that work.

Who are the sites targeting?

This is quite an important one.  The success of a website will be linked to how well it is engaging and providing the people they are targeting with what they want.

With this in mind take a look at the sites they have done and the industries they have worked across.  Are they giving the target customers of these industries what they want?

Do they look great to those people?

This is an extension of the above but is also worth bearing in mind.  Is the look, style and overall feel of the sites they’ve worked on appropriate for the industries they are working in.  For example, if they’ve done a site for a professional services law firm is it something that would impress you if you were looking to gain legal advice.  Would you use them or contact them on the strength of that site?

Are they clean and tidy?

We think a lot about how people find their way around our sites.  We don’t just want them to look pretty but for them to also deliver the ultimate user experience.  With this we have the principals of clean and tidy design within usability.

Creativity for the sake of creativity is not what you want; what you need is creativity where it adds to the experience.

Are they easy to navigate

Carrying on the usability theme; when you visit their other sites do you find things easy to navigate and to locate?  If a site looks great but hasn’t been well thought through it will impact and limit the results you’ll gain from it.

So there is plenty for you to be thinking about when looking at a new website design.  We always enjoy talking to people about their new projects so why not give us a call on 01566 784860 or drop us an email at hello@mihidigital.co.uk