[webproducers] Re: cost to create a website?

i certainly agree that design is important. i've seen the same
studies you have and having worked in corporate and agency/media
environments most of my career, i know there's a strong
correlation between aesthetics and image/branding.

still, one just has to look around the web to see the lack of
concern for good aesthetics among small, medium and even a few
large companies who put up web sites. my own employer has been
guilty of this and it's one of the key reasons i lobbied for
months for a complete redesign. simply put, what they have
online now is an embarrassment and doesn't reflect well on the
organization.

however, the fact that so many companies don't care about good
quality design is why one can build a site so cheaply...design,
next to programming is one of the most expensive aspects of site
development, sometimes more so because while web apps can be
made to just "work" design is entirely subjective. 

i'd like to stress the latter point - nearly 3 months after
engaging a freelancer to create designs, it's still only 75%
there since my superiors with the organization have been very
picky/resistant to the new look being established. *sigh*



--- morry <morry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> This is an interesting point. I have worked with clients who
> thought that
> design was just about cosmetics and that they really didn't
> matter that
> much. Of course this perception is often I see the need for
> premature
> redesigns.
> 
> Good design is more than a pretty face and isn't about just
> picking colors.
> Often times just having something up can do more harm than
> good. Be it
> online or off good design helps a client to get their message
> through but
> also can help get and retain clients.  This reminds me of the
> study done on
> retail merchandising and customer shopping habits. A retailer
> might argue
> that they don't need fancy over priced merchandisers and
> designers to decide
> where products should go and how they are displayed but that's
> short sighted
> and can cost them business. Good designers know that shoppers
> tend to walk
> in and go to the right immediately and we also know from
> retail observations
> that a majority of female shoppers will move away from a
> display and even
> leave a store if they get bumped into by other shoppers or
> other displays
> are too close.
> 
> We can certainly see the argument for just putting the stock
> out there if
> the shopping area isn't "designed" appropriately and isn't
> appealing on many
> levels then you risk losing business (if we're talking
> commercial).
> 
> Good design is rhetoric and is part of an overall strategic
> plan to be sure
> your goal is reached. The old form vs. function argument has
> become more and
> more blurred over the years. In his new book, Donald Normal
> backtracks on
> his positing in a previous book in light of research proving
> what good
> designers have been saying all along- "pretty things work
> better."
> 
> 4) i'm not sure you need to bring "big guns" of a professional
> design firm to this project for a 20 page corporate site
> UNLESS
> the company is really serious about its image and content. a
> lot
> of companies don't care and as long as the final product isn't
> horrid, they'll be happy with having something up rather than
> a
> professionally designed masterpiece.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>
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