So, I just finished my first website from start to finish and am beta testing it with several friends of mine. They all seem to think that it’s clear, intuitive, and easy to use, but I fear that I’ve gotten comments on the design such as “it’s not in touch with modern design” and “it doesn’t look professional”. If there were programming or logic problems, I’d be able to fix them. However, I feel a bit at a loss as to how to make my site look better. Do colors match? Am I using the right background? Are my fonts good? These are questions that I fear I can’t answer…
My question then, is if I have a completed website and am not super visually inclined, would it be better to hire a professional to rework the feel of the site? Or are there websites/books that could help me with this sort of thing?
And, if I did hire a professional, what should it cost to rework the homepage?
Never underestimate the power of inspiration. A great way to help you with your visual design skills would be to look at website’s designs that are in your field. You will be surprised how much looking at good designs can spark your creativity. I know this because I struggled in the same department and im just not creative or artistic in any way shape or form.
Your response is greatly appreciated! And, I won’t throw in the towel just yet.
I guess that my immediate reaction was to freak a bit since things felt pretty done. But, truth be told, I guess that I hadn’t given much thought to “Gee, do the colors match?” so why should I expect them to magically look good?
I’ll take your advice and post something on Website Review.
First off, do your friends know what they’re talking about when they toss off their buzzwords and criticisms? Could they tell you what constitutes modern design? (Answer: nothing in particular, modern design encompasses a plethora of different trends and techniques.) And if it’s “clear, intuitive, and easy to use,” then it certainly does hew to “modern design” trends and should have some inroads on being “professional.”
You might consider posting a link to your site in Website Reviews, after you review three other sites. Don’t start hunting for professionals, or throwing in the towel on your design skills, until you get some more data.
Look at other websites offering what you are and see how yours compares. Look closely though at every detail just to see if there is something you could be doing that your not doing at the moment.
