The worst client ever?

The hardest client The hardest client that we have worked for kept changing their mind about how they wanted their site to look. They kept changing their keywords and their content. They made my team search for hours to find the perfect images, only to decide that the images didn't quite feel quite right. The hardest project that we have ever taken part in was our own site redesign. The following is a guide to redesigning for your own web design company. Step one: Sit down with coffee and a mirror The first step that I would advise is to sit down with a fresh cup of coffee and a shaving mirror. Remember all those questions that you ask prospective clients? Well look in the mirror and ask yourself them. Even better, if you have a project planner fill it out at the same time. Step two: Forget who you are designing for It might sound like an odd thing to write, but forget that you are designing for yourself. Look at all the information that is on the sheet of paper only. Look to see what the website goal is; look to see if there are any colour scheme requests. Then once you have thought about it and made all the notes that you need, take a break. Step three: Research and scribbling Take the time to research, look for designs that you like, look for colour patterns that work well together. Don't forget your pencil and paper for sketching out ideas. Step four: Actually using your computer Fire up that graphic editing programme and start creating a digital version of your design. Step five: Code Now we you can do what you were born to do - code. Step six: Review Next you need to take your new design to the masses to see which they prefer more. Post on a forum, go to the local hip coffee shop, your grandmas anywhere that isn't your office and ask which they like more (after all, designers don't come to you to get their website built, it's Joe public who does). Step seven: Publish So the guy with the goatee and sunglasses drinking a triple espresso, "DextersLab172" and your grandma all preferred your new design? In that case your mission is complete, upload your new site to your server and feel happy that you survived the redesign of your company site. What not to do: Think "oh I am a web designer, I will just throw something together and hope it turns out nice" because believe me, you will be back at the drawing board more times than you care to remember. Good forward planning always triumphs over trial and error. Written by Paul Gray - Director of Net Studios