What To Look For In A Blog Designer

We’ve showcased plenty of amazing places to buy a new blog design, but perhaps you’re looking for something more bespoke – specifically designed just for you that no one else will have anything similar. It can be daunting, not just because of the amount of choice out there, but because it can be more expensive for a specialist design and you want to make sure that you get the best value for money.

First – try to find a designer who has created layouts that you love! Sounds obvious, doesn’t it, but by finding someone who’s work you love, you’ll be making it easier to explain what you want in a new layout.

Ask around for quotes. It’s important that you get a fair idea of what a design is going to cost you before you agree with someone that you’ll hire them. You don’t want to be caught out at the end with unexpected costs! Be as specific as you can at this stage so you can be quoted a fair price. Things to consider…

• What platform do you want the design to be for?
• Do you need your site transferring from Blogger to WordPress?
• Are there any special features that you’d really like to be included (maybe a special Pin It button over images, for example?)
• Do you need the layout installing for you, or can you do it yourself?

Look at what others are saying about the designer on social media, or what they’re saying to them. It can be difficult for people to speak up about the meh experiences – it’s almost easier to complain about something going wrong than something just being fiiiiiine (and you know by fiiiiiine that we mean it’s not exactly what you wanted, but you’ll guess you’ll live with it)

A good real time indicator about how the designer responds to clients is to look at their social media replies. Are most of the replies praising their work, or chasing up for responses and updates? Are they responding to the messages, or just ignoring them? To find what people are saying on Twitter, you can see all replies by heading to search.twitter.com and typing in the username without the @ sign.

Ask for a contract (if they don’t already have one to send). A good contract will lay out exactly what each party expects – how soon you’ll pay (will there be an installment plan? Will you pay a retention at the end of the design when you’re happy?)

Ask for references. If previous customers are still happy with the design, then thats a pretty good sign you will be too! Questions you might want to ask include…

• Were you satisfied with the work done? (Are you still happy with the design?)
• Were you happy with how long it took?
• Was the designer easy to work with? Were they accommodating with any new requests?
• Would you hire them again? Why/why not?

A tailor made design is a big investment into your blog – you’ll want to know you’re making the right decision at all steps of the process!