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This question has been closed, and points have been awarded.
Finding Quality Web Designers For My Company?
Posted By: mhansell on 2/23/2007 6:27 AM (CST) 200 Points
So my HR has combed through hundreds upon hundreds of resumes for our "Web Guru" graphic design position at my company and we are just not finding anyone that can design up to the standards that we are currently delivering clients. We have only been around for about a year now so we don't have designers biting at the chomps to join with us, and as such most of the staff we had to find on our own.

I remember searching an engine that allowed me to crawl through freelancers portfolios, and they were quality designers, but I can't remember what it was. Any site that's not a bunch of low quality portfolios would be great for me to run through.

Just to give you an example of some of the quality designs we currently do to know what type of people we are looking for check out the following sites:

www.inyafacerecords.com
www.dtprecords.com
www.dunamistimepieces.com

Very flash heavy, graphically creative.

So where can I find more people like this!! :-)

Posted by: NuCoPro Member Response
2/23/2007 7:37 AM (CST)
Not to state the obvious, but have you thought about asking the owners of web sites you admire, who did their site? As long as you are not in direct competition with them, they would probably be happy to tell you.

I understand your problem - you don't need a "geek" you need an artist to fill your need. Unfortunately, the web has lots of ways to link you up with geeks, but not with artists.
 
Posted by: mhansell Author Response
2/23/2007 8:00 AM (CST)
yeah thats a VERY good summary of what i need lol artist and not geeks. I guess one of my additional problems is that a large majority of people that produce sites with as high quality as we do are stuck in the freelance game and not interested in a working position under another company...at least thats what were finding.

So I have the added task of finding someone with good enough quality, but willing to look at our existing network as a huge advantage to taking them to the next level.
 
Posted by: NuCoPro Accepted Answer
2/23/2007 8:23 AM (CST)
Why do you feel you need to have an employee doing this? I'm sure you've heard the cliché' about Core Competencies, well, yours is crafting the right marketing approach for clients, not screwing on the "nuts & bolts".

My suggestion is to partner with an emerging "hot" graphics firm to be your web design partner. There are MANY advantages with this approach.

1. You don't have to worry about losing your in-house "star" and not being able to fill the void - your partner is a company with multiple resources.
2. It shows you are a smart businessperson, who truly provides the "best-of-breed" services to your clients.
3. Your web design "staff" is constantly reinventing itself to stay in front of the competition - they have to if they want to survive.

You do the things that fall under your areas of expertise, and utilize specialists in the other areas.

FYI - I worked at the old MCA for ten years at Universal Studios.
 
Posted by: greg Member Response
2/23/2007 8:31 AM (CST)
Here is how we do it at my business. Instead of looking for graphic designer and a developer in one; search for both positions. A designer can put together layouts, and the developer then codes it. This combo works out very well from what i have experienced.

Greg
 
Posted by: mhansell Author Response
2/23/2007 11:50 AM (CST)
Vevolution, I have considered that. My hesitation is that I like controlling the design as well because that makes up a good amount of our gross sales and I know that partnering would significantly decrease our margins...however If they can increase our capacity and capabilities beyond what we are able to do on our own then it would make sense.

 
Posted by: NuCoPro Member Response
2/23/2007 4:14 PM (CST)
How much will it actually decrease your margins after you have to cover the fully burdened costs of the high-end designer(s) that you need? Plus, if you don't have at least two qualified people on staff, there would be the constant fear that "hot shot" was going to walk in some day and resign for a new gig. Then what do you do?

An entrepreneur friend of mine once said to me, "Would you rather own 100% of a grape, or 10% of a watermelon." I still think your "sell" to the artists is that you create coordinated campaigns that bring significant results. The web site is one "tool" in those campaigns. You'll still "control" the design you just won't be actually creating it.
 
Posted by: mhansell Author Response
2/23/2007 5:33 PM (CST)
I think we would lose about 20% off our margins from a typical partnership scenario. However if the partnership worked both ways...ie referrals from their client base and vice versa the expansion would more than justify it. Seems like a no-brainer :-) sometimes it takes an outside force to make it apparent though.

Now I just have to find a creative design firm and not a geek squad that does tons of corporate sites. That's the next challenge.

Thanks for the help by the way.
 
Posted by: KathySmithFilms* Accepted Answer
2/24/2007 4:49 AM (CST)
My favorite of the month: http://whiteboard.ups.com/ done by these guys http://www.martinagency.com/

This is a good article for design hiring policy
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/design-firms-think-big
2 more good people to contact:
http://www.behaviordesign.com/
http://www.fuseproject.com/

Last contact http://designforum.aiga.org/content.cfm?Alias=illustrationtopic to request designers that do what you need
in an artist.

I agree with the above...find your favorite sites and ask. Usually at the bottom of a lot of sites of the celebrities the have the type of work you show and give the webdesigner's site as credit for their amazing work.

Happy surfing,
Kathy
 
Posted by: Harry Hallman Member Response
2/24/2007 6:28 AM (CST)
Try http://www.atlantaima.org and post a job.

Harry Hallman
 
Posted by: E-Marketing* Accepted Answer
2/24/2007 9:21 PM (CST)
I don't hire anyone without giving them a good test. I do a 3 step process. I have found that simply by looking at "historical portfolios" you don't really get a good sense of a person's skills. Some portfolios that suck actually have great people behind them and they just haven't had a great assignment or opportunity yet. Alternatively, some that look good come with attitude that will not contribute to overall success. Also, skills that you are looking for may appear to exist in the portfolio, but it is really just an illusion when you put the person to the test.

1) I score their resumes against the posting. This is a simple "as objective as possible" scoring that allows the best candidates to rise to the top. I look for things like similar experiences to what I'm looking for, education, and a demonstration of skills.

2) I ask the best 10-12 candidates if they will take part in a test. The test takes should take no more than 12-16 hours of their own time and I give them about 4 days to complete it (allowing them to live their lives in between), and simulates what I might ask of them on any given day. So, it includes appropriate inputs (e.g. a creative brief). Some will drop out at that point, and that is okay. In my experience, those are the ones who are too vain and would be high maintenance. When I get the assignments back, I score them against the assignment's instructions.

3) I ask the best 3-4 candidates in for an interview. I pick the one with the best culture fit at that point.

Hope that helps.
Dave
 
Posted by: farfromnormal* Accepted Answer
2/26/2007 12:05 AM (CST)
chk out www.brandeyedesign.com
 
Posted by: iwonapavala Accepted Answer
3/2/2007 9:47 PM (CST)
I like E-Marketing's suggestions

For the second part I would drop in an unexpected change somewhere within the test assignment. Only problem with sending people away to do something is that sometimes they get someone else to do it for them :( - Yes, sad but TRUE.

You might be able to get the best of both worlds by also partnering with a company, so that overflows can be covered.

Could you post an ad somewhere and get respondents to email you their portfolios? Good way to see who is keen, since it requires a degree of trust to let some one have copies of your work.

Sometimes you just have to try something really different - may be try a contest. This could be a 'live event' - They know they are competing for a job opp and you get to see some work ethic and personality.

Hope you find the best fit soon.
 
Posted by: Dunazee Member Response
3/6/2007 7:18 AM (CST)
You have already received some great responses, and although the question is closed, I'd like to post my two cents worth.

Speaking from a freelancer point of view, I generally love to partner with a larger firm on the occasional project. If you put some time into interviewing and working with a "harem" of freelancers (SO not P.C. Sorry!) you can choose the appropriate team member based on the design and technical requirements of the project. I, for instance, am a logical thinker and team player, but the bulk of my experience is in print. I've taken a few classes and learned the necessary steps to design a legible and user-friendly site, but a programmer I am not. I have created web sites--the "architecture" and visuals--and worked with the programmer-geek-types to create it, in essence acting as art director on the overall visuals and a project manager on the creation of the actual pages--coordinating content, proofs, etc.

For me, it's the best of both worlds, as I like working with the client to create something they are very happy with, that fits their brand personality and the message they want to communicate. I learn enough technical information to be a friendly, knowledgeable face so that the client doesn't have to get all "geeky."

Generally it works like this: I create dummy pages in my application of choice, work with the client to nail the look and general site map, and then send the appropriate files to The Geeks to execute the technical stuff. I am the first point of contact on the pages they generate. Once they look good, they are forwarded to the client for final approval. I am the primary point of contact with the client.

In my case, for instance, you would hire me (or a web design firm) on a per-project basis, or partner for the long term on one client's site. Depending on how you might like to work it, I would represent your company in dealings with your client, or you could have someone on your payroll be the go-between. Our contract would specify that the client is yours and that anything they need that you provide would have to go through your firm, whether they want to hire me to do it or not.

(Sort of like working with a temp agency like Aquent. Their clients are theirs, and if I work for one of their clients and the client wants to hire me, they have to go through Aquent. I have signed a contract with the agency that states that I can't work for their client for a certain period of time after my last contact with them through the agency. Grrr. But, that's a whole 'nother post!)

Anyway, I ramble. The point is there's a big difference between design and execution, and it's a challenge to find an individual who is both right- and left-brain that can do both design and execution really well. It can be a win-win for your business to create a team of external providers who can work well together. You don't have to provide the latest hardware, software, training, overhead, payroll and benefits for an FTE (that's corporate-speak for full time employee), and you get a competent team to provide the best of show quality web services.

Good luck! --Dina
 


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