I was thinking recently about what makes a ‘good’ versus a ‘wow’ type redesign… I have come to the conclusion that it has to have something that will impress the ‘average user’ without being so over the top in the creative stakes. Now this may be a bit of stating the obvious but in these days of generic themes and downloadable designs for Content Management Systems of Blog Systems (no surprise that I’m using WordPress!), how much effort is it worth putting into a re-design on your own site?
When I started this site it was a way to exhibit a few websites that I created for local small businesses. My intent was to use it as a learning vehicle originally and research the feasibility of independent designers or freelancers starting up their own businesses in such a way that they could compete with design agencies but deliver the lower costs that small and medium businesses need in an economic climate such as ours.
With house prices falling again and most if not all businesses forced to make significant efficiency savings, a well-designed freelancer website or portfolio could make all the difference, grabbing contracts and delivering business improvements for relatively little investment, but they cannot do this if they do not have a way to show off a strong portfolio, as businesses grow increasingly conservative as the economic squeeze continues.
Over the coming month, I intend to write a series of articles looking into how school leavers and students can start their own cottage industries. With many forced to live at home or in student accommodation, now is the time for entrepreneurs to come to the fore. If students like Christian Owens can make his first million by 16, then there is no reason why we as teachers and designers cannot encourage ours to do the same.
If you have ideas for how to start up as a freelancer, or have suggestions for any particular articles, let me know via the comments or contact pages. I’ll also be combining it with a redesign of this site to make a bit brighter and appealing as the dark theme has gotten a bit old now!
