Why you need a website designer

This is nothing to do with platform choice and here's why:

I read a blog post today which got me thinking…

It was posted by a design agency and listed all the reasons a client should use a design agency to design and develop a bespoke website, over using a self-build, template platform such as Wix or Squarespace for a 'DIY' job.

On one hand, I agree with them—a DIY job often yields poor results. Not wanting to offend any proactive clients here, I'm sure you're exceptionally talented at what you do, but you don't need to be a website designer as well. You do you—I'll do me.

Now, the reason that blog inspired me to write this one is because I feel it missed the point and in doing so, is spreading a bit of a mistruth about web design and more specifically, website designers.

Before I go on I should say—I'm a Squarespace designer—I love the platform, advocate the platform and often recommend it to my customers if I feel it meets their needs. I've also worked in design agencies, for many years, designing bespoke websites from scratch. 

You may know about Squarespace (you may not), but in a nutshell, it's a user-friendly platform that's accessible and affordable to many, many people and suitable for lots of different business types. It was created as a way for self-starters to set up their own websites quickly and easily using (very well-designed) website templates.

One huge misconception about these platforms is that they are restrictive. Sure, there are restrictions (different pros and cons depending on the platform) but the truth is, you can use one of their templates as a basis for your site (good for DIY non-designers), or you can start with a totally blank canvas (how I like to work). It doesn't have to be one extreme to the other either—you can start with a template, but then end up altering it to the point where it's unrecognisable (good for designers, not so much if you don't know what you're doing!)

There are many other, similar platforms to Squarespace—some are excellent, some I wouldn't touch with a barge pole but that rant is for a different post 😂

The alternative to using these platforms is to have a designer produce a custom website design and have it bespokely coded, just for you.

This is obviously the creme-de-la-creme of website production. It's a necessary route if you're a large company with a very bespoke requirement or have some specific functionality that's quite individual to you. Some things of course can't be achieved without a team of proficient developers on-side. It also comes (or it should come) with a massive price tag - £5-10,000 at a minimum and often, a huge amount more, depending on your requirement.

My point is this:

Just because you don't have the budget (or inclination) to spend a huge, huge sum on a custom design and build with a design agency, or because you need just a 'basic' website, does not mean you shouldn't and can't use a website designer!

Choosing Squarespace, Shopify, Wix... hell, even WordPress as your website provider does not mean you need to 'DIY' your site. Whichever route you take, and whichever platform you choose—building a website is possible for anyone to do, without any knowledge of code (or with very little), but what it does take is someone who:

• Can make it look amazing by successfully applying brand logos, elements, fonts, colours and imagery properly and appropriately

• Knows how to organise and structure content into a logical and user-friendly sitemap

• Has a decent chunk of time to dedicate—there's a lot to do—more than you think

• Has a good grasp of basic SEO and good website practices

• Understands hosting, domains and payment processors (for an e-commerce site)

• Has knowledge and experience in using the platform to ensure the process is efficient

That someone is a website designer!

If that someone also happens to be a brand designer (and you'd like to work on improving your brand identity also), happy days—your website will be even more successful as it will tie in perfectly with your brand and align with your brand strategy.

This is my specialism.

If this blog has struck a chord with you and you'd like to chat with me about your brand or website, I'd love to, so do get in touch—no obligation.