You're searching for web design companies, so you've probably got an internet project to work on. But are you sure that what you are really need is a web design company? What is web design anyway? How does it differ from website development and website management?
Web design companies usually focus on physical elements of the design:
Graphic design experts are used to laying out brochures, adverts and other print design jobs. They assume that you will supply the content, and give them a clear brief about the impression you want to make.
If you are confident you know exactly what you want and need someone to lay it out for you, you need a web design company. Look for one that can give you examples of web projects they have worked on rather than a company that mostly works on print or graphic design jobs. You may want to choose a web design company that's local to your part of the UK, so you can easily get together to mark up changes to layouts.
We see a fair number of 'web design' projects that aren't really about graphic design at all - or at least the layout is a fairly small part of the work. Does your project includes areas such as:
Then we'd describe your project as a website development project - not a web design one. Some web design companies do have the expertise to handle this sort of project in-house, but not all do. You need to be sure that you are talking to someone with not just technical skills but the expertise to handle it appropriately. If it's your first web project, you'll probably need some guidance.
It's unusual for a website development project to be a one-off affair. Someone has to keep the information up to date. You may have changing price lists, new products or projects, or varying availability details. You may also want to monitor who is visiting the site, what they are doing, and work on promoting the site using search engines.
Whether it's appropriate to do some or all of this in house depends what skills are available, and how much time you have. Maintaining a site doesn't necessarily need advanced computer skills, but it will take time and effort. It also needs good writing skills.
Sometimes it's easier to get other people to do these things. If you think your site will need ongoing website management and you want to outsource this, choosing your supplier carefully is vital.
Web design companies are often less interested in fiddly minor changes than they are in larger projects, so talk about the maintenance before you start the main project. Make sure they won't lose interest and are committed to making your site a success.
Clare Associates are UK experts in website development and management. If you'd like to talk to us about your internet project, email info@clareassoc.co.uk or phone 01822 835802.