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Ask HN: Contracting out website design.

2 points by tmpk ↗ HN
I am looking to contract out the design of my iPhone app's website. I contacted a designer whose portfolio I like, and I have received a ~$2K quote for a 3-4 page website design. I have to pay $1k up front, and the rest upon completion. Does that seem reasonable?

If some of you can recommend a website designer that you have used in the past that would be helpful. Also, if you can provide data points in terms of design cost that would be useful.

Thanks!

8 comments

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jacquesm
That seems pretty expensive for 4 pages. Why not put out a call for designers here?

That has worked quite well for me in the past.

charleyrock
I'm in the middle of the same process. I linked up with someone on elance.com based on their portfolio of work. Results have been so so - think the most important thing is to understand expectations - web design is sort of a generic term - what are you actually getting? design? execution of your own design? If its the former, $1k to $2k seems cheap, if its the latter, maybe expensive.
tmpk
The $2K quote is for the design only. I would have to write the HTML myself.
charleyrock
Then to me the question/quote is really subjective. Design is SO critical no matter what your company does and for some companies it is even more critical than SO! If you are sure this designer is talented and you are very clear about how you handle feedback/revisions/etc then, to me, $2k is not a bad quote.
nkh
I think a good place to go for a "baseline" cost would be:

http://99designs.com/

I used them for some graphics work at my current employer and was happy with the results. It at least gives you a starting point and a place to negotiate from.

chubbard
If it's a completely original design/layout that the designer comes up with $2K is fairly reasonable. I found fresh designs start around $800 for one page and go up depending on what else you need. If you have a PSD of your design file there are plenty of services that start much cheaper.
chubbard
Here's a site I saw the other day that looked pretty nice:

http://psddesigners.com/

I have not used them so this is not a recommendation. Just price comparison. Designs start at $880 with 3 rounds of revisions. So, if you know what you want then this could be a cheaper route. If not this isn't the package for you. Once they are done you're on your own so this is a hands off approach if you want someone who will work with you over time I'd stick with your designer.

presidentender
That seems high. I've done some development work for an independent web designer who seems to be pretty good. He can be reached at michael at cutbankdesign dot com. I know nothing about his prices, but this is in Montana, so he might be cheaper than designers elsewhere.