This was a thought I had after talking to a friend and hopefully guest blogger here in the next few days.   This particular topic came up discussing what was done by us for the client and where we still had work to do.  Very rarely is there a point in our profession where we sit back and say “done”.   There is always cleaner CSS code to add, new SEO-related items to insert, a fresh design, usability or upgrades.  It’s almost as if the clock resets the minute the site is pressed into launch where we take a deep breath, a screen shot for the portfolio and then start working toward Phase II.

The thought is that as web designers and developers and even SEO professionals we are judged by end product.   But the web being what it is and clients being the ones writing the check, we come across a quandary.   For companies who provide services in terms of the web how do you frame what challenges you had versus where you end up?  In honest terms I don’t think it’s every a good idea to trash a client’s budget and design being subjective in many ways, too much explaining can leave a sour taste in potential buyers mouths.  Along the lines of “the lady doth protest too much.”

I think at some point you have to be judged by what you produce.  You have to own up and say, I did this.  That being said, there are questions/concepts that potential clients need to take into account when looking at portfolios in this space.

• What was the budget?  And how far did that budget go?  You never get the exact amount you want and sometimes you even have to scale back services based on what the client has to spend.
• Who was the audience?  It should be obvious but sometimes the areas that are brought out and shown are aimed at specific audiences.  I know that sometimes when you are dealing with a primary educated audience in terms of a business niche it can to the untrained eye be confusing.
• How long has it been?  Even though we try to make designs timeless, trends gently and sometimes violently fade away.  Sometimes sites even get redesigned.  Every company wants to be with their clients time after time during redesigns but in real life that doesn’t always happen.
• Clients are paying the bill.  Which means we are actually consultants.  We can recommends, strongly disagree, advise against, work towards a compromise but they are paying and if ultimately what they want, they get.   You might not see it in a portfolio but it is what it is.
• Design is subjective.  While code can usually be judged based on quantifiable qualities, design, know matter how you slice it, is judged by each person differently.  You may hate that color, that font, that style but that was reviewed by client, company and designer and made the cut for some reason.
• What were the results?  Did all the elements come together to get what the client wanted.  It may not appear that way at first, but it ultimately is the only thing that matters.  But many times, it’s hard to get that answer.  However, it never hurts to ask.

So those are the ones that I think frame our work in the launched phase.  What do you think web design/development companies, SEO companies, interactive marketing firms need to be held to account on?  Or from the other angle, what do we want as an industry professionals to educate potential clients about when they look at your finished products?

Just thoughts to chew on.  Have a great weekend.