6 Surefire Tips for Choosing the Right Seattle Flash Developer
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Our goal in providing the Seattle Flash Website Design guide is to put your search for Seattle-based professional Flash website designers on the fast-track. Nobody has time to waste in today’s business world. However, we obviously cannot make the choice for you. Even choosing between ten of the top Flash design studios in your area can be a challenge, so here’s six steps to making the right final selection.
First, Get Your Act Together
We’re going to put it to you straight: The first and primary step you can take to see Flash website success is to have a clear understanding of how this project fits into your own business strategy, what your objectives are, and be able to communicate this to your potential Flash design partner. To this end, we’ve written an entire article on that topic, what to do before you hire a Seattle Flash website designer.
Make the First Review a Quick One
Now that you know what your project objectives are, you’ll have an idea what kind of Flash designer you need. Some specialize in TV-style, trendy visual effects. Some are skilled in interactive Flash applications that dynamically serve content or facilitate tasks like e-commerce. Some “do it all.”
Jot down a list of the skills you think might be important for your project’s success, and scan potential Flash design company websites for these. Pick two or three that seem to be the best fit.
Go a Little Deeper
Now take the time to review in depth the websites of the two or three Flash design firms you think might have what you need. Here are a few tips on what to look for:
- A strong portfolio
Which Flash design studio seems to have the most experience with the type of website you need created? Although you should look for examples of their latest work, don’t be overly concerned if their most recent samples of work are a year or two old. The top quality Flash design firms in our guide are pretty busy, and don’t always take the time to update their portfolio. This can count against them, but shouldn’t completely take them off your list. If necessary, call them or email and request a few samples of recent work. Only be concerned if they cannot or will not provide this at your request. - Prompt and courteous responses
Give each Flash design company a call or email and ask for references. Ideally, use both phone and email to communicate, and take note of how quickly and professionally they respond to your request in each medium. They should be willing to provide recent references without requiring that you give them details about your project. If you have any questions or concerns about what you’ve seen in their portfolios, now is a good time to ask. - Happy clients
Call the references that they give you, and if you really want to be sure, contact one or two of the businesses in their portfolio that they didn’t give you as a reference. Ask these past clients the questions that most concern you about working with a Flash design studio. Were they happy with the quality of work? Did they like working with the designers and programmers? Did the design firm stay within budget? Did they get things done on time?
After performing this deeper look at the likely ones, pick the one you feel is the best match for your project.
Arrange to Meet in Person
Come prepared to give your selected Flash designer a complete overview of your project, as described in our article about what to do before you hire a Seattle Flash website design company.
Allow the design company to set the location of the meeting, ideally having it in their office so you can see their studio.
If you like, ask for a tour and meet a few more of the employees, if it’s not a one-man shop. If you have selected a one-man design studio, respect the fact that they might work out of their home and prefer to meet in a coffee shop or other location.
This does not mean that their work is less professional. In these days, a lot of talented individuals are able to make a good living doing freelance work from home — and this means you can get quality work for a price that isn’t marked up to cover the overhead of office space and paying for employee benefits and such. Consider carefully the pros and cons of both options (single person studios and design firms with staff) and whether your project is particularly suited to one or the other.
Get It In Writing
Any professional design studio should be willing to put their proposal, quote or estimate in writing. Make sure they include a list of exactly what services they are offering. They should include a reference to your project outline or make their own list based on what you’ve told them.
If you collect proposals from several Flash design companies to compare prices, look closely at the list of services and the project items: Are all the Flash design proposals offering the same things? Is one offering extra services that the others are not? Is this affecting the price?
If you want a more exact comparison, ask all the design companies to give their price for the exact same list of services. This is another area where having your project outlined in detail before you talk to design companies will save you time and facilitate a quicker selection process. If you put together a comprehensive RFP (request for proposal), they can each respond with a price for the same thing. Then you know you’re comparing apples to apples when you look at their proposal.
Sleep On It
After you’ve met with a professional Flash design company and received their quote or estimate for your project, take a day or two and sleep on it. Does it seem like a good fit? Do you have any doubts niggling at the back of your mind?
If you still aren’t comfortable with selecting that design company, ask yourself if it’s just a matter of needing more information. If you have unanswered questions, then ask them!
But if your concerns are in other areas, and they just don’t seem like a good fit, meet with another Flash designer and try again. Better to take a little extra time now and find the right partner for this job than to step into a website project nightmare simply because you’re rushing to start.
What Are You Waiting For?
Get on out there and get started! We’ve given you a good start by pre-qualifying ten top-notch Seattle Flash website design companies. Let us know how things go with your project, and share your experiences with us. We’d love to hear more testimonials.
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One Response to “6 Surefire Tips for Choosing the Right Seattle Flash Developer”
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Great site and information.
Thanks.