Imagine this:

You are a superbly talented and creative web designer, resourceful and possess the most complex techniques in designing a website. When you are designing your client’s website, which way should you approach? A dynamic and outrageously beautiful website, or a simple static website?

Some of you might ask first: what is my client’s budget? Or some prefer: what is my client’s objective? Then you proceed with the first question. Well, I should mention, you miss a couple of crucial questions:

What is their message?

A website should always focus on the intended message, whether it is to sell product, present news, encourage people to sign-up or inducing brand images. And all this should relates to the next question.

Who are their targeted visitor?

Websites are for web visitors, not you, not your clients. It is your job to find the right way to present your client’s messages to their web visitors. Web visitors, and not your client’s customers.

So,when designing a website, understanding the challenging programming languages or possessing the gifted creative talent is no guarantee for a successful web design. You must understand your client’s whole business and possess a critical view of communication. Your approach can vary heavily in this stage.

Designing the best website takes some time. Understanding your client’s business takes most.