The title of this post is a bit deceiving. You see, *I* didn’t redesign my blog, a graphic designer did. (I would no sooner mess with the back end of my blog than volunteer for colonoscopy research.)
But I had a vision, a timeline and a budget in mind. Did any of those things actually come close to what I planned?
Not exactly.
So I thought I’d pass along some tips and yes, even warnings, in the hopes some of you might learn from my mistakes.
#1
It’s never too early to start planning.
Even if you think you’re not quite ready for a change, start gathering inspiration NOW. Create a Pinterest board of ideas, colors and designs that appeal to you. If you start early and you don’t tire of the colors and/or designs by the time you’re ready to move forward, then they can stand the test of time and are probably a good choice for your design aesthetic.
Besides, it’s fun :).
#2
Accept that the process will take longer than expected.
If you have ever had a house built, renovated a kitchen or even redecorated a room, you probably experienced unexpected delays and challenges and the process took longer, maybe a LOT longer, than you had planned. It’s no different when designing a blog, and just like having a good contractor will speed up the home building process, so too will a good designer keep you on schedule.
Which leads me to tip…
#3
Take your time when looking for a designer.
Once you have a pretty good idea of the direction you’d like your design to take, start looking for a designer. This is the hardest, but definitely THE MOST IMPORTANT part of this process. A good designer can navigate challenges with ease, while a bad one can make even the simplest of things seem complicated and draw out the process for weeks, even months.
I should know.
I guess now would be a good time to give you a bit of background.
When I started my blog nearly four years ago, I worked with a designer for more than 2 years. She was located in England, but in spite of the time difference she was always super responsive. I rarely had to wait more than a few hours for a response from her, and no question was ever considered too stupid. (And believe me, I had PLENTY of those).
When she quit the business, I stumbled along in the quagmire of the back end of my blog on my own. I did find a little bit of help here and there from some knowledgeable souls that I found on FB, but it wasn’t nearly the same or enough to meet my needs.
I started looking in earnest for a designer almost two years ago, and found out rather quickly that many people, to put it bluntly, do not have good manners. A few designers didn’t respond to my inquiries, or if they did, when I was ready to get started I didn’t hear from them. It was so discouraging I dropped the idea for several months just to keep my sanity intact.
Last summer, in a moment of weakness, I decided sanity is overrated, and once again began my quest for a designer. I searched Etsy, asked around on FB and even probed ‘in real life’ friends for recommendations. Someone in a FB group I belong to had mentioned a designer that she had used, so I contacted her, received a timely response and before I knew it we were rockin’ and rollin’.
Except we weren’t.
Turns out she was grossly unqualified to perform what I needed done. What should have taken less than two weeks from start to finish, was still no where near being done after almost two months. She rarely responded to my emails in a timely manner (it always took at least 24 hours, and sometimes as much as 3 days, to receive a response). During that time my site experienced crashes, I learned she didn’t have the knowledge to redirect Househoneys to Fox Den Rd., and simple tasks like centering text on my home page was challenging for her. I asked for a refund (see below), but only received 1/3 back. Yes, I know I probably could have gotten my credit card company involved and received a full refund, but I knew she had spent many, many hours on my blog so I just chalked it up to experience.
#4
Don’t pay for everything up front!
Why oh why do most designers insist on full payment right away? I don’t know about you, but I would no sooner give a contractor full payment up front than my first born, but when it comes to designers, it seems to be expected. Why is that? Seems to me a much fairer way to proceed would be to come up with a work/payment schedule, right?
On a somewhat off-topic but related situation, before starting the design process, I paid another designer for a custom logo, but when I saw the mock up, well, let’s just say I knew it wasn’t going to work out, so I ended up getting a ready made logo, which pretty much defeats the purpose of a logo. But I digress. Did I receive any kind of a refund? Nope. So the takeaway here is if you’re having custom work done, find out what options you have if you are unhappy with the designs you’ve been shown.
#5
Don’t assume anything!
The designer I used endorsed the theme I had chosen on her website, so I ‘assumed’ she had at least a working knowledge of it.
Wrong.
She also had a blog post on ‘how to choose a designer’ in which she emphasized responsivenes. But was she?
Nope.
Whatever it is you want done, ask the designer if he/she has experience doing it. Need your site migrated from Blogger to WordPress? Ask. Need your domain name changed? Ask. Need woocommerce set up? Ask. Is it important to you to have continual communication? Ask what their typical response time is.
Don’t assume the designer will take the time to ask you the pertinent questions. In the beginning, most are just anxious to take your money and figure it out as they go along.
But, it is YOUR money, your time, and your blog, so before you plop down any cash, make sure you know what the designer is and isn’t capable of doing.
In the end, these posters were right.
Everything worked out for the best. I found a fabulous designer who performed in two days what the other designer couldn’t do in 6 weeks (and for a lot less $), and I was up and running in no time.
There’s still a lot for me to learn about my new blog, and for certain attempting this change while we were away in Florida was probably not the best plan, but it’s done and I can breathe a sign of relief.
I know my situation was extreme, and many people have positive experiences when redesigning their sites, but if you have any tips to share, or if you just want to vent, feel free to do so in the comments!
In other news…
Not a heck of a lot to share this week. Tuesday we are leaving Venice for a short stay in central Florida, then we head to the panhandle. I’ll have lots to blab about when we return home and I can start using my MAC.
AnnMarie says
These tips are great! I have been on and off so much with this very thing but fear has kept me from doing anything!I guess I am in the planning stages of re-doing my blog but I don’t even know what to do with it. I don’t want to change the whole look, or the name, just things on my sidebar. I got a quote from our guy that does our theatre website but it was high. Then someone new visits me and says they love my blog so I leave it alone! So happy for you that you finally got what you wanted and it looks great!! Now I am thinking again…..! 🙂
Cecilia says
Hm, sounds like some hard learned lessons (aren’t the ones we learn the best that way?) Thanks for sharing your experience; I don’t think I’ll ever change my blog but in case I ever do….
Enjoy your weekend!
Hugs
Cecilia
Emily says
Good for you Doreen! Something I would love to do but I know I’m not ready to tackle this, maybe some day. I love your new blog name and the look, you and your designer did a fabulous job. Thanks for the tips. Hope you have been enjoying your new blog while you are enjoying your travels. Let me know if I can give any suggestions for restaurants or anything when you get to the panhandle. Your trip sounds like just what I need!
Brenda Kula-Pruitt says
Oh, what we can find on Etsy. I found my newsletter graphics there. I depend on Etsy shops a lot. Well, on the designer part: been there, done that. I don’t have the patience or the money. I don’t know what it is about many designers in the US, but they just aren’t very professional. I don’t mean to say that there aren’t many US professional designers out there. But somehow I’ve found, in my own estimate, about 90%, sadly, were not. So I do my own stuff. I’m a bit afraid to depend on them.
Brenda
Kim says
Ah, been there Doreen…sort of. When I moved from Blogger to WordPress, I went with someone who I thought would be wonderful, too. She came highly recommended and was extremely responsive to all of my inquiries and stupid questions ~ until the check cleared. Then there were crickets and charges for every “extra” question I asked. I was left dangling with no support. It was an awful way to start out on a new platform. Not many months later, I got hacked, badly, and almost lost it all. On Facebook a super sweet lady offered to help restore my blog (I actually had to force money on her for her time) and move me back to Blogger, where I know how to everything all by myself!! Just the way I like it!! Ps- looks fabulous!!
Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow says
Well I am glad that it all worked out in the end for you! 🙂
tammy j says
i’m earmarking this so I can read it again when I might need it.
a wonderful treatise on wading through that world!
do you happen to remember when I tried a new site…
‘ the cozy minimalist ‘ ???
I did only 65 posts.
but some of them were about my beloved jacob.
when the captain moved them all back to the peanut…
the script of each post came just fine… but I lost every single picture.
it now just shows an X where those pictures were. I was extremely upset.
but… live and learn.
I don’t pay the captain anything. as a friend he does it all for me free.
I wasn’t about to complain. but it’s something I wish i’d known beforehand!
i’ll keep the link to henderson! thanks!
kelly says
I love your new blog design! Mine could use a revamping but I’ve been lazy about it. I also like your new blog name. I completely understand how things can go awry too. It seems with all of our home reno plans, we run into glitches constantly! Whether it be things working properly, finding what we want, delivery issues, etc. It seems everything we do has some “issue” that must be over come. I now try not to expect things to go right the first time because they usually never do!
handmade by amalia says
You’ve been on quite the journey, Doreen. Thanks for the tips. I quite like the way my blog looks now but I know that one morning I’ll wake up and be so over it 🙂
Amalia
xo
Jane says
I love your new blog design, Doreen, and I loved reading your bio. As always, your sense of humor is so great—always make me smile! I had my blog done by a designer and I did pay up front. It would only involve three designs and then nothing–it was a gamble but I had seen her work all over the place. She nailed it in the first design.
Looking forward to seeing your post from your new ‘home base’.
Jane
Cindi says
Thank you for this post.
I’ve thought about trying to change over my blog, but I’m scared to death to do it.
I’ve thought about changing the name too.
Then I just started another blog with my Art name.
Now I feel scattered and all over the place.
It sounds like you really went through the wringer but I find that so many people in all walks of life have no work ethic, manners or drive.
It’s like everyone complains about not having enough jobs but then they don’t follow through when they do get work.
(Like the guy who worked on my roof and soffits and now is nowhere to be found while a piece of it blows in the wind. Grrr.)
But the good part is that your blog looks absolutely lovely.
Truly, I love it!
xoxoxoxo
Mary-the boondocks blog says
Doreen your blog looks great and I love the tagline. I’m sorry to hear that you had so much trouble. I had started with Weebly which is a fairly simple blog setup. The nice thing about them is that they have technical support 24 hours a day so I rarely feel at a loss. I couldn’t imagine being left standing without any support especially since I’m a new blogger and I know nothing about coding and such. At least everything turned out well for you in the end, and you didn’t lose your sanity..
Poppy says
After all the trials and errors, all the anxious animosity, all those nights wondering if you’ll ever see the light of day, you and your G.D. – that’s Graphic Designer, kinda like M.D. – did a wonderful job redecorating and revitalizing your special place here in cyber space!
Now, take a deep breath and say, ‘Yay!’
xxx
Poppy
susan says
Looking good, Doreen! Sorry you had to go through that to get what you wanted – I’ve heard a million horror stories – but, the good news is that it all worked out and really looks terrific!
Sue says
Your new blog name and design are great Doreen. I’ve been through two nightmares with designers too. One was a con man who never did deliver, another was a designer who like you say did not respond and I had to pull teeth to get anything. I am saving for a new design myself right now and changing things under the hood that I can. I like your idea to pin blog designs to a pinterest board for reference.
Debbie from MountainMama says
These are all terrific tips….especially for new bloggers like me! I love the new look of your blog but, to be fair, I also loved the old look! Either way, you’re a favorite!! xo
Red Rose Alley says
Me and the girls pretty much do all the designing on our blog. Jess usually does the technical part of the Header (gotta learn that still). It’s kind of frustrating because we all have to agree on the same picture for our Header, and that’s why we only change it once a year. Did you know that Jess has her degree in Interior Design? So, I’m pretty lucky to have her help us.
Your new blog design looks marvelous, Doreen.
~Sheri
Feral Turtle says
This is a wonderful post Doreen! I would love to change my blog one day and will keep this all in mind. Thank you!
Julie says
Thanks Doreen for all of these great blogging tips about blog designers. I love your new look and name and wish you a lot of happiness with it!
Enjoy the end of the week and your time in Florida.
Julie xo
Amy says
Trying once again to see if my comment goes through!
Katie Clooney says
Great post and very timely. I am looking for a new design. Like you, I have been blogging for about 4 years and feel it’s time to shake things up a little. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Dewena says
Doreen, your new look is fabulous! Beyond fabulous! And I’m sure your experience will help those who are pondering a change.
If you’re in FL next winter perhaps you’ll come visit me?
Travel safe, Doreen,
Dewena
Marsha says
Great tips Doreen. Even though I had a lot training in web design, I find struggling through blog design to be more of a challenge sometimes than fun. I love the new look of your blog.