Who Should Be Designing Corporate Websites?

Understanding the Unique Demands of Web Design

When a company asks a print shop or a marketing firm to build its website, it often overlooks the distinct challenges that live online. A print brochure, once produced, sits in a drawer or on a shelf; its audience has no choice but to see it in that exact format. A website, on the other hand, is delivered through countless devices, browsers, and connection speeds, each imposing its own constraints. The designer must therefore account for more variables than any traditional medium. Understanding those variables is the first step toward building a site that not only looks good but functions well for everyone who visits it.

The web is still evolving. While we have basic guidelines for color, typography, and layout, the rapid emergence of new devices - smartphones, tablets, smart TVs - means standards shift faster than in print. A designer who stays locked into a rigid template risks producing a site that looks dated or fails on emerging platforms. Instead, they need to balance a professional look with flexibility. For instance, a site built for a modern, minimalist brand should avoid heavy, glossy graphics that consume bandwidth or rely on Flash elements that newer browsers reject outright. Keeping the design clean, using scalable vector graphics, and ensuring responsive behavior allows the site to look consistent across screens.

Usability is another pillar. A website is a living product that users interact with in real time. If a page loads slowly, users often leave before it even fully renders. An average connection can still deliver a functional site if the designer keeps file sizes small, compresses images, and uses asynchronous loading for non-critical scripts. In contrast, a brochure printed on high‑resolution stock may cost more per unit but remains accessible to anyone who opens it. Designers who ignore bandwidth constraints may create a beautiful layout that never reaches its audience because the user’s connection simply cannot handle it.

Navigation must be intuitive. Think of a website as a library with thousands of books. Without a clear table of contents, readers will wander aimlessly. A clear menu structure, consistent labeling, and breadcrumb trails help users orient themselves. In print, an editor can dictate the sequence of pages; on the web, the designer must write logic that guides users across multiple linked pages. Poor navigation can cause frustration that turns visitors away before they even reach the core content.

Finally, color and typography behave differently online. Screen displays produce light that is reflected from the device, unlike the printed ink that sits on paper. That means colors can shift depending on screen calibration and ambient lighting. Designers should test colors on several devices to ensure legibility and brand consistency. Typography also demands careful selection; web fonts must load efficiently, and line spacing must adapt to varying screen sizes. Overlooking these nuances can lead to a site that feels disjointed or hard to read, no matter how well the brand elements are chosen.

Choosing the Right Designer: Skills, Experience, and Fit

Selecting a web designer who can navigate the technical and creative demands of the online medium is crucial. The first question to ask is whether the designer has a proven track record of building functional, responsive sites rather than merely creating mockups. Look for portfolios that showcase live projects with measurable outcomes - traffic growth, conversion rates, or client testimonials that highlight usability improvements.

Experience with responsive frameworks like Bootstrap or Foundation is a strong indicator that the designer knows how to scale layouts across devices. A seasoned professional will also be familiar with progressive enhancement, ensuring core content loads for all users regardless of their browser’s capabilities. If a site relies heavily on modern JavaScript or CSS features, the designer should know how to provide graceful fallbacks for older browsers that lack support.

Beyond technical chops, the designer must understand the company’s brand strategy. They should ask the right questions: Who is the target audience? What key messages need to be communicated? How does the brand's visual identity translate into an online experience? A good designer turns these answers into a cohesive design system - color palettes, typographic scales, icon sets - that can be reused across pages and future projects.

Collaboration skills are equally important. Web projects often involve content writers, marketing specialists, and IT staff. The designer must translate high‑level concepts into concrete wireframes and collaborate with developers to maintain consistency between design and code. Clear communication helps avoid costly revisions later, especially when technical constraints surface during development.

Cost is a factor, but it should not be the sole criterion. A lower fee might mean cutting corners on performance, leaving a site vulnerable to slow load times or security loopholes. Conversely, a higher fee that includes thorough testing, SEO best practices, and ongoing maintenance can pay dividends in user retention and search rankings. Ask about post‑launch support: Will the designer handle updates, monitor analytics, or provide training for in‑house staff?

Finally, verify that the designer’s workflow aligns with your organization’s timelines and culture. Some designers prefer agile sprints, while others follow a more linear approach. Ensure that they can deliver milestones on schedule and accommodate last‑minute changes when business needs shift.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Even a skilled designer can stumble if the project lacks clear goals or if the client misinterprets what “good design” means online. One of the most frequent mistakes is overloading a site with flashy animations or large media files that look impressive in a prototype but drain bandwidth in production. To prevent this, set a baseline for file sizes and require compression before final delivery.

Another issue arises when designers copy print assets without adjusting for web standards. An image that looks crisp on paper may appear pixelated on a high‑resolution screen. Designers should use vector graphics where possible and export images in appropriate formats (PNG for icons, JPEG for photos) at the correct resolution. Testing across multiple devices reveals these discrepancies early.

Navigation confusion is a silent killer of engagement. If a menu is hidden behind a hamburger icon on desktops or if sub‑menus collapse into inaccessible layers on touch devices, users will quickly abandon the site. Designers should create a clear hierarchy, use descriptive labels, and conduct usability testing to confirm that visitors can find what they need without frustration.

SEO considerations often slip to the back of the queue when the focus is purely on visuals. However, a beautiful site that no one finds is futile. Designers should embed semantic HTML tags, craft descriptive title and meta description fields, and ensure proper heading structure. These small details improve search visibility and help screen readers interpret the content.

Finally, security and accessibility can be overlooked if the client’s priorities lean heavily toward design. Every site must support HTTPS, include alt text for images, and meet WCAG 2.1 guidelines for color contrast and keyboard navigation. Designers who incorporate these elements from day one reduce the risk of future rework and broaden the audience to those with disabilities.

By acknowledging these common missteps and establishing a clear, collaborative process, companies can move beyond the mistake of asking a print shop to build their online presence. Instead, they can partner with a designer who blends creative vision with technical proficiency, delivering a website that stands out, performs reliably, and aligns with the brand’s long‑term goals.

Eric Davis is the Director of Web Development for InterActive Network Systems, Inc. and a freelance web designer. He has been involved in web design and development since the Internet became commercially available in the early 1990s. For more information, visit http://www.insbusiness.com.