CONTACT
e-mail:
shiawlinglai[at]gmail[dot]com
Skype:
Inversereality-2
Web Designs
I believe in simple, elegant designs. Web pages should be about content. Products that make peoples’ lives better. Services which fit their needs. The conent of your website should always be focused on delivering how to make use of your offer or the “call to action.” And to that end, I think that web design needs to support the message. Which is why when maximizing pages for search engines and ease-of query, I find that all that Flash and bling just get in the way, and I prefer basic, clean HTML and CSS pages.
Usually when designing I try to focus on:
- simple, clean page layouts
- multi-browser compatibility (both within versions of the same browser as well as acros the board)
- disability usability
- search engine optimization opportunities
Rates & Services:
I’ve looked around the web at different price points for web page designs and thought I’d put the efforts of that research down for reference. A basic 5-6 page webpage like this site or the examples below will cost you between $300-$800, $1000+ if you want Flash and other custom programming (and that’s usually by outsourcing).
There are many web companies who will sell you a site for $200-$400, complete, but these are generally templates without any kind of future support and you have to add in the informtion. Obviously, the more complex and involved you need the site to be, the most it will cost. A basic site design based on an existing template of your own UI design, with your own content provided will be the most cost efficient. But if you want to stand out and have an original design, you'll need to go custom. A good place to start looking for designers for your custom site is on project networks such as guru.com, elance.com, or rentacoder.com.
Things to consider that will affect your pricing:
- layout and thoroughness of site architecture (if you plan this yourself, you save money, but any good designer will help walk you through the steps)
- UI design (do you have your own template, or do you need a design?)
- menu/navigation button structure
- domain and web server setup
- SEO requirements (keyword inclusion, content writing, etc.)
- maintenance (do you need a web master on retainer, or can you work your updates yourself?)
Content Management Systems (CMS)
For site owners without a lot of web or programming experience, a new wave of free, open source content management systems have been a god-send to many a frustrated owner. These content management systems, or CMS, offer end-user friendly interfaces to update and manage your web content, from text to pictures to movies and more. I’ve personally worked with customizing CMS systems such as Drupal and WordPress and I’m currently trying to dabble in Joomla. Look for reviews of these systems on my blog. Also have been toying with e-commerce/processing systems such as CubeCart and Magento. It’s amazing how many free programs are available out there these days.
What Do You Design?
Although I primarily design websites for fun and friends, I am happy to help out with nonprofits, and have done so in the past. Of course, I’m not opposed to paid work if you have a project. If you like my designs and would like to discuss a project, please feel free to e-mail using the contact information at the top right corner.
Examples:
Town Cats Wine & Whiskers 2009
http://www.towncats.org/wineandwhiskers2009
One of my more recent design pieces. This was created and hosted on my own site on behalf of Town Cats, a Santa Clara county no-kill feline rescue and shelter. Wine & Whiskers is their annual wine tasting and auction fundraising event.
JadeSanctuary.net (no longer active)
Fansite for video game. Included submission forms and forums.
More Designs...
