When hiring a web designer, many businesses have found it difficult to find the type of person they are after. The questions you should ask when hiring a designer are unique to web design, and are different than when you are looking for a design agency.
If you can find a web designer who is into your target audience (such as religion, politics, art), be sure that they won’t simply replicate those sites that are already out there in your genre.
Those designers who have a portfolio of websites that look very similar should be avoided. Benchmark Email COO Denise Keller is very aware of the problem, stating that businesses should “Beware the designer that has a portfolio filled with variations on one style. If you look at their portfolio and they have nothing but clones of one design, or a basic look that’s adjusted for the type of Website they’re designing, they’re probably a one-trick pony and do not have good enough skills to work on your project.”
