So you need a new website, but aren’t sure what you need to have prepared. Don’t worry – Studio Kellams is here to help you hit the ground running on your next web design project!
Here are 3 things you should have in place prior to kicking off a new website project:
1. Brand Elements
The very first thing you’ll need are your consolidated brand elements. That means your logo variations (ideally in SVG format), color palette, typography selections, and brand guidelines, if available.
If you don’t have these things established, or if you think these items could use a refresh, consider hiring a brand designer prior to taking on a web design project. Many brand and web designers offer discounts for bundling these projects, and having a strong brand identity foundation for a web redesign will ultimately make the best use of your investment on a new website.
2. Website Content
The second thing you’ll need is all of the website copy and any first-party imagery and videos you would like included on the new website. Though websites can be designed without finalized copy, it will be a much more beneficial and streamlined process to have website copy finalized before a designer begins to design. Reason being, the nature and structure of your content can alter design plans and recommendations signficantly.
Stock imagery can be used by designers to add design appeal to sections where first-party imagery is not available, but high-quality, first-party images and videos are always preferential to stock as they are more unique and authentic to a given business.
3. Digital Toolkit
A digital toolkit consists of any platforms or software your business plans to leverage to be successful online. It may include your website CMS (e.g. WordPress), CRM (e.g. Salesforce), e-commerce (e.g. WooCommerce) and payment processing solutions (e.g. Stripe), among other things. Your web designer may require user access or login information to these platforms in order to execute the project and secure integrations.
Although designers can help guide your decisions on business platforms and tools to use during the sales process, it is important to do research on which systems offer the best capabilities and pricing options for you independently. Having these details prepared for the onset of web design scoping discussions ensures there are no delays or costly surprises during the project at hand.
Got everything you need for your next web design project? Let’s connect on what a project with Studio Kellams could look like for you. Submit a client inquiry form today to get started!
