Freelance Website Designer London.....

Hi my name is Fergus Wilkie and I am a Freelance Web Designer based in London. My passion is in all aspects of multimedia, especially web design. This website demonstrates my expertise over the years as a freelance web designer, in many elements of website design and other multimedia applications. I have been a freelance web designer for over 5 years now and my expertise in the field of freelance web design has grown accordingly.

Throughout my journey as web designer in the freelance field I have created websites that are sophisticated, intuitive and are accessible for all users, with a strong attention to detail and clear, user-friendly design. As a freelance web designer I create concise, modern, standards-compliant code for websites, with a clear relationship to the website and its purpose and have a progressive approach to the technology used and of the future aspects of the website that need to be considered.

If you go to the "about me" page you will find out more about me and my connection to freelance web design in London and in the "services" page you can find out what I have to offer in the area of freelance website design and other multimedia aspects.

My appproach to freelance web design is to design websites in line with web standards, to deliver a website that is both an accessible and a usable website, that utilizes the latest technology in terms of web design.

The Ten Commandments to freelance website design

To be a successful freelancer in the field of website design can involve many aspects that need to be followed. These ideas are not unique to freelance web design, but I thought it would be good to list them here and hopefully help other freelance web designers focus on their skill set.

• Learn, learn, Learn - Learn new skills through books, magazines, bloggs and online articles. Never think you have learnt it all, as the net is always evolving, so to be on top of your game you need to be always learning new skills and staying informed.
• Specialise - It is vital for a freelance web designer to have a varied range of skills to be successful, but there is also a need to focus on a certain skill, to achieve the standard of expert in that particular skill and then you will always be in demand.
• Always Network - "it's not what you know, it's who you know", there has never been a more apt phrase for a freelance web designer to think about. Tell everyone you meet, family, friends etc. that you are a web designer. The local chamber of commerce events is a great way to get referrals and contacts. Contact local design agencies and go to relevant events in the area and chat to as many people in the field as possible.
• Time Management - Working from home takes discipline, you need to spell out a regime for work and play. Set out a time to work and stick to it, otherwise you could be at work all day doing a bit here and there with lots of breaks in between.
• Financial Control - Budgets are important, as you don't always know when your next pay cheque is coming. A good philosophy to follow is to always have at least 3 months living expenses in the bank, to help buffer you against times when work is scarce or the customer is slow to pay up.
• Your Image - A professional image is of the up most importance for a freelancer, but your design image needs some focus, just like a artist there should be a desire to achieve a certain image, to say to people "this is who I am and what I am about".
• Inspiration Outlook - The inspiration behind a new website can take the biggest proportion of time involved in its production. Ideas can be found anywhere i.e. online, magazines, books, the outside world - its endless just use your imagination.
• Reputation Building - A good reputation is everything for a freelancer, treat every project no matter how small with the same professionalism. This will help turn past clients into repeat customers and in turn possible excellent referrals. Also to increase your reputation you can add your knowledge and experiences to web bloggs, writing articles and speaking at local events.
• Portfolio to die for - A CV has its uses, but for a freelance web designer, a good online portfolio is a must, its says everything about you. If you are starting out then ask family and friends for any projects you can do for them or charities and non-profit organisations to help get your portfolio started. Once you are established don't feel you should include everything you have done in the past on your site, you could be judged on your worst project not your best. So the work on your site should only include up to date projects that you will show off your skills to its full potential.
• Love It - Having a passion for the work you do as a freelancer is of paramount importance for success. The passion will keep you going throughout the wee small hours of the night, when deadlines are tight. There is no boss to keep an eye on your work ethic, but a passion for the work will mean that motivational levels remain high.

The Web - fashion victim or fashion icon

When some people think of the web and its designers, an image of a nerdy student can be conjured up and being trendy does not come into the equation. Even though the web is still in its infancy and has still along way to go to progress, fashion trends do have a major impact on the way we see websites today. To add to this, its a fact that trends on the web do change faster, due to the nature of the web being influenced and worked on by thousands of people people from of all walks of life, at any one time throughout the world. The obvious trend at the moment is to use CSS, as its use offers better support than HTML.

Trends affect the use of colour in design and is of prime importance in many aspect of the media, not more so than on the internet. Colours used on a site can give the user a greater understanding of what the site is trying to convey, especially in conjunction with the typography used e.g. a cartoon site for children would have more bright colours, like yellow and green and use a more rounded font to display the text. Though colour use can be dictated by branding of the company and therefore would not divert from their own colour scheme, which can lead to some horrific sites with regards to the colours being used. Also how the colour is conveyed, at the moment flat colour is being used in more and more websites now, steering away from beveled and shiny use of colour. An important aspect of colour use is to take into account of contrast of the colours, as the greater the contrast the better the readability of the text.

Typography, trendy colour schemes and some appealing graphics is not the end of the story. Layout is crucial - it is all about the structure of the page and will in turn define how a user will interact with website. The layouts prime goal is to make the navigation and content display as easy as possible for the user, by removing clutter, navigation buttons easy to operate and understand, contrasting colours for text and background etc. The layout should live up to the users expectations e.g. a comedy site should not look like an e-commerce site and vice versa - fitness for purpose is the key.

At the moment with the use of CSS the general trend is to lay the website out in 2 or 3 columns. Though we should be setting trends not following them, it can be good especially for the user when it comes to layout of content and navigation to know what to expect.

Gusmedia sites take all these aspects into account throughout the design process. The client can have substantial input when comes to colour and design as well, but with some guidance from myself as to the appropriateness of their choices for use on the web.

web design on the cheap, could cost you!

Recently my father sent me an article from the Scotsman newspaper dated 21st March, its title was "Don`t be caught out by the web". The article pointed out that you may be reluctant to go into a shop if it is looking badly kept from the outside, especially with regards to restaurants. As well as this department stores would not spend thousands of pounds on their window displays if they were not going to increase sales by attracting more clientele.

What I have been saying for ages is what was stated in the Scotsman`s article - "when it comes to web presence. A business with a poorly designed website has every chance of actually putting off prospective customers and clients - instead of persuading them to do business, it`s more likely to drive them into the hands of a competitor. And that competitor is often only a couple of clicks distant, rather than streets away or in the next city."

Therefore it is of utmost importance to choose a professional web designer, who will not only look after the design and structure, but also making the site accessible to all users. As for myself, I am such a designer and would love to see more regulation in the way of standards on how a website is designed, to give the client more reassurance that the site being designed, will only enhance the business and not have an adverse effect on it.