Ask HN: How do you find a designer?

12 points·johnsocs··3 comments

I'm seeking a front end web designer for a bootstrapped startup. I notice a good number of the 'weekend' projects posted have great web designs, how did you find your designer or did you do the design work yourself ?

I'm a strong backend engineer, but web design, UI, CSS etc.. is just not in my bag of tricks.

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Dribbble.com is fantastic, clicking on the user to find their personal website makes it approachable.

There is also Forrst.com, though the quality has been slipping over the past year but they have a directory of designers.

Don't forget builditwith.me who make it incredibly easy for you to search for designers specifically.

If it's a startup and the budget is small then finding a like minded individual is your best bet, who is willing to help out or potentially swap services, rather than approaching a freelance designer directly.

1. I use dribbble.com in most instances. 2. Find the style you like and approach them either using the Hire Me feature, or if you click the designer's name, they often have a personal site with contact details on. 3. A good tip is to word search a design similar to what you are looking for, e.g. for a photo app, search "photo". 4. Make sure you have a clear design brief when you contact the designer. This should include examples of URLs that you like. 5. Shoot me an email if you want an example (username @ gmail.com).

Another option is sending me an email ;)

My portfolio: www.heynico.com

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