Cost of website. Frontend design only.

techguy

Hi,

Generally how much should I expect to pay a designer to put together a standard enough page. Graphics, xhtml and css only.

Sites with a design simialr to what I might require:
http://www.micksgarage.ie/
http://www.lost.ie/

You get the idea, simple header/nav/content/footer style sites with good use of graphics for menu items/borders etc..

Thanks.

p

Anywhere between 500-2000 I'd say.

Both of those sites look like they're using a custom CMS, so the HTML &CSS that the designer would deliver would be dependent on the CMS itself. It may make more sense that the developer handle that.

cormee

p wrote: »

Anywhere between 500-2000 I'd say.

Both of those sites look like they're using a custom CMS, so the HTML &CSS that the designer would deliver would be dependent on the CMS itself. It may make more sense that the developer handle that.

Yes, I would have said about 1000 myself, but it really depends on the number of different templates needed.

techguy

Apologies if I wasn't really clear in my OP. I am just looking for the designer to deliver 1 html file 1 or so css file and the appropriate image files for the design, such as background, corners and borders etc.

I am just looking for one template.

I am a developer so I can skin this html to whatever CMS I require. For the price I am querying it is not to include any work with CMS, web hosting, PHP etc..

I was thinking somewhere along the lines of €250-€300 should get this done.

Placebo

That price makes sense if its just a template.
giz a shout sure

Liam Byrne

techguy wrote: »

Apologies if I wasn't really clear in my OP. I am just looking for the designer to deliver 1 html file 1 or so css file and the appropriate image files for the design, such as background, corners and borders etc.

I am just looking for one template.

I am a developer so I can skin this html to whatever CMS I require. For the price I am querying it is not to include any work with CMS, web hosting, PHP etc..

I was thinking somewhere along the lines of 350-400 should get this done.

So every page has the EXACT same layout and content types ?

Re the CMS - The way that images are "sliced" will depend on the control of elements that you have within the CMS.....e.g.

FIXED-SIZE HEADER + EXTENDING FOOTER, bottom-aligned and climbing
FIXED-SIZE HEADER + REPEATING CONTENT AREA + FIXED-SIZE FOOTER

etc.

So knowledge of the target CMS would be required.

BostonB

Your basically paying for someone time. I would think anyone could do this for a few hundred euro. Only if you end up asking them to spend more time at it, would it cost more. Any developer would be able to work from a basic template.

nellyshark

Just one page template you could get done for a hundred or so

Goodshape

BostonB wrote: »

Your basically paying for someone time.

Your also paying for their expertise, and in that regard - you'll very often get what you pay for.

"anyone" with half a knowledge of Photoshop and some basic html skills could throw together a one page template, sure. A couple hundred quid for a few hours work -- score! Easy money! If that's what you want then go for it, I guess.

Similarly, I could paint and decorate your house for you if you want? I'm not quite sure what an undercoat is but that stuffs probably overkill anyway... sure "anyone" can dip a brush in paint and smear it on the walls. Easy money!


Generally, how much you'll pay for a design is dependent almost entirely on how much you are willing to pay, and the quality of the end result will (in most cases) closely reflect that. You could absolutely get this done for 200 - 300. You could also spend 1000 - 2000. Depends on the quality you want back.

And you say you only need "one template", but there's quite a difference between these pages - homepage, category,product. Which "one" are you going to get designed, and what are you going to do about the others?

BostonB

You'd pay 2000 for one page and a few hours?

Pixelcraft

Who says it's a few hours? A project I recently completed took 20 hours to nail the homepage

Goodshape

BostonB wrote: »

You'd pay 2000 for one page and a few hours?

No, but I'd question (and I did, in my post) whether 1 page and a few hours is enough. I'd expect to pay 1k and up for a good design and front end code.

If quality isn't important to you then yes, I'm sure the job can be done for 200-300.

A design can make or break a website. Simply doesn't make sense to me to go bargin basement hunting when looking for designers. Total false economy.

TitoPuente

Depends on how experienced and talented your designer is. Will the design be aesthetic as well as functional, will best practices be followed when conceiving and delivering the interface. Will the code be easy to maintain, semantic, accessible and SEO-friendly?

You could pay hundreds or thousands. It really depends on who's doing the work and how good they are. Depends on what you want really.

p

techguy wrote: »

I was thinking somewhere along the lines of €250-€300 should get this done.

You're probably better of just buying a template so. You'll get better value.

cormee

techguy wrote: »

I am just looking for one template.

Your homepage is going to be the same as subpages?

edit: I see that question has already been asked.. plus if cost is a big issue I'd go with P's recommendation and buy a template, much cheaper and the quality would probably be better than anything you'd get from someone who was willing to take on the project for €250-€300.

Sheeps

Wow, its hilarious how much money you can make in your spare time doing web development like this if these price quotes are anywhere near accurate. Wonder how much a website with a full back end to it would cost?

cormee

Sheeps wrote: »

Wonder how much a website with a full back end to it would cost?

How long is a piece of string?

Sheeps

It was supposed to be rhetorical, my point being that websites are a bloody rip off considering the amount of work that goes in to them.

cormee

Sheeps wrote: »

It was supposed to be rhetorical, my point being that websites are a bloody rip off considering the amount of work that goes in to them.

Funny that. My question was rhetorical too, my point being you don't have an idea what you're talking about so I wasn't actually taking your question seriously.

Sheeps

Eh, I know exactly how much work goes in to building websites.

lostprophetsie

The can of worms has been opened.:(

techguy

I understand where a lot of you guys are coming from with the one page template idea.

I'm actually well able to work with xhtml and css. I'm just lacking in the design area, i'm a code not colour guy if you get me.

Once the main template has been designed i'll be able to take that and design sub-pages from it. For my needs the subs are usually just a few extra divs/tables to present the content clearly.

BostonB

When someone says how long is piece of string when asked about anything. Run away. If the price range of something varies by a factor of 10x theres something wrong. Thats like someone looking for a 2k fiesta being pointed at a 20k mondeo. Certainly you don't get quotes for painting a house that range from 1k to 10k. Spending lots of money on something doesn't alway equate to something better. The O2 website has been re-designed almost annually is its still brutal. Especially the webtext. The Nike Swoosh was done by student for $35.

Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't spend a lot on a website. Often the website is critical to a business, and how much you spend should reflect that. But it should have a defined budget. But in this case this isn't a 20k project that you spend 20 days on.

lostprophetsie

BostonB wrote: »

When someone says how long is piece of string when asked about anything. Run away. If the price range of something varies by a factor of 10x theres something wrong. Thats like someone looking for a 2k fiesta being pointed at a 20k mondeo. Certainly you don't get quotes for painting a house that range from 1k to 10k. Spending lots of money on something doesn't alway equate to something better. The O2 website has been re-designed almost annually is its still brutal. Especially the webtext. The Nike Swoosh was done by student for $35.

Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't spend a lot on a website. Often the website is critical to a business, and how much you spend should reflect that. But it should have a defined budget. But in this case this isn't a 20k project that you spend 20 days on.

Hi BostonB
Your car example makes no sense in these situations. If someone is looking for a website or a design without giving any requirements then of course there can be a huge difference in quotes. Asking for a 2k Fiesta is something quite specific so if someone started a thread detailing their exact requirements from the outset then I imagine quotes could be more accurate.
But in most circumstances the person looks for a "website" this is like going to a car dealership and looking for something that will take you from "A to B", I'd be very surprised if you did this and didn't get prices varying by a factor of 10.

The OP has since given more information and a budget so will find it easier get a realistic quote now.

Liam Byrne

Sheeps wrote: »

It was supposed to be rhetorical, my point being that websites are a bloody rip off considering the amount of work that goes in to them.

Sheeps wrote: »

Eh, I know exactly how much work goes in to building websites.

Enlighten us.....

...how much work goes into them from start to finish ?

Goodshape

Sheeps wrote:

Wow, its hilarious how much money you can make in your spare time doing web development like this if these price quotes are anywhere near accurate.

I don't make websites in my spare time, this is my job - and I'm good at what I do thanks to the time, training and dedication I've put towards it.

BostonB wrote: »

The Nike Swoosh was done by student for $35.

It was 1971 and she was charging $2 an hour. So that's 17.5 hours work before a final logo was submitted. And you want a full web design finished in how long? Just sayin'

Wikipedia wrote:

Knight approached Davidson for design ideas, and she agreed to provide them, charging a rate of US$2 per hour. In June 1971, Davidson presented a number of design options to Knight and other BRS executives, and they ultimately selected the mark now known globally as the Swoosh. "I don't love it," Knight told her, "but I think it will grow on me." Davidson submitted a bill for US$35 for her work

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swoosh

OP - if your requirements are just as you say they are, I'd say your budget would be entry-level. You might get lucky but I'd still probably double it to get a quality design. Or, as others have said, have a look for an 'off-the-shelf' template.

You seem to know what your after though in fairness. The alarm bells just start to ring when people suggest 200 - 300 as a fair price for quality web design services.

techguy

Guys, I really appreciate the feedback and advice on prices.. Thanks!

Goodshape wrote: »

You seem to know what your after though in fairness. The alarm bells just start to ring when people suggest 200 - 300 as a fair price for quality web design services.

I think 200-300 is fairly reasonable for the project in mind. It's nothing serious and only requires a standard enough design with a small bit of tailoring. I was kind of relying on the idea of somebody having a base design that only needed a few hours work. Thanks for the input.

--
I'm going to hold out another while and the probably unsubscribe from this thread. I've gotten what I want and i've had enough of the arguments.

Dont.feed.the.troll(s)!!

Sheeps wrote: »

Wow, its hilarious how much money you can make in your spare time doing web development like this if these price quotes are anywhere near accurate. Wonder how much a website with a full back end to it would cost?

Sheeps wrote: »

It was supposed to be rhetorical, my point being that websites are a bloody rip off considering the amount of work that goes in to them.

-Out.

BostonB

Goodshape wrote: »

...It was 1971 and she was charging $2 an hour. So that's 17.5 hours work before a final logo was submitted. And you want a full web design finished in how long? Just sayin'....

She produced a bunch of designs. not one. $35 is about $200 in todays money. Or approx $11 an hour. Either you accept the budget or you turn away the work. Thats your choice. Regardless the budget should be fixed. You can't give out money you don't have.

Unless your a bank, obviously.

Goodshape

BostonB wrote: »

She produced a bunch of designs. not one.

She produced a bunch of options, of which one final design was chosen. Heaven forbid there might be some design iterations and back-and-forth with the client.

$35 is about $200 in todays money. Or approx $11 an hour.

And it's well known that Nike got lucky on that one. She also got a diamond ring and an envelope full of Nike stock 10 years later.

Just for contrast, the 2012 Olympics logo cost £4k. Hmmm, not so lucky.

techguy wrote: »

-Out.

Good idea!

Good luck with the project!

Pixelcraft

BostonB wrote: »

When someone says how long is piece of string when asked about anything. Run away. If the price range of something varies by a factor of 10x theres something wrong. Thats like someone looking for a 2k fiesta being pointed at a 20k mondeo.

Not really. Firstly this is a forum, and people are giving advice, that phrase is perfectly applicable and acceptable. Obviously, if you're dealing with a customer you're not going to be that blunt, but it's true.

If the quality range varies by a factor of 10x why is it wrong? To use your analogy, car prices can easily vary by a factor of 100, and the big difference - most people buying a car knows a little about them. In this industry, a lot of customers don't, and why would they?

If someone is looking for a fiesta, they're looking for the bare minimum of what a car does (no disrespect to fiesta drivers!)

If someone want's an aston martin, they obviously want and need more. Do you think an aston martin is a rip off?

cormee

BostonB wrote: »

When someone says how long is piece of string when asked about anything. Run away. If the price range of something varies by a factor of 10x theres something wrong. Thats like someone looking for a 2k fiesta being pointed at a 20k mondeo. Certainly you don't get quotes for painting a house that range from 1k to 10k. Spending lots of money on something doesn't alway equate to something better. The O2 website has been re-designed almost annually is its still brutal. Especially the webtext. The Nike Swoosh was done by student for $35.
.

What a dreadful analogy. It's nothing like someone asking for a Fiesta, it's like someone walking into a car dealers and asking for a 'car', try it you'll see what I mean.

Also regarding the Nike Swoosh, yes we've all heard these examples, Twitter paid $6 for their birdie graphic, however you're missing the point, the above examples are exceptions to the rule, that's why they're so well documented. If you want to be guaranteed results you need to go to a reputable and proven designer/agency. By all means take a risk and farm the work out to someone who is charging minimum rates and if it works out for you that's great, however 99% of the time it won't.

In the same way I wouldn't go to Lidl expecting to find gourmet food I wouldn't go to a cheap designer and expect professional results. Pay peanuts, get monkeys.