This month was a busy one for the Web designer listings. I received over 50 submissions, and most of them were usable. Hint to all you spammers out there - submitting your "shoe sales business" isn't going to get you listed on my site, no matter how many times you submit it. :-)
For those of you Freelance Web Designers out there, this is a great way to get started marketing your business. And if you have an interesting submission, you might even get a highlight in the About.com Web Design/HTML blog like:
Why did I pick those to highlight? Primarily because something about their submission caught my eye. It might have been that they offered an unusual service, or they were located somewhere where I hadn't noticed other designers. But primarily, they did a good job filling out the form.
Ok. I know there are a TON of people out there calling themselves web “designers”, but come on. The 4 people you spotlighted just don’t make the grade imo. There was maybe 2 or 3 good sites in all of their portfolios… not great, just good. And all the rest were horrible or at best mediocre.
Now I know there are tons of CSS & design related galleries out there showcasing all the incredible designs professionals and amateurs are coming up with these days, but that doesn’t mean about.com should be ok with giving below par design a spotlight. You’re only encouraging bad design.
~ Justin
Hi Justin,
Thanks for your feedback. While you may have a point, I wasn’t highlighting these sites because of their design skills. I was highlighting their advertisement of their businesses. In most cases with the Web designer listings, I don’t check the portfolio sites that they submit – that is up to potential customers.
I review design skills in my Web Design Gallery – there you can see my specific feedback on Web designs done by people. I only do that type of feedback there because the people submitting their sites to the design gallery have asked to be critiqued. The Web designer listings are set up to advertise Web designers – they are not specifically looking for a critique of their skills.
Thank for useful info!
One of the links from the TAC Web Designs site attempted to put an infected file on my system. Glad I had auto-protect turned on. Just thought I would warn others.
I agree Justin!
Even the sites featured in the design gallery don’t meet the grade either!
Hi Janet,
Do you happen to remember which one? I’ll remove it.
Thanks