Here are a few factors to consider when budgeting to hire a web designer.

The scope of your web design will be somewhat proportional to the size of your site, but you might have other graphic elements you want to include. For instance, some people want their web designer to create collateral materials like a logo, favicons, or email templates.

This is where a good creative brief can help you map out all of the elements, pages, and items you might need from the designer. A thoughtful and well-defined creative brief will help prevent scope creep, make your project run smoothly, and set expectations up front that will help to attract a talented web designer who can deliver the results you’re looking for.

A good brief will also help you understand the skills and experience level you need, which should also help you with budget. Use the brief to share information with the designer including:

Background of your business or industry.

A summary of your project: What it is, and why you need it.

Site wireframes and concepts.

UI data, research, and testing requirements.

Timeline, milestones, and deliverables.

Color schemes, logos, or existing design guidelines.

Your target audience.

Any collateral design materials.

Document as much of the site’s purpose and workflow as you can to help the designer get an idea of your overall scope.

Deliverables. Some designers will give you the site’s layout as an image that will then be coded by a front-end developer, unless they’re capable of doing it themselves. If not, be sure to specify if the designer needs to break the layout into elements that can be coded into the CSS and HTML of your site.

Some designers will give you the site’s layout as an image that will then be coded by a front-end developer, unless they’re capable of doing it themselves. If not, be sure to specify if the designer needs to break the layout into elements that can be coded into the CSS and HTML of your site. Animation and interactivity. Animated graphics or interactive design are common elements of many modern sites. Not every designer does animation, so you should probably specify if you want animation for any elements of your site. Anything to help the designer determine your requirements will help nail down a more accurate estimate.

Animated graphics or interactive design are common elements of many modern sites. Not every designer does animation, so you should probably specify if you want animation for any elements of your site. Anything to help the designer determine your requirements will help nail down a more accurate estimate. UI Research. Every industry has their own standard interface and elements that make a design intuitive to your users. If you have any of these elements, you should document them and communicate niche specifics to your designer to ensure that they incorporate them during design time.

Every industry has their own standard interface and elements that make a design intuitive to your users. If you have any of these elements, you should document them and communicate niche specifics to your designer to ensure that they incorporate them during design time. Testing.Many customers forget testing or even want to skip it. Buggy software can ruin your application’s chance to compete. Testing time is proportional to the size and complexity of your project, so always consider testing as a part of your scope and set aside some budget for it.

Every location has its own cost of living, and this will affect a web designer’s rates and subsequently, your web design budget. You can find a freelance designer from anywhere in the world, but there are a few considerations before hiring someone who isn’t local to you.

Time zone and how it affects a timeline and budget is a direct result of a freelancer’s geography. If your designer is 10 hours ahead or behind your timezone, communication will be slower. This affects your timeline, because you’ll probably receive a response 24 hours after you send your question. Some designers will work during the time zone of their regular clients, so ask the provider about their office hours.

The next factor is language. Although web design doesn’t require someone who speaks the same language, it’s important that your designer understands your requirements. This can be more difficult if you don’t speak the same language fluently. You can interview a freelancer to explain your requirements and get a feel for their understanding of the project before you begin.

The type of operating system and hosting doesn’t matter much for design, but the platform is a factor. For instance, if you need a WordPress theme, the designer must work with WordPress themes and customize them in a way that a developer can feasibly code in CSS or JavaScript on the front end. If you use another CMS, the developer must work with those elements. Most designers specialize in specific platforms, so review their portfolios and experience for specific platforms before you invite them to bid on your project.

Another factor is the type of design that’s needed. A gaming site probably has much more detailed design than a standard, clean personal blog. Complexity of design will boost the budget. You need to speak to a designer to gauge the amount of time necessary for your design project, but the following chart gives you a general idea of the hourly rates charged by a web designer.

Type of Design Description Average Hourly Rate Basic One-Page Site Just one page design. Very few elements. Basic layout and UI. $15-40 + CMS Design Themes and designs that work directly with your CMS such as Joomla, WordPress, Drupal, etc. $20-50 + Full Custom Site Design Building a design from scratch with custom code and design elements. Usually, a large project that requires some coding. $45-75 +

You should expect anywhere from 10 hours for a very small design project to several dozen hours for a large-scale, custom design that will need several rounds of revisions. You should also factor in revisions and feedback that the designer must then incorporate into the original design.