Modern Shopify web designers take two primary roles. The first is to help people set up their Shopify website so that they may get started and hopefully turn a profit. The second is to move on from a standard format and start building a website that can expand. In other words, designers will help you set up, and once you are turning a profit, they will help you grow into a more established and respectable business.
Designer Tasks
In very broad terms, the designer will create unique and user-friendly websites that are adapted to the requirements of the Shopify website owner, or that business’s brand principles. The tasks set for the designer are going to depend on what the user wants, all of which should be discussed in a planning meeting before starting the project as it is important to understand what the client wants and what the designer is capable of.
Tasks are often broken down into sections. The first is the creation of a template and/or a very basic design. Customization is another section, and the customization process may go on through the project. Plugins and extensions are another sections that may occur during the original project and at later dates after the website is set up. Ensuring the website is search engine friendly is important at first and may become an ongoing task if the client so demands.
Background Skills
Speaking of what Shopify web designers are capable of, you should consider the designer’s background skills. For example, if you want complete media integration, you need to know that your designer is capable of actually pulling that off.
Designers need raw coding and programming skills, and they also need a slew of other industry-related skills. These include things like imagination and creativity, technical ability, analytical skills, communication skills, attention to detail, excellent IT skills, patience, and experience using programs like Photoshop and NotePad++.
Current Knowledge
There are many elements to design that translate over to Shopify, and that are many that do not. It is important that the designer has a firm knowledge of Shopify and has plenty of experience. Otherwise, the designer is going to make what forum users call “Rookie mistakes” on the Shopify platform.
One of the things about current knowledge is that it helps avoid mistakes that are holding back the companies that are mired in the past. People get stuck in their ways and cannot understand how the entire online landscape seems to change every seven years. If your designer doesn’t have current knowledge, you are already at a disadvantage. It is like trying to enter a horse race with a horse that has six legs. It seems like a good idea at first, until you see how often it trips itself up.
Can I Hire Good Shopify Web Designers?
The streets are not littered with good designers who also have knowledge of Shopify, but if you are looking for a good deal from some seasoned professionals, then you could do worse than the Collective Fab Agency. At least with the agency, you know you are getting reliably good work that is both search engine friendly and secure.
