Designing Websites. Process with customer

Web Design
#1

Hello all.

Anyone in here use Wix? Yah yah, I don’t need to be told how drag and drop web builders aren’t real website builders. Graphic designer of 22 years that hates even looking at code and avoided doing websites my whole career. Lol so Wix along with all the other drag and drop editors have provided me a slight “oh I can now build sites without typing in html all day? Im in.”

Anyways…
Does anyone build Wix sites for customers and if so how does Pre-design go? Do you explain to them that it stays housed on Wix, when do you transfer site over? etc…

I would also love to hear from others that use other website builders and how their process works from start to finish with the customer.

My career has been design so its simply providing the files when finished then sending a bill so i’m a bit uneducated on the whole process of how to handle the customers domain and host, etc.

Thanks!

#2

Have a look at sparkleapp. Great for static sites no code needed. Anything larger, dynamic, etc, I’d do it in XD and get a developer involved. Last year I designed a sit in XD for a client who had a ‘wix developer’ already. Absolute nightmare. Mostly because this ‘developer’ was a stay-at-home mom, who had no clue, but thought because she could use wix (ish) she’d set herself up as a designer and developer. I wasn’t a massive fan of wix, despite her incompetence. Much prefer sparkle. Worth a look.

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#3

As someone who’s written HTML/CSS for decades to the point of it becoming second nature, I have a little bit of trouble relating to your situation.

However, Wix has such serious inadequacies that’s I’d never dream of foisting it on a client.

There are some pretty good Wordpress frameworks and themes that all but eliminate the need for coding. And even when working with Wix, a little knowledge of very basic HTML would be very helpful.

As for hosting, if you build the site in Wix, it stays in Wix since it’s a proprietary system with it’s own behind-the-scenes technology.

With a normal, non-Wix website, you’d need a domain name to make it live to the public, which can be easily obtained from any of several dozen registrars, such as GoDaddy. Once the domain is registered, the domain needs to point to the domain name servers (DNS) of the hosting company. The hosting company supplies you with their DNS numbers, and you’d just enter those numbers on the registrar’s website.

#4

I know my boundaries. The sites I have done in Wix are simple brochure style websites. Every scenario so far has been someone asking me if I do websites. I say not really, the most I’ll do is a standard Wix site. I explain what wix is and if that’s all they would be looking for. If agreed upon I provide them a Wix site. I would never resort to Wix for an in depth site or if a persons demands were above just wanting a site that has “ about us, services, contact is”.

It would be tough to convince me that Wix isn’t fine for a standard website for a customer that only seeks to have a modest site with their info on it.

I certainly plan on expanding my horizons and move from Wix and learn some of the other ones out there that doesn’t demand the hosting stays with them.

#5

Thanks. Im trying to find a good drag and drop web builder thats free that gives you the ability to host anywhere when done… Do you know of any? Im basically just trying to get my feet wet. I want to practice without having a monthly fee.

I have been a print designer of 22 years. I have had my head down for many years being busy with print design, so I am now determined to catch up and comprehend everything thats going on in the design field. Possibly looking for employment. Trying to learn the programs that employers are asking you to have experience in but kinda tough when every employer uses a different web builder. I have been hearing employers mention figma and XD a lot too. I just started playing around with XD.

#6

What you’re looking for might exist, but, if it does, I’m not familiar with it.

Honestly, though, I think you’re going about this incorrectly. I get the impression you’re looking for an easy way to produce pro results without knowing the underlying mechanisms. Even with the drag and drop solutions I’ve seen and putzed around with, a basic knowledge of HTML and CSS, and at least a rudimentary understanding of PHP and coding is extremely helpful. For example, I have a client who uses a host-based drag and drop system. He was having a hard time figuring out how to do one thing in particular. I get on there and was able to figure it out in short order since I have some background knowledge of these things.

The approach you’re wanting to take could lead to some problems — and potentially serious problems. What are you going to do if a client wants some design feature or functionality that isn’t baked in to the drag and drop system? What are you going to do when a word is breaking funny and you have to add custom CSS to not allow breaks? What are you going to do when a site crashes and you don’t have a backup because you only know how to build a site via drag and drop?

If web design is something you want to offer as a service to clients and a revenue stream for yourself, there are no shortcuts. You need to learn how to do things the right way.

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#7

I completely agree with Steve. You’re assuming you can open a shop as a baker by heading to the supermarket to pick out loaves of bread for your customers. And to top it off, you want the loaves of bread to be free.

Wix is a do-it-yourself solution for people who have no idea how to build websites, as are the others that you’re hoping to find. If all your prospective clients want is a do-it-yourself website, they could do it themselves. All you’re offering is to save them the hassle and, perhaps, make it a bit prettier by picking the template, colors, and typefaces you prefer.

That’s not web design; it’s rearranging the furniture.

You don’t need to be a professional coder to design small websites, but you need to know something about it. Even a do-it-yourself home handyman needs to learn how to use a hammer and a saw. Your statement, “…Graphic designer of 22 years that hates even looking at code,” isn’t an attitude that will work.

The bare minimum for doing what you’re hoping to do is learning some basic HTML and CSS. Honestly, the basics aren’t that hard. Do this the right way and learn how to line up hosting companies, use FTP to manage the files, learn how to set up a MySQL database, and install WordPress (I’m not a WordPress fan, but it’s popular because it’s simple). Geech, most hosting companies have automated ways of doing all this.

Then get a drop-and-drag framework for WordPress, and install it. Again, it’s WordPress, which makes it easy. Then use one of the framework’s modifiable templates to build a standard website. You can buy thousands of add-ons for a Wordpress site that Wix or services like it don’t offer. I’ve suggested Divi before, so I’ll mention it again. I don’t use it, but other people I respect have, and it’s almost entirely drag-and-drop if you prefer not to dive into much coding at first (or ever).

As for Figma and XD, why are you messing around with them? They’re primarily front-end design tools designers use to hand off work to coders and developers. Are you hoping to land a job on a web development team or just build websites for clients. If it’s the latter, put a little effort into learning how actually to build a basic website.

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#8

I would say you could look into Wordpress using Divi or Avada. It’s about as close as you will get to drag and drop, but it isn’t free. As @Steve_O said, having some HTML and CSS knowledge will help quite a bit. At work we use the Avada theme, and I will say that I was similar to you. Nearly 25 years of doing mainly print design, but I dabbled in Flash and ActionScirpt when it was popular. In the last few years I’ve familiarize myself with more and more HTML and CSS. Not enough to hand code a site, but enough knowledge to make adjustments, and understand generally how and what can be done.

It may be worth looking into Divi or Avada which would be more flexible than Wix (I say that, I’ve never used Wix).

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#9

I can relate to you. I am an older designer, thats having a tough time with the new era of templates and other forms of “making it easier” and non-authentic. But I’m beginning to accept to keep up with times. Photographers had to, you should to.

#10

What? And what does authenticity or making things easier have to do with this?

#11

XD is great for designing sites, but not for building them. It is exactly what I use for larger sites, where a developer is involved – the way it should be done really.

I am happy to use Sparkle for smaller, brochure sites, but it definitely helps to know how to code, I learned years ago and have written sites with just a text editor before.

These days, it has all got so complex though, that, splitting the job up into different specialties is the way to go, ie, design, developer, SEO. Helps to know something of the nuts and bolts if you are going to use anything wysiwyg. Alternatively, leave it to the experts and learn UI and UX (XD, figma, sketch, etc) and let developers develop and build.

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#16