[...] all about this in our featured article or visit Lunarpages.com > Design to see how you can take advantage of some amazing discounts on [...]

A couple of these design shops look really good. The problem is there does not seem to be a clear indication as to estimated costs for various services.

For example. I need a company logo that can be used on my website and business card. I can’t pay an arm and a leg for it if I want to get the other things I need to do done, These include a CMS set up based on Joomla. I want to use Joomla or Word Press. I am leaning towards Joomla as I hope I can use it forever. This means I want to learn how to use it properly myself not just have somebody else slap it up there for me. I have the book but I still need a Joomla coach.

As for the web design…..I don’t want to get locked into an expensive template if the trend is going to be changing templates in future. I may need a shopping cart someday but not at the moment but I believe I need a rock n roll Blog capability including a video box(es), RSS and interactive features.

This together with English and Japanese to get going. I don’t know who to trust. This is a real problem. Perhaps if you have someone on your team that has a real business head and who fully understands the trade offs and the reputations of the designers involved we could all get somewhere.
Anyway thanks for looking this over.

Wow, that is a load of designers your working with. Should be something for everybody!

Been a BIG MindSmack fan for a long time. They do good work!

How does one get into this directory? Please see mine and tell me if I am good enough to be in it and what I need to do. Thank you, Tony Natsoulas

Hal asks: who can you trust? My answer is: Only yourself. You have to do due diligence in educating yourself. Look at the designer’s work, and get a list of references. How long has the designer been in business? Don’t be afraid to get a credit report. If the designer’s credit isn’t good, chances are he or she doesn’t know how to run a business, and may not be trustworthy. What is the going market rate for the various services you need? Clearly define your needs in the language of the medium, and then ask the appropriate questions. Sometimes it makes sense to hire a consultant to analyze your needs.

Something I’m called upon to do fairly often is to wear a business consultant’s hat in addition to my web developer’s hat. I believe a good developer helps his or her clients understand what their options are, and what a realistic expectation might be for the proposed outlay of cash. I’ve talked clients out of expensive options in the 13 years I’ve been a developer. Why? Because I knew that the feature or function they wanted wasn’t likely to pay for itself in the long run, and that is how one succeeds in this business: By developing long term, happy clients.

Rob Wood
HyperGold Web Services
http://www.hypergold.com

Hi Hal – I deeeeefinitely understand your concern over pricing. We tried to keep the pricing there relatively simple, but the price as always depends on the complication of the project. You’ll never get roped into a contract just by emailing or calling the companies listed. I have spoken with the owners of every single company, and we hand picked these guys, so they are not out to steal your money – just to give you a great design and help you put your vision online.

If you need some assistance, feel free to email me at affiliate@lunarpages.com and we can walk through some steps together and I can gather some quotes from the various companies for you.