What do I need before designing a website?

Kickstarting a website design project is an exciting process that involves collaboration between you, your design team, and sometimes additional company stakeholders. For most businesses, it’s the primary digital application of their brand identity and will be a core asset in communicating who they are and what they do. 

For a design agency to deliver a successful website that meets the client's expectations and business objectives, the client needs to provide a comprehensive set of assets and information. Here’s a detailed guide on what a company should provide to a designer before your project start date. We’ve broken this down into “essential” needs and “nice-to-haves” for A+ preparation. Remember that the more you offer your design team, the more they can spend their time making your site extra special vs. filling in gaps of your content! 

Essential Website Preparation

Brand Guidelines 

Brand guidelines are crucial for maintaining consistency across all marketing materials, including your website. If you do not have brand colors and type established yet, be sure you let your design agency know you’re in need of rebrand ahead of a website project. All brands should have the following brand essentials: 

1. Logo Files: Provide high-resolution logo files in various formats (SVG, PNG, JPG).

2. Color Palette: Specify the primary and secondary colors used in your brand.

3. Typography: Include fonts and typography guidelines.

4. Voice and Tone: Describe the brand's voice and tone to ensure the content aligns with your brand identity.

Content

The best websites have really strong messaging, copy, brand photography, and supporting content. This includes:

1. Website copy for each page, including but not limited to: blog articles, product descriptions, service details, founder bios, and any other written material.

2. Images and Videos: High-quality images and videos that visually represent your brand.Tributary Design will source and apply custom brand colors to stock imagery or videography for their clients when needed. But we always recommend brand photography when time and budget permits. 

3. Icons: Any specific icons, illustrations, or animations that will be used throughout the website. The Tributary Design team can do this work if it’s not a part of your existing brand identity. 

Technical Specifications

Technical specifications help the designer understand the framework and limitations within which they will be working. These include:

1. Domain Name and Hosting Details: Information about where the site will be hosted and the domain name.

2. Content Management System (CMS) Preferences: If you have a preference for a particular CMS, like Squarespace, or Shopify, provide this information upfront.

Access and Credentials

To streamline the process, provide access to necessary accounts and platforms:

1. Existing Website Access: If redesigning, provide access to the current website.

2. Social Media Accounts: Access to social media accounts for integration.

3. Third-Party Integrations: Credentials for any third-party tools like email marketing platforms, CRMs, etc.

4. Login for Domain

Nice To Include in Website Preparations

Design Specifications

Providing detailed design specifications can help align the designer's vision with your expectations:

1. Wireframes or Sketches: Initial sketches or wireframes to provide a rough layout of the website

2. Sitemap: A clear sitemap outlining the structure and hierarchy of the website pages.

3. User Personas: Detailed descriptions of your target audience to guide the design and functionality decisions.

Functional Requirements

Understanding the functionality needed on the website helps in planning and execution:

1. Features and Functionalities: A list of desired features such as contact forms, e-commerce capabilities, social media integration, and any other specific functionalities.

2. User Flow Diagrams: Diagrams that map out the user journey through the website.

3. SEO Requirements: Basic SEO requirements and keywords that need to be integrated into the site.

Legal Documents

Ensure your website complies with legal standards by providing necessary legal documents:

1. Privacy Policy

2. Terms of Service

3. Cookie Policy

Analytics and Monitoring Tools

Set up analytics and monitoring tools to track the website’s performance post-launch:

1. Google Analytics: Ensure Google Analytics is set up and ready to be integrated.

2. Heatmap Tools: Tools like Hotjar to monitor user interaction on the site.

Providing these assets and information before kicking off a website design project ensures a smooth workflow, clear communication, and alignment between the client’s expectations and the designer’s vision. This comprehensive preparation paves the way for a successful project that meets the business objectives and delivers an outstanding user experience.

Interested in having your website redesigned? Be sure and check out our one week to launch approach here and schedule a free discovery call!