I have been a designer in the web-space for a long time. I have seen the web go from being a simple text string on a browser window to a complex visual design. I was part of the dot com bubble in New York City, and personally witnessed it bursting a couple years later.

People would come to me to design their website. Sometimes I would tell them that they didn’t need one, or that they could be just as happy with a cheap template. Why do a custom design for a simple site? Custom design is simply too expensive for most folks at a minimum of $3000 for a well-designed site.

Without a doubt websites have become an indispensable tool in contemporary culture. I now think that everyone doing any kind of business should have one, and perhaps every individual should too. The caveat is that if you are going to skimp on good design, it would be far better to have no site at all. A badly designed website — and any other marketing materials — will hurt your image far more than you probably realize.

A website is only one item in your package of marketing materials. A website alone is not enough — you should support it with your business card, your brochure, your profile on Linked In, and so forth.

— Copyright 2008 Aliyah Marr