Design by Committee

Designing a website for a corporation can be troublesome. The term “design by committee” comes into play quite frequently. Don’t get me wrong, getting feedback on a design is very helpful, and I would argue, a necessity, but when there is a handful of directors, managers and editors telling you how it should look, that’s when the problems start.

You were hired to design and develop a website. If they already knew what they wanted, or wanted what someone else had already created, why did they hire you?

I understand that inspiration for a page layout usually comes from bits and pieces of other layouts that you, or others have found appealing, but to say to a designer, “do what they did” or “I want that exactly”, is unethical and illegal.

Tags: web design, design by committee, design