With online engagement levels at an all time high, there has never been a more important time to focus on your brand’s web presence. For many businesses, this is likely to mean working with a new designers who can help to make their visions into a tangible reality. Yet with plenty of work available out there for the most talented individuals, how can you make your project stand out?

How to appeal to UX designers

If you want your website to provide the best possible “shop front” for your brand, then you will need the best possible development talent to help you achieve this. The most capable UX designers are likely to be in demand, so you might find that you need to consider how to tempt them onboard. After all, as Adobe highlighted with their 2017 study, professionals with these skills are in a uniquely fortunate position when it comes to picking and choosing their work, thanks to an industry-wide skills shortage, which is combined with a strong growth in demand.

Luckily, such web designers tend to be driven by a certain set of factors when they consider which project to take on. These factors include:
1. interesting projects
2. a compelling narrative
3. brand or company culture
4. a clearly defined role
5. great perks

How to make projects sound interesting

To address the first of these factors, it’s important to take a moment to determine what a prospective designer is likely to find interesting about a potential job. Their curiosity could be piqued by the chance to develop new or exciting features, providing these talented professionals with a real challenge to occupy themselves with. You can smooth the way by clearing any necessary changes or modifications with higher-level staff before engaging your designers: this will also appeal to your designer, who will likely be keen to avoid being held up by in-house “red tape” as you wait to get these innovative new design elements signed off by management.

Likewise, offering a clearly defined role which mentions the anticipated requirements upfront will almost certainly be more attractive than a vague request for a UX designer. For example, clearly highlight whether your focus will be on improving the user journey, or refining the presentation of website content. When everybody aligns their expectations from the start, the whole experience is made more efficient and the end result is more successful.

Of course, to really make your project sound appealing, you will need to offer a little bit more. After all, any brand can offer a designer the chance to sink their teeth into a challenging job. Make your offer stand out by allowing the designer to be drawn into your brand’s narrative. If they feel that they can make a positive difference to a company whose ethos they agree with, the designers will be more likely to want to come and work with you towards a shared objective.

How to sell your brand experience

This narrative can extend beyond the products or services that your organisation deals in. Emphasise the good points about your working culture or any additional policies that could appeal. For example, studies show that brands that demonstrate an environmentally friendly ethos are more likely to attract new talent, even where salaries or other perks are less than their competitors. So if you can show off sustainability credentials such as carbon offsetting or moving to paperless offices (or other insightful benefits-in-kind), you might just tempt a talented designer to come and work with you.
Playing to a designers passion for their profession is a great way to attract a talented individual onboard, and highlighting the aspects that make your brand special can sweeten the deal. After all, with digital transformation now a key priority for many businesses, there’s never been a better time to create something special online.