After almost two years of having an acting website I built myself from a simple Yahoo template (http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com - very inexpensive and simple to set up) I’m finally working with a web designer to construct a custom site and very excited at the prospect. First, of course, I had to find the designer, a task that not only involves searching for someone who has talent and is priced within your budget but also a person who has a personality and sense of design that complements your own. An effective working relationship is all about chemistry.

Happily, I belong to two online acting forums so getting recommendations was as simple as shooting out an email saying, “Hey, I need a web designer!” Some of those recommended were commercial design firms, others were individuals doing it as a side business. (Those designers in the list below that are marked with an asterisk were recommended by more than one actor, so if you’re considering a custom site their samples may give you some design ideas.)

I then sent all of the designers a mock-up of what I kind of had in mind and a detailed description of how I wanted each tab to function. I used to think with vendors that if I really “spelled it out” I’d be limiting the person’s creativity and insulting them as a professional, but that thought only led me and the respective vendor down many a blind alley. So I now go in with a core idea of what I want, but remain open to suggestions.