Minnesota Web Design Directory

Should you hire local?

Location. Location. Location.

Honestly, in the web design business, it doesn't matter if your web designer is your next door neighbor or if he works out of a Starbucks on the 77th floor of a Hong Kong skyscraper. Because of the location-less nature of the world wide web itself, you don't need someone to meet with you face-to-face in order for them to design your website.

However...

Some people like to see the people they work with sitting in front of them, and if this is what you need, then by all means, hire a local person. For some projects, it might be necessary for you to hire a local. A designer in New York City would have an incredibly difficult time photographing all the employees working at the Minnesota State Capitol for an online goverment personnel directory.

Conversely, if your small, start-up rock band needs a hip Flash web site and the guy with the best rock-band website portfolio lives 2500 miles away in Los Angeles, there's no reason you can't hire him. All you've got to do is mail a few photographs and some MP3s to the designer and he'll have no problem designing your site for you without meeting face-to-face. The decision is entirely up to you.