How do I contract out the design of an ASP.NET MVC Application?

Question

As many of you know MVC applications will have one or more of these View elements.

• Partial Controls
• Views
• Strongly Typed Views
• And probably others that I don't know yet.

As many developers, I am one of those that has no art for design, I can't think about colors, just about logic. I will like to contract out the graphic design of my small web app, about 7-10 pages. The biggest task is to create a good template (CSS and Master Page) with a good color palette. My question is how do I go about it?

Do I take the View directory and send it to the graphic artist? Do I send the whole application (i will like to avoid that)? Do I take snapshots (jpg, png) of the application now and send it to the GA?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

One way I find that works if you are willing and able to work with Html and Css is to request the design in a PDF. Then edit the site yourself (or some other htmler) until the designer and you sign off on it.

I wouldn't think many designers are experienced in working with the code files and if they are it would probably increase the price. Best to handover at the pdf level and if needs must then outsource the conversion of this to html to someone else or as a different sign off with the designer. Making the agreement on design will be easier and quicker with a Pdf.

Answer 2

It depends on whom are you contracting.

In my experience, the easiest and most productive way of doing this is to send out screenshots or drawings of what needs to be achieved, then sit down at a table with the designer and explain him/her in detail how will the application work.

In return they should give you HTML + CSS + images. HTML and CSS should have clear comments in there, about regions: where is the header, where is the menu, where is the content, etc. It will be up to you to make this into master pages and views. This will allow you to structure your code as it pleases you, without adding burden to the GA who won't do a good job anyway, it they are not technical.

In practice, the GA should produce a navigable HTML prototype. You will "animate" it.

Answer 3

Define an Information Architecture first. Then rough sketch a wireframe of the layout. Then contact a graphic artist and discuss the plan. Have the artist create a mockup. Then revise as needed. Finally, slice up the layout into HTML.

Answer 4

This is how we are doing it:

1.) We create wireframes using Axure RP. We define the basic layout, data on the pages, actions, transitions between the pages etc...

2.) We create HTML protoype from Axure and send it to the designer (outsource) which designs a page (Photoshop & Ilustrator). We get one psd file.

3.) After we confirm design, the psd file goes to the "coder" (outsource). He cuts the psd file into images & css and codes the html with comments.

4.) We integrate html's into master pages, views, etc...

It works well for us.

Answer 5

You might want to consider using Themeroller to come up with a basic color scheme. You can use an existing one from the gallery or modify one to meet your needs. This will make it easier to use jQuery UI plugins within your code and, once you figure how how to apply the jQuery UI classes to your own code, help you to layout most of your own look and feel. Once you have the basic look and feel down, then you can ask a designer to come up with specific image elements or find your own stock images at one of many stock image sites.