Building Your Site

When building a website (or having one built) there are two views.... The designers/webmaster and the client.
What most fail to understand is that the builder and the client must have direct, real conversation/communication.  An exact idea from the client is important to the designer.  A good designer will abound on the description with more than one concept and offer an exact 'sample' design of what was relayed verbally and a second (maybe even a third) 'sample' using the given directions with a designers view.  In doing this, the designer can show a degree of their ability to the client without disregard to the client.
As a designer, that is our competence. The clients competence is in the field for which is their career or business. As such, there may be things on the site that are relevant that the designer may not understand... and in opposition, there are aesthetics of design that the client will not understand.
So, back to the top of this blog, a full communication is necessary for the job to be done to its best degree.
The designer will, or should, be in tune with your desires as a client when you are clear about what the site must reveal; a ball park of the colors (using two or three colors is most recommended, or use a photo or graphic and pull color scheme from that); and the overall desire of the font -- both as a title and in the text.  These can all be pulled together for a site that is personal or for business.  Knowing the wanted outcome plays a major role to the designers perception of the finished product.  Of course, it is not finished until the client is satisfied.
The goal of the client is to relay their desire; the goal of the designer is to accomplish the desire -- usually in his own style.
As in dance or fonts... each designer will manage to incorporate their own style into the design, giving them their niche of creativeness that reflects them.  You can hire a dozen designers and give all of them the same description of what you want and you will come up with a dozen 'styles'... or interpretations.  Some will present bold while others will present conservative; some will present with multiple color while others will stop with two or three; some may see a quirky vision of your description while another may see it in animation.  That is what makes them individual and unique designers.
One concept that clients do not grasp easily is that being a designer does not mean one is a coder or photographer. However, being a designer, we will find the means to put together a good layout.... with or without the help of second or third party.
In the end.... the main thing is communication between the two.