Another problem, apart from the odious design, is that these people often do not understand the purpose of a website. They exploit small to medium enterprises by applying the same frightful templates to each new client.Web design is starting to be exploited by unscrupulous people who charge heinous amounts for odious designs. This isn't the first time I have been called in to pick up the pieces and I'm sure each of us could share stories of how we have salvaged websites. The sad thing is most businesses do not know better and end up fleeced.
My current favourite is the group of people - you'll see in a moment why I use that term - who the MD of one company met. She was persuaded into a re-branding exercise by the group, who were apparently from a large multinational advertising agency. Part of the re-branding was for the client to open a new division for management services. Call the client Wotsit. The new division was to be something like Wotsit Management. The re-branding guys got onto this and decided that Wotsit.mgmt would be a good logo. (Most of their 're-branding' involved re-designing logos.) They also offered to re-design the client's existing - and functional - website.
I arrived. The re-branding group was behaving oddly for employees of a major international ad agency, such as sending out invoices under a different name. I got the client to deduct withholding tax from each invoice payment. The re-branders did not understand withholding tax. If you live and work in New Zealand, you have to. They were, however, still employees of the ad agency. [If any ad agencies want to ask me if these people work for them, I will happily tell them.]
I persuaded the client that the URL www.wotsit.mgmt.co.nz was impractical, although they might go for mgmt.wotsit.co.nz. (They are already wotsit.co.nz.)
I also arranged for the ruffled feathers of the current developers and hosts - who doing a good job - to be smoothed after the re-branders approached them, told them they would be taking over the website (although none of them knew Cold Fusion), but that they would need to use the ousted developer's resources for their own development and testing.
As a management consultant, I have now gradually explained what re-branding really is, and we're moving towards some better - ie, real - solutions. But all these con artists are a real nightmare.
Regards,
David
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