How many web experts does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

More than you think. Websites appear deceptively simple to produce, but in reality there is much more to publishing a good website than there is to publishing a book or magazine. Any custom website will require the skills of a number of specialists:

  •     designers
  •     copywriters
  •     artists/photographers/videographers (for original image content)
  •     image/video editors
  •     marketers (branding/positioning)
  •     producers (project/budget/time/resolution management)
  •     information architects
  •     web coders (HTML/CSS)
  •     web 2.0 coders (javascript/server scripting)
  •     Flash programmers
  •     database architects and administrators.

That's quite a diverse set of skills - ranging from predominantly right-brained at the beginning of the list, to left-brained at the end. It's challenging, or impossible, to find one individual that can do all elements of contemporary web development well.

The scope of website development depends on the number of professionals needed to accomplish the task (breadth), and the number of hours they need to implement the requirements of a particular project (depth). For example, a five-page brochure-style website can be done with less effort than a thousand-page interactive ecommerce catalog.

If a company does not have established branding, has no written content, needs professional photography of products or services, and wants a "national-level" web presence, the budget for the website will be much more than the budget for a company that has an existing website with acceptable content and simply wants an aesthetic "update." Using in-house "jack-of-all-trades" talent generally yields a less professional result than contracting with an experienced team of experts.

Kaleidoscope brings the left-brain to the table, your agency brings the right. Together we can truly help you work the web.