Websites can cost anywhere from a thousand or two all the way up into the million dollar range – so what separates the two? Unfortunately, not a whole lot!

The style I want to discuss today is flash sites. Flash is a tool used to add animation, movement and interest into a website. For example, our main site, Motor Creative, was created using flash. Flash is more expensive (usually) than a traditional style site because of the development needed, the photography and the skill of the developers.

With that said, I have seen hundreds of flash websites that are beautifully done, easy to read, easy to follow and were easily under $10K (including our own). On the other side, I have seen sites that make me want to rip my hair out for the lack of usability, and yet know the designers were paid well into the six figures, if not seven, to create the monstrosity.

Here are two sites that fit the bill:

Inexpensive but incredibly well done (other than ours): Sipper Photograhy

Horribly pricey and impossible to navigate: Panamera Web Special (click web special in the bottom corner)

What is the first difference you notice about the two sites? The obvious factor is it is a small business vs. a multi-billion dollar business. But what about the sites themselves? Which is easier to find information? What about details of the work/product? At the end of the day, just because a company is bigger and worth more doesn’t mean their sites are any better.

What flash sites (or normal sites) have you seen that fit either category?

Would you hire Jeff Gordon to drive your race car and then insist you drive it while he rode in the passenger seat?

Probably not.

So then why would you hire a graphic design and marketing team to drive your brand with a new image, new strategy and killer creative concepts but then limit what they can create?

People hire marketing firms because they don’t have all the answers or the ability to create the designs they need. We understand that your products are your babies, and we promise to treat them with the love and care that they deserve, but when you try and hold the reigns, it really limits our creative ability.

You hired us, you need to trust us.