Quality Guidelines

Best practices for professional web designers and developers.

Our Measures for Approving or Denying Your Account

Once your account is up for approval, we'll review your profile and projects based on these guidelines. If approved, your listing will be live!

Communication

When working with high-end clients, good communication is as important, if not more important than the quality of your work. We have primarily English-speaking clients, so please fill out your profile and projects in English.

  1. Spelling. At least 99% mistake-free spelling? Attention to detail in your copy shows attention to detail in your work.
  2. Grammar. At least 99% mistake-free grammar? Did you capitalize the beginning of each sentence? Did you punctuate the end of each sentence? Proper use of commas?
  3. Enthusiasm. Are you excited to be here? Will you make our clients happy? Will you encourage clients to be excited about their projects?
  4. Promptness. How soon after you created your account did you complete your profile? If we ask you to make changes to improve your account, how quickly do you make those changes?
  5. Completeness. Did you complete your Biography, Perfect Client, and Why Hire Me copy? Did you complete your About and Role on each of your projects? Add captions on additional images?

For Designers

From what we can see on your project and live site.

  1. Focus. Is there a clear focus to your design? Does the focus immediately tell the user what they should do? Does that focus solve a design problem, a business problem? Is it simple?
  2. Typography. Is there a maximum of 2-3 fonts? Do the fonts pair well? Is it properly set on the page? Are there well-proportioned headlines and subheadlines to create a visual hierarchy?
  3. Layout. Is the design well-balanced? Does it follow a grid? How well does it stick to the grid? Is there a baseline grid? How well does it utilize whitespace?
  4. Color. Is there a clear understanding of color theory? Complementary colors? Psychology of colors? Is there a strong contrast between text and background? Does it feel right?
  5. Understanding of Development. Does the design consider the challenges of development? Can the experience be responsively duplicated on any device?

For Developers

From what we can access on the live site.

  1. Functionality. Does the software do what it is meant to do? How often is there an error? Is it scalable? Was the code thoroughly tested?
  2. Usability. Is it easy for the user to complete a task? When they can't complete a task, are they informed why? Do the details provide a pleasant experience? Is it responsive?
  3. Best Practices. Does the code abide by the latest web standards? Minimal usage of background images? Is the site heavy? How quickly does it load? Graceful degradation? Progressive enhancement? Inline styles vs. style sheets? Any deprecated attributes? Cross-browser compatibility?
  4. Consistency. Is there consistency in naming practices? Is it DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself)? Do the animations provide a consistent experience?
  5. Understanding of Design. How well do you understand the importance of design? Keeping elements on the grid? Re-positioning and removing elements responsively and responsibly?

We understand that the quality of your work is often dictated by the client and the people you work with. It's important to upload the best three examples of your work, both for us and the clients who will hire you.