I'm thinking of hiring someone to give my new Wordpress blog a unique look. Generally if someone is charging by the hour, what will the rates be? Also what are somethings that we should be clear about before starting the work? I've never hired anyone to design my blog but I'm considering it. Thanks for your help.
Or you could try Thesis theme. It's the best theme without any doubt. You can customize as for your needs. Just google for it.
I'd not heard of the Thesis theme. I didn't make it through the video presentation but some of the sites created with it looked quite good. They all did have the look of a template though, rather than a bespoke design. There are many free wordpress templates out there but if you are considering getting your own written either to match a current website or to look unique then go for it. It really depends how involved the layout, look and features of your site will be as to how many hours it will take. It could take anything from a couple of hours to a couple of days dependant on your brief and whats required. I would say look for someone with experience creating wordpress based websites who can provide you with examples and contacts who they had created sites for. Its also worth considering that the layout will also need to work in future versions of wordpress and to budget for any future amendments that may be required - recently the comments, tag cloud and search templates we're moved within the wordpress core which has led us to have to amend some previous designs we've done. Best of luck with it anyway, I think wordpress continues to be a great free platform for a website or a blog.
If you are looking for someone to design the blog, make sure they have at least 5 or so blog designs under their belt, and see a portfolio. One thing you could do to help the design process is look at some wordpress templates and choose one that closely represents the one you would like to have. Then suggest changes, this gives you and the designer a better idea of what you want. I would look for someone who charges between 25 and 50 an hour, but no more than that. I wouldn't pay more than 400 dollars in total. Good luck!
Before hiring someone to design and build a Web site, look at their portfolio for examples and see what clients they have worked with in the past. Hire someone to design and build a Web site that has a clear message, and is finished on time, with information from a business development manager in this free video on hiring tips.