Often times, when talking to a perspective client about website design, we explain the concept of the Sales Triangle.

The concept basically works like this;
For your particular project, there are 3 options available to you. But, you can only pick two.
Your 3 options are Cheap, Fast, and Good. Pick two.

Well, the truth is most of us want something as Good as possible for as Cheap as possible. And so what tends to happen is that we end up buying the same things multiple times over. But if something costs a bit more and is clearly worth the extra price then we’ll gladly pay (ie. see Apple’s 4th quarter sales on the iPhone).

The same can be said of website design. If you skimp on cost then you skimp on quality and the site will most likely have to be done again. That’s not to say that once you build a good site it’s done forever. Ney, ney! As you well know the web and the way we access the web is always changing.  But an effective site typically requires good design and good process which doesn’t necessarily equal cheap or fast. So when it comes to website design, part of our responsibility is to help our clients to appreciate the value of choosing the right options on the Sales Triangle for their business.

For another interesting take on this subject, check out this article from Smashing Magazine.