Design Guidelines and Level of Quality
I want only the best designers working for Rainbow. I have worked for a graphic design firm and I have done quite a bit of graphic design myself in my past and I know what looks good and what doesn't. Yes, there are a lot of "designers" even ones that get paid for it that claim that they are good, but I won't hesitate to tell them that they suck if they do.
Graphic Design is an art and as most things that involve an artistic talent, it requires a certain level of quality. One can be artistic but at the same time not be ready for the market because the market requires something more than art, it requires functionality.
I learned graphic design from watching from the best. I looked at the websites that were popular, those that were created by famous designers, and those that I just though personally looked really good. After mimicking their art, I began to come up with my own style. Finding a style is extremly important. Monet, Davinci, and Mozart all had their own distinctive styles.
They stopped their experimentation in their early ages to create a distinctive style that they could call their own.
Designers that work for Rainbow must be good. I would suggest going and looking at a site that I like. http://www.coolhomepages.com has a very good collection of pages that have been reviewed and rated. Their interface allows you to browse through categories of great looking sites as thumbnails and for me it provides a source of inspiration when I'm stuck.
Eventually we'll need three groups of designers. Ones that will be creating the graphics and interfaces in the software, others that will be creating the themes that most people use, and others that will be helping paying customers build their dreams online.
It may be harsh for the designers that don't yet have the world class style that I require, but my standards are high for a reason. I want the customer to feel satisfied with the work we do here and be successful because of our work. If the work isn't good, they won't be successful. It's as simple as that.
Rahul