Many companies entrust their custom website design to offshore agencies due to the flexibility of the model and access to a vast talent pool. However, some prefer to outsource website design to nearshore contractors, where the client and the company share the same culture and time zone. For those who prefer nearshoring, we've prepared a step-by-step guide to web design services Sydney offers, complete with a list of top agencies in the area. We'll also take a look at the overall design landscape in Sydney, compare it to web design services in Melbourne and Brisbane, explore the pros and cons of outsourcing website design to offshore and nearshore teams, and compare web design hourly rates in different regions worldwide to those in Australia. Let's start with statistical numbers related to web design in Sydney.

The web design scene in Sydney

First of all, why do we focus on web design services Sydney providers offer? The answer lies in the numbers. According to the official occupation statistics of the Australian Government as of August 2024, the highest percentage of graphic and web designers, as well as illustrators, is concentrated in the state of New South Wales, at 39.3%. The state of Victoria holds second place with 29.2%. In total, there are around 53,300 specialists in this creative field across the country.

Generally, these professionals possess a bachelor's degree when it comes to their education level. These statistics indicate that there is no shortage of web design services providers, particularly in New South Wales and its capital. The specialists are well-educated, and the competition among them is intense. Therefore, there are plenty of choices when searching for an ideal contractor in any field in Sydney — be it a graphic design agency, a web design company, or a full-cycle development firm.

The government website also details the tasks these specialists can perform. By hiring a nearshore web design company or a freelance specialist to create a custom website, companies can expect contractors to manage the project from defining its objectives to deploying the product, including all necessary communication with the client along the way. Thus, businesses can find professionals capable of covering all aspects of web design within the local market.

It is common sense that communication is a two-way process. To determine the best contractor for a project, a client should have a thorough understanding of their own project. Taking the time to clearly define project goals and requirements will help you choose a partner and effectively collaborate with web design agencies. So, let's now take an overview of what needs to be done before the client even starts scrolling and examining potential companies.

First steps

The initial step is understanding the product's requirements, which are usually connected to the industry the web product will serve. Although a good agency can help to validate the client's ideas, communication and the website design process will go faster if the client can convey a clearer vision. What points should be considered?

Purpose

A key question to ask is why the company needs a custom website or web application in the first place. If it is a redesign, what objectives should it achieve, and what new features should it offer?

Target audience

It is important to consider the audience that will interact with the product. Should the design follow trends popular among a certain generation of users or opt for a more straightforward and minimalist style? Should it incorporate interactive elements, illustrations, or animations?

Competitors' analysis

Examining competitors' websites can aid in understanding what unique features a new product's web design might offer. This helps define the unique features a custom website should have, which can then be communicated to the agency.

Time and budget

A reliable contractor will provide the client with a time and cost estimate. However, the estimation given by agencies before starting the website design is always approximate. To avoid unpleasant surprises during the collaboration process, clients need to set time and budget expectations in advance.

With a plan in place, it becomes easier to identify which agencies will be able to meet your needs and which will not. Let's explore the features to seek in Sydney web design service providers.

Choosing the contractor: What to look for in Sydney agencies

Ultimately, you'll get to know the company during the collaboration process. However, some factors can be helpful in searching for what web design Sydney companies have to offer.

1. Check feedback

One of the most efficient ways to gauge a company's reputation is by examining feedback from former and current clients. Even a brief review can save time. If an agency has no reviews or mostly negative and biased ones, it's not worth further consideration. Several review platforms provide real client feedback. Trusted platforms include:

• Design Rush
• Clutch
• Upwork
• Goodfirms

2. Check the portfolio

A design agency's portfolio shows its skills. Beside publishing portfolios on their websites, companies often post on platforms that host designs from creators worldwide, providing tools for self-promotion. This creates healthy competition and a chance for clients to partner with an agency that perfectly matches their requirements. Examples of such platforms are:

• Behance
• Dribbble
• Awwwards
• Layers.to
• Instagram

3. Check the agency's website

The best representation of the agency's skills would be their own website. However, we put it on the third place of our checklist as this criteria doesn't decide it all. Nevertheless, a good design agency's website should look good and be a brief illustration of the company specialists' skills. For example, at Ronas IT, we added animation to our creative landing design page to demonstrate what a client might expect from collaborating with us.

Website design of top design agencies headquartered in Sydney such as Teko and CUT THRU illustrate this point quite well. We'll speak about them in detail later on.

4. Communicate to know more

It is important to gain more insight into the company, and many things can be learned even during the first call. If you're based in Sydney, you might visit the office, though it's not always representative today, as an agency might have a distributed team with modest headquarters in the city. Nonetheless, here is the information you should obtain from the contractor:

Relevant experience. Has an agency ever had relevant projects? When a design agency team has experience in some field, it means they'll spend less time designing your product. However, a skilled team with an excellent portfolio shouldn't face much difficulty with new projects.

Regular demos. Will they hold regular demos? A demo is a presentation of what has been accomplished during a particular period of design or development. For example, Ronas IT teams work in sprints (2-3 week periods), culminating in a meeting call with the client to show results. If an agency doesn't show the mid-results of their work, it often indicates something is amiss. A good contractor will want to clarify your vision throughout the process, discuss references, and show prototypes before proceeding to interface design.

Accessibility. How easy will it be to reach out to the agency team? Clients might have questions between demos, and that's perfectly normal. An agency should be ready to notify you of updates as frequently as you require. You should be able to propose a comfortable schedule for updates, whether it's every few weeks or daily.

Project management access. Will they let you into their project management system? This step helps you stay involved in the design process and ensures true transparency. For instance, at Ronas IT, we provide access to our ClickUp project space and Figma files, where the design work is being performed, so that clients can see the process in real-time and ask questions if necessary.

Ownership of design. Will you be able to receive what you're paying for at any moment? Designs created by an agency belong to you and should be accessible at any time, as you fully own the intellectual property of the designs.

See what they know about SEO

SEO-friendliness is a crucial aspect for websites to attract users' attention and outperform competitors. While some might argue it's a development consideration, many design elements impact search engine optimization. A website should feature a clear visual hierarchy and provide visitors with visual cues like headings, whitespace, and CTAs. The content should be easy to scan and accessible to users with special needs. To ensure fast loading times, images should be compressed without sacrificing quality.

Agencies that offer web design services in Sydney

Now that we've discussed what should be done when choosing a partner for collaboration, let's have a closer look at web design Sydney agencies and what they offer. Not all of them focus exclusively on web design services. Companies providing design services in Sydney often specialize in branding, marketing, or software development, with web design as a part of their expertise. We've selected agencies with numerous reviews and verified profiles on Clutch to give you a brief overview of the options in the city.

CodeClouds

An Indian development company with global offices in the US, New Zealand, and Australia. Specializing in software development, CodeClouds has been on the market since 2009. Reviews indicate that clients choose to both design and develop their websites with CodeClouds, appreciating their readiness to take on complex projects.

Human Digital

A digital agency with offices in Australia, New Zealand, and the US, working on B2B projects that combine marketing and web development expertise. They focus mainly on providing marketing strategy and advertising services.

Digital Nomads HQ

Another digital marketing agency offering web design services in Sydney. Most of their projects are related to web development, web design, and SEO optimization. Clients highlight their responsiveness, commitment to projects, and friendly team culture.

Phenomenon Studio

A design and development company, whose services include UI/UX design, mobile and web development, audit, branding, and motion design. Those companies who used their services, among other things, highlight their timely and high-quality delivery.

DAIS

DAIS is a brand consultancy established in Australia in 1989. They have two offices, one is located in Fortitude Valley, while another is in Sydney. Their services include branding, digital and marketing strategy, and web design.

Scaleup Consulting

An Australian agency that provides a full range of software development services, including web design. According to clients' testaments their team showed a knowledgeable approach to complex tasks and was great at communication.

Intuji

While in general Intuji offers full cycle development services, half of Intuji's projects are focused on their web development services. They have 5 offices in Australia, including Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane City, and Canberra. Most clients are impressed by their knowledge and experience in software development, project management, and understanding of client's goals.

Teko

A design and strategy company specializing in web design and development, headquartered in North Sydney. They are praised for transparency and the ability to work within tight timeframes. Their services include UI/UX design, website creation, Shopify development for e-commerce, and digital product creation.

CUT THRU

A branding agency which has offices in Sydney and New York. Their ultimate goal is to help their clients raise conversions through the power of design. While web design is just one of many services they offer, ranging from logo design to marketing strategy development, reviews on Clutch show that customers are satisfied with their results.

These agencies make a good choice if you're looking for a local partner. However, even those headquartered in Sydney may work with remote teams, which is similar to hiring remote teams outright. What is the advantage of collaborating with local teams as opposed to offshore agencies? In the following sections, we'll compare the two approaches.

Nearshore vs offshore team

When choosing between nearshore and offshore collaboration, several factors should be considered. Though there are many details to compare, the main points to consider are cost, communication, and cultural alignment.

Proximity and cultural alignment

One significant advantage of choosing a nearshore team is cultural and time zone alignment. Working with a web design agency in Sydney offers the benefit of shared business hours. However, this doesn't guarantee perfect communication, as the risk of misinterpretations related to design expectations can occur despite shared working hours or cultural backgrounds. Additionally, while face-to-face meetings can be advantageous, advanced communication tools have minimized the necessity for physical presence, allowing offshore teams to collaborate just as effectively. Moreover, offshore teams often bring diverse international perspectives and innovative solutions that might not be as readily available in local markets.

Cost considerations

Cost is a primary consideration in favor of offshore collaboration. Offshore teams often offer competitive pricing to customers. Clients might fear hidden costs, such as investment in management due to miscommunication. However, reliable vendors discuss budgets before starting the project and often count management services as fixed prices rather than time and material like design costs, maintaining transparency about their pricing. The significant cost savings with offshore teams often outweigh the potential for additional management oversight, providing high-quality results within tighter budgets. Additionally, the ability to tap into a broader talent pool internationally can lead to more creative and effective outcomes. Let's examine the average costs of web design services in different regions.

North America

$132–$140/hour

Costs are generally higher due to higher living costs and demand for sophisticated designs.

Western Europe

$61–$80/hour

Similar to North America, with countries like the UK and Germany having higher costs.

Australia

$80–$120/hour

Comparable to Western countries, with variations depending on city.

Eastern Europe

$35–$56/hour

More affordable without sacrificing quality, with a growing number of skilled professionals.

India

$15–$30/hour

Generally lower costs due to lower living expenses and large talent pool.

Southeast Asia

$20–$40/hour

Competitive pricing, especially in Vietnam and Philippines.

Latin America

$30–$55/hour

Increasingly popular for outsourced work due to reasonable costs and growing expertise.

Quality and expertise

Nearshore companies might better understand the local market, but the limitation with seeking an agency in Australia, or specifically in Sydney, is that it presents a narrower range of opportunities. Choosing from agencies all over the world allows clients to find a business partner that combines quality, price, and communication skills that align with their vision. Offshore agencies often have access to a wider talent pool, making it easier to find specialized expertise in innovative technologies and design trends. Collaborating with international agencies can provide fresh perspectives and ideas.

Language proficiency

When it comes to language proficiency, there may be some concerns about offshore companies. However, agencies typically hire project managers who are proficient in at least English to serve international clients. If you're looking for a contractor with lower pricing, Eastern Europe can be a good choice - countries in this region demonstrate high proficiency in English according to English First ranking, including Estonia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Lithuania.

Overall, when choosing between web design agencies in Sydney and offshore providers, it is important to consider project needs, budget constraints, timelines, and the expected level of involvement. A reliable offshore contractor should meet all the requirements. The main issue might be navigating different working hours, but today's online communication tools help to overcome this challenge. Taking the time to establish effective communication practices and schedules can further ease any potential time zone issues.

If not in Sydney, then...

Melbourne or Brisbane

As we discussed earlier in the text, Sydney design competitors in Australia are New South Wales and Victoria states with their capitals, Melbourne and Brisbane playing significant roles in Australia's web design and creative industries, offering multiple advantages. They have less specialists in terms of numbers, yet, they propose interesting opportunities.

Melbourne: The creative city

Melbourne is often considered to be Australia's cultural and creative capital. There are many design events and conferences that attract leaders of the industry. The city's professional scene and the spirit of innovation has built a community of professionals within the place. Melbourne holds one of the major design events in the country called Melbourne Design Week, which annually brings together design professionals. The program includes 11 days of launches, workshops, and talks, and provides a great opportunity for networking. Among other advantages of Melbourne web design scenery are:

Cultural diversity

Melbourne's multicultural environment inspires diverse thinking and creative expression, influencing web design strategies. There are over 140 cultures coexisting in beautiful collaboration, from indigenous inhabitants to recent migrants. This diversity often results in design solutions that appeal to a wide audience base.

Innovation hubs

The city is home to several innovation hubs and co-working spaces where startups flourish alongside established companies. These hubs encourage collaboration and knowledge exchange, particularly in tech and design sectors. Among the most recent collaborations driving progress are Melbourne Innovation Districts (MIT) and Melbourne Innovation Center.

Talent pool

There are institutions like the University of Melbourne and RMIT University which produce highly skilled web designers and developers who are well-equipped to work on complex design challenges.

Brisbane: The rising tech hub

Brisbane has always been seen as a city behind Sydney and Melbourne in terms of innovations. However, the stats show that it's taking its place in the digital niche not without investments in the technology industry.

Economic growth

Brisbane's economy is growing steadily, supported by a strong tech industry presence that includes accelerators and incubators nurturing local startups in digital and creative fields.

Government support

The Queensland government actively supports digital innovation through grants, training programs, and initiatives aimed at supporting tech talent and enabling business growth.

Cost of living

Still not as affordable as some offshore regions, Brisbane attracts businesses due to the lower costs on design and development compared to Sydney and Melbourne. All thanks to an easier lifestyle and lower cost of living. The index of the cost of living in Brisbane is 66.1, while in Sydney it is 76.2.

Offshore design team

If you decide to outsource your website design offshore, we'd be pleased to offer our web app and website design services. Ronas IT is located in Tallinn, Estonia, and we have experience working with Australian clients. We have provided website design services as part of a full-cycle custom software development project for a Sydney software company , partnered in UI/UX design with an HR web platform creator from Brisbane , built and designed an inventory management web panel for a Sydnayan meal preparation startup, and created the web design for a learning management platform whose founders are also headquartered in Sydney.

Here are a few benefits that our web design approach might bring if you choose us as your provider.

Full-cycle development. Our designers have continued access to our development expertise and won't create anything that can't be brought to production during the engineering stage. Even if a client decides not to develop with us and only creates a web design, they'll be able to implement it without problems. Our approach ensures seamless transition and functionality from design to implementation.

Transparency. Our website design creation process follows strict standards and clear milestones. Before the design team starts the project, the assigned project manager guides the client through each step. The structured methodology helps ensure that the project stays on track and meets the client's expectations at each phase.

Quality control. All of our designs are reviewed by a peer designer within the team to correct any human mistakes that may not be noticed by the assigned designer. This approach, which we apply to coding as well, provides an additional layer of quality control for our designs, helps maintain consistency and high standards across all our projects.

Constant upgrade. We constantly upgrade our design skills. We make it a point to regularly dive into design literature as a team and share the latest trends — we even have a dedicated chat for it — so we're always on top of what's new. When you choose to work with us, you're not just getting the expertise of a single designer; you're tapping into the collective support and experience of our entire team.

All in all, it's up to you which contractor to choose - whether you opt for the web design services Sydney providers and share your culture with a local team or select a company elsewhere in the world based on your criteria. And if you're considering website design, web development, or both in Eastern Europe, we would be more than happy to partner with you.

If you'd like to choose us as your offshore contractor, please contact our managers by filling out the form below.