Ever look at a website and wonder who is the mastermind behind it? Web design agencies usually try to make it easy for their viewers to know who designed the website. Why? Because they want people to find them! If someone likes a website, they’d simply approach the agency and chat about it. But sometimes, agencies don’t want to expose their designer. In that case, how would you know who designed the website?
Many different people have reasons for wanting to know who created a website. For example, a person who likes the website design might want to say something nice to the designers. Or if someone finds a mistake, they might want to tell the designers about it. Sometimes, a company might want to know who made a website so they can learn from it or check out what their competitors are doing (which is something we do sometimes).
Finding out who designed a website can be tricky due to the variety of technologies used. However, there are some reliable methods I’ll discuss below. Keep in mind that not all websites can be easily traced back to their designers, as some prefer to remain anonymous. Follow these simple steps to find out who designed the website.
Check site credits
One of the easiest ways to find out who designed a website is by checking the footer section, typically located at the very bottom of the webpage. Many agencies, including ours, often place their information there for easy access. While it may not always be identical to ours, it’s quite common to find design credits or agency details mentioned in the footer of websites these days.
Another method, although less common nowadays, is to look for a dedicated page called “Site Credits” or something similar. This page usually contains information about the developers, designers, photographers, and other contributors to the website. Although not as prevalent as before, it can still be a valuable resource for finding out who designed a website.
Check humans.txt
There’s actually a standardized way to find out who designed a website, although it’s not widely used. It’s called the humans.txt file, and it’s a basic text file that lists information about the people behind a website, including the designers. To access this file, simply add “/humans.txt” at the end of the website URL, like this: thewebsite.com/humans.txt. However, if that link doesn’t work, you may need to explore other avenues and search for additional clues to identify the website’s designers.
Check the code
You can also find out who designed a website by checking the code. Many designers include their credits near the top of the code, making it easy to locate. To do this, go to the website, right-click, and choose “View Source” or a similar option to see the code. Don’t worry if the code looks confusing at first – just look around for familiar words or phrases that mention the designers. It’s a straightforward way to identify the creators behind a website.
Check style.css
This method is specific to WordPress websites, although it can be applied to other platforms as well. In WordPress, designers often include their information in the “style.css” file, which is a standard practice recommended by WordPress. To find this file, you can access the source code of the website and search for “style.css”. Once you locate the full URL to the file in the code, you can click on it or copy and paste it into your browser. At the top of the “style.css” file, you’ll find a section with various information, including the designers’ details. While not all information may be relevant, you’ll likely find the designers listed in this section.
Check if a company added them as a portfolio item
This method works! It involves using Google and specific keywords to find portfolio items that designers have added to their websites. When designers add projects to their portfolios, Google indexes them, making them searchable. For example, you can search for the company name followed by “Portfolio” or the website URL followed by “Portfolio” to find relevant results. Combining these keywords can lead you to discover projects that designers have worked on, giving you insights into their work. For instance, you might search for “2SP brewing portfolio” to see examples of their projects.
So folks, by using these simple methods you can find the designer who is behind a beautifully crafted website. Best of luck!
FAQs
1) Why would someone want to know who designed a website?
People may want to know the designer of a website for various reasons. For example, if they like the design, they may want to compliment the designers. If they notice a mistake, they might want to inform the designers. Companies might also want to know to learn from the website or check out their competitors.
2) What are some common methods to find out who designed a website?
Common methods include checking the footer section for design credits or agency details, looking for a dedicated “Site Credits” page, checking the humans.txt file, examining the code for designer credits, checking the style.css file in WordPress websites, searching for portfolio items using Google, and as a last resort, directly asking the business who designed the website.
3) What is the humans.txt file?
The humans.txt file is a basic text file that lists information about the people behind a website, including the designers. It can be accessed by adding “/humans.txt” at the end of the website URL.
4) What if none of the methods work to find the website designer?
If all else fails and none of the methods work, you can try reaching out to the business directly via email or contact form to ask about the website designer. However, sometimes designers prefer to remain anonymous, so it’s not always possible to find out who designed a website.