Start with writing a job description for your deal candidate, post on a few boards, and start looking at resumes and portfolios. I would advise not overloading it with irrelevant keywords. you dont necessarily need a designer experienced with java, php, python who can write you iphone and android apps while being able to answer how many marbles can fit in a school bus.<p>I would try posting your job description to design centric sites. there are a bunch out there. At least you can target your audience. Spend a little money on it if you have to.<p>Ive posted on CL and other free sites and i'll get back too many resumes with a bunch of overhyped nonsense buzzwords.<p>Have someone who knows design/ui help you look through portfolios. Ive scoured through hundreds of designer's sites and portfolios over time and i can see their trends, styles, methods. If they do dev, ask them what theyve actually developed, theming, js/jquery, etc.<p>Things to pay attention to:
- the person's education/background in design. if they're not designers by nature... would you hire them?
- Avoid an engineering centric person too. Engineers are typically not designers. (please dont get mad for that statement)
- take a detailed look at their portfolio. Do you like what you see? do they have a certain "look" that you like? or do their sites look sloppy, too much like some template, etc.
- if you care about ux, does their site provide good experience? is it at least usable, logical and consistent?
- Avoid flash designers. Most flash guys know little about seo. Content management will be difficult too.<p>I think you'll have a hard time finding a designer who can design, code and do seo. There are smaller web shops out there that can help. Make sure you know what you're buying into and ask for references.<p>One thing i warn you is to becareful with eye candy. There are a lot of tutorial mongers out there who will run through psdtuts, create some variation and add it to their portfolio.<p>i agree with andres, use a cms. im a fan of drupal.<p>k. hope that help.
-jay