Requirements from a web designer

Designers used to work in printshops.
Brochures were the bread and butter for them.

Web sites came along.
DYNAMIC web sites came along.

Designers (most of them) still think in static terms.

"I'll give you a PSD", they say. "Wow, thanks", I reply, "and who will do the DESIGN?"
"HA?" they reply...

Designing a dynamic web site involves more then just statically making a sketch in Photoshop.
Some areas need to be made stretchable, other areas need to have AJAX loading or other javascript effects. CSS needs to be used to perform various functions, and ofcourse browser dependance need to be addressed.
These are all part of the DESIGN. You can't escape it. It's a brave new world out there.

Idealy, a designer would get the list of variables and create a full template (in Smarty or other engine) to bring the site to life. Nothing short of that.

User Interface design is needed, one that will serve many users, not a flat one-time mailbox brochure that will later serve as a pizza tray.