Web design is a field that is constantly evolving, with new opportunities for web designers emerging constantly.
The fact that it’s constantly changing means that there are always new things to learn and make you more competitive in the job market. Plus, if you’re passionate about web development, this will be an area of interest for you. Read on to know everything you want about the web designer career path.
1. What Is a Web Designer?
A web designer has the skills, creativity, and knowledge to convert a client’s ideas into an effective website design. This process usually involves several phases that include wireframing, user interface design, coding, testing, and launching the website.
Typically, someone with a web design background will oversee all aspects of this process. After all, understanding how everything works make you more valuable to employers and clients alike.
However, this is not always the case. It is becoming more common for web designers to specialize in a particular area of the design spectrum. Some are focused on just aesthetics, while others are very remotely technical.
2. What Are the Responsibilities of a Web Designer?
Designing websites can be highly challenging. As a web designer, your responsibilities typically include the following:
- Creating designs that meet your client’s or employer’s needs
- Continually using web analytics to improve user experience
- Staying up-to-date on current design trends and techniques
- Converting sketches, wireframes, site maps, etc. into beautiful product designs
- Helping clients navigate through the website creation process See Also: How To Find Web Design Clients
- Working with Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress or Drupal
- Developing and using web standards such as HTML, XHTML, and CSS
- Creating graphic design assets such as logos, vector images, and photography
- Helping create technical designs for mobile apps See Also: How To Design Mobile Apps For A Local Business
- Long-term goal setting for themselves and the clients they work with
3. What Skills And knowledge Do I Need?
To become a web designer, you will need excellent creative and technical skills in various areas that include:
Design Principles: Understanding the basic design principles and how they can be used to create engaging designs is vital for any web designer. The basics include typography, space and layout, color theory & and application user interface (UI), and user experience (UX) fundamentals.
Coding/Markup — In addition to understanding visual design principles, web designers must also understand the technical side of things. This includes mastering HTML, XHTML and CSS as well as Javascript/jQuery coding.
User Experience: User experience (UX) is an increasingly important aspect for any designer to master. This includes knowing how to use analytics tools like Google Analytics to track visitor behavior on your design projects and using that information to improve user experience.
Graphic Design: Every web designer needs top-notch graphic design skills. This includes the ability to take a client’s ideas and create visuals for concepts such as logos, social media graphics, and many other types of designs.
Photography/Imaging: Depending on what you’re designing for, you might need to have the ability to take your photos and images.
Time management: Web designers probably spend many hours in front of a screen trying to get everything completed on time. Being able to manage your time efficiently is crucial!
4. What Opportunities Are Out there?
Opportunities for web designers abound with many possibilities to work on both freelance and full-time projects.
Web Design Agencies: Larger web design firms will hire designers to help them grow their current business. They might also offer the ability to take on some of your clients if you’re interested in starting your agency at some point.
Freelance Web Designer — If you’re more interested in being an independent contractor, you can always take on your clients. Many designers can find work doing this.
Web Design Departments at Large Corporations: Typically, larger companies have teams of web designers that work together to create sites for themselves or their clients. This might be a good opportunity if you’re interested in working full-time but don’t have the experience to start your own business.
5. What Qualities Do I Need to Become a Web Designer?
Web designer positions are competitive, and thus having the following qualities will help you stand out from fellow applicants:
Creativity: If you cannot think outside the box, design exceptional graphics, or come up with innovative concepts, it’s probably best that you find another profession.
Leadership ability — Web designers play an essential role in their organizations and lead other team members when needed.
Critical thinking — To solve design problems and create practical concepts, you’ll need to think critically about the available information.
Honesty & integrity: Having these qualities demonstrates that you’re trustworthy and will play an essential role in the relationships you build with clients over time.
6. What Kind of Jobs Are Available for a Web Designer?
There are many different options for web designers ranging from freelance work to full-time opportunities at web design agencies or large corporations.
Web designer — This is the most common position as it involves creating designs from scratch and taking wireframes created by a UX professional, and turning those concepts into exciting visuals.
Graphic/UI/UX designer — Many designers specialize in either graphic design or user interface design. Those who do both will sometimes put themselves into this category for brevity.
Web developer — A web developer is someone who knows how to work with the back-end technology and programming languages that power a website’s ability to function and be dynamic.
Digital marketing specialist — This position focuses more on the end product and involves creating and implementing SEO (search engine optimization) strategies and paid advertising campaigns to help drive traffic to a website.
Usability expert — Many companies will hire someone specializing in usability testing and research to find out what works well for users and what doesn’t. Sometimes this person will be called a web analyst, and other times they may focus more on general usability testing.
Web project manager — This position is responsible for overseeing all aspects of a website’s life cycle from beginning to end. The PM might create the wireframes and flowcharts that help guide the content strategy as well.
7. What Education Do I Need to Become a Web Designer?
Most web designers have experience with programming, graphic design, or multimedia. It is also helpful if you are familiar with HTML and CSS (although it’s not necessary). There are online courses available for all of these skills; additionally, some degree programs focus on these things but don’t necessarily make it their primary. Many employers are looking for people with degrees in business, marketing, or communications.
As for formal education, it is still helpful to have a four-year degree, but some universities do offer programs specifically aimed at web design and development (such as Full Sail University). A degree can demonstrate commitment and seriousness about the job; it also demonstrates that you have the discipline to complete a project within set guidelines.
8. How Much Does a Web Designer Make?
A lot depends on your skill level, geographic location, and how much experience you have. Some entry-level design jobs might pay as little as $12 to $15 an hour. However, many factors impact the salary of web designers. Location is one of the primary ones – it varies dramatically from state to state and city to city. If you live somewhere like California or New York, the salary tends to go up; if you live in a rural area (and especially if there is an abundance of web designers), then the pay might be lower than average. I’ve seen claims that starting salaries can range from $35,000 to $90,000 or more per year. It depends on your experience and what kind of work you’re doing.
9. What Is the Job Outlook for a Web Designer?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that jobs for web developers and designers are expected to grow 28% from 2010 – to 2020, which is faster than average. However, the BLS says that only certain areas will be experiencing growth (the southwest and California), so if you want to work in places like New York or Texas, your job prospects might be more limited.
It’s also important to note that this growth is specific to front-end design positions. Back-end positions (which typically involve programming) will grow at a much slower rate of 11%.
10. What Kind of Companies Hire Web Designers?
Web designers are employed with both large companies and small businesses. You might work for a big firm or with a start-up. However, it is essential to be aware that some more prominent companies only offer design work on an as-needed basis; they tend to hire more programmers than designers.
Some of the top recruiting companies for a web designer:
- Apple Inc.
- Disney
- Frito-Lay
- Harley Davidson
- IBM Global Business Services
- McDonald’s Corporation
- Microsoft Corp.
- Nike, Inc. (they also have a Facebook page for job seekers)
11. Best Colleges to Study Web Designing
A mapping of colleges that have programs, courses, or degrees for web design:
- The Art Institutes/Seattle (The Art Institute offers a Bachelors in Web Design and Interactive Media Technology)
- Advertising Art (part of Argosy University; has an online Bachelor‘s degree program; also has a one-year program with live classes)
- Art Center College of Design (Bachelor’s degree)
- Art Institute of Atlanta (Bachelor’s degree)
- The Art Institute of California – Hollywood (Bachelor’s degree and Associate degrees available online, on-campus, and at the school’s multiple locations.) (The Art Institute offers a Bachelors in Web Design and Interactive Media Technology)
- Austin Community College (Associate degree and certificate program)
- Bakersfield College (Associate degree)
- Bay de Noc Community College (associate degree, some courses online)
- Becker College (Bachelor’s degree; also has some graduate-level courses available on campus and via the web.)
12. Online Courses for Web Designing
Online courses are an excellent opportunity for those who want to learn new skills without quitting their jobs. Think about it:
All the courses and study material is available online, meaning that you can do it at your own pace and from anywhere as long as you have access to the internet.
The only thing required is a laptop/computer with an internet connection.
The courses are usually free or very cheap to take, and if you want to have a certificate of completion, it will not cost you an arm and a leg.
Some of the top online courses for web designing are as follows
Build Responsive Real-World Websites with HTML and CSS by Udemy- This is one of the most popular courses out there! It has close to 100,000 students enrolled at the moment. It’s perfect for beginners who want to design responsive websites using HTML and CSS. The course also teaches some tricks on creating various page layouts in a snap.
Introduction to Web Design and Development by Linkedin learning– This course is provided by LinkedIn learning and will cost you a bit. But it’s definitely worth the money; this online course provides everything, from the basics of web design to coding languages such as HTML and CSS.
Web Design for Everybody: Basics of Web Development & Coding Specialization by Coursera – This is a 5-course specialization from Coursera which contains many courses designed for beginners. The good thing about this course is that each course can be taken individually, so you don’t have to pay the entire price even if you’re not interested in some of the courses.
Professional Certificate in Computer Science for Web Programming by Edx- This course is part of a more extensive program called the Professional Certificate in Computer Science. It’s one of the most sought-after courses for web designing. The only drawback about this course is that it takes quite some time to complete, but if you have the patience to learn computer science, it will be worth your while.
Conclusion
Web design is a challenging and rewarding profession. It requires creativity, problem-solving skills, and proficiency with coding languages like HTML and CSS. Web designers work in many fields, such as graphic design or marketing, to create websites for their clients. If you’re interested in becoming a web designer, we recommend taking classes at your local community college before jumping into the field full-time. This will give you an idea of what it takes to succeed in this industry while also giving yourself some job security if things don’t go according to plan!
