Web designer. Is it just us, or has it a lovely ring? And it is not only a captivating title — learning web design can lead to an exciting and fascinating career, especially for a creative problem solver like you.
But only the concept of web design can be daunting. Perhaps you’re wondering secretly: what do web designers do? Or maybe even: what is web design? (Yes, at one point, we were there too!)
Considering whether web design is the right path for you, you need some answers to the big questions: What do you need to know? Do you have to learn to code? Which instruments do you need? How about customer management?
Don’t worry! Don’t worry! Starting creating websites is simpler than you could imagine. Only start with these skills in web and visual design, and you will soon be on your way.
Consider also hiring web design company
Production of graphics would seem evident that you need web design skills, but digital products are a graphic design subject, so it might be different from what you expect. In this case, design principles decide the appearance and feel of a web. They can range from typography, grid systems to color theory. Visual design is your opportunity to dig in and play with Internet font and color palettes in mood boards and style hierarchy.
- UX
These amusing abbreviations come here! UX stands for user experience (calm, irritated, etc.) or how people felt when using a website. Above all, UX is about getting closer to your projects from the user’s perspective. How can you design a website that will help you get what you need?
You should analyze your users and create “people” (imaginary user profiles). The pages and material will be laid down with a site map. You can find out the direction users use in user flows on your web. (For example, you always directly click on social media? Or are you looking for information on the contact?) And you’re going to create wireframes to diagram the critical components of each website. All of these elements are essential to the development of user experience.
Pro tip: Often confused about the difference between all these design skills, who should you first learn? We have recently breached the distinction between digital design, software or web design, and UX design and graphic design if you want more clarification!
- Computer architecture
Like any craftsman, you need the right tools to do your work. Learning your way around business expectations in certain situations would be helpful and essential. When creating a website in software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Sketch can be done right through the web browser, and almost every designer uses them for essential areas of his work, such as mockups, product creation (think logos and images), and, of course, picture modification and enhancement. You should learn to use them (but consider trying some free photoshop alternatives if you are starting)
- XML
You may not have expected a web designer to know how to code. But it’s a scheduled ability for most design jobs nowadays. HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language, the coding language for putting and structuring content on a web page. That means that it is like turning a collection of words into names, paragraphs, and footers. And it’s also how you get the “cool” content on a website, such as images, videos, and graphics.
- CSS
And then there are friends from HTML, CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets. CSS is the framework for coding and styling HTML for a web page. It’s what makes the whole text and other contents look beautiful, in other words. You can customize the colors with CSS, change fonts, or add a stunning backdrop – and more! This is where your design eye shines and how you can stamp any site you make—your creative stamp.
While you can code your projects using only HTML and CSS, you’ll have a big leg against the competition if you can also use JavaScript. JavaScript enables you to take and interactively render static things on your site — think of Twitter feeds that automatically refresh, websites that look different, picture sliders, and more when you’re linked.
Now that you have design and development components down, you need to add some management to keep your web design structured and productive. Those are the skills that web designers slip by, so save time by studying them now instead of later.
- Control of time
Whether you want to learn web design or go freelance or work for a company, you must remain on the schedule and be a successful web designer for your projects. It can include learning productivity software such as task lists or programs, or, in particular, learning resources like Basecamp or Jira if you work in a large organization.
Regardless of the tools, it is essential to master how you prioritize and monitor your work in the busy world of web design.
- Communications
Staying in touch and getting the point across is also a designer’s talent. Without excellent communication, you can not make a living from building websites. You will need to keep customers updated about their projects’ progress plus pitch ideas and explain your work.
You may also be asked to copy or edit for websites, especially if you run your online shop. So strap in your skills in writing and presentation, and in any situation, you will be able to get your point across.
- Online SEO / Social Media SEO
The experience in SEO, digital marketing, and social media looks like it is more intended for a distributor than for a web designer.
However, because the internet is the way so many businesses market today, and since you will have to market your web designers skills (searching for a job or freelance customers), you too can wrap your mind around them.
Only understanding the basics of both clients and your pages can make a long journey for you in your web-designer journey.
- Company / Customer Leadership
And knowing the bottom line as an employee or as a freelancer will help you ensure that either you or your business is profitable and sustainable. You don’t have to go back to your MBA, but you need to understand your employer’s or your business priorities and strategies so that you can use them to guide your job.
So if you design specifically for consumers, you need a strategy to ensure your cash flow, so project backlog in the short and long term is both stable and feasible.