Web designing and Web designers is becoming an increasingly more important occupation due to the importance we all place upon surfing the internet. Being a web designer is also a fascinating job, which best suits those individuals who are looking for a creative problem-solving job.
But when it comes to getting started, things can be somewhat overwhelming. So there so many questions first timers will ask themselves and would like answers to. Such as, what exactly are web designers required to do. What is a web designer and is it something I can do.
Thus, before you can make a choice, decide for yourself, whether or not to choose a career in web design, you must first have those questions answered. Whether you’ll need to learn coding or management skills, these are important things for you to be cognizant of.
However, before we get to it, I’d just like to say that, designing websites isn’t as nearly as complicated as it first seems. Start small, like with the things mentioned in this article, then work from there.
UX
UX, basically stands for user experience, and identifies the type of experience a visitor may have, when they stumble upon a website. UX is undoubtedly, one of the more important factors that can make or break a website.
A web designer that is cognizant of best UX practices, when constructing their website, will do so, from the perspective of the visitors. It’s the duty of the web designer to make the visitor feel as comfortable as possible, while on the site.
When attempting to improve the UX of a website, there are so many things one can consider. Such as, an improved navigation system, better colour palette, new and/or improved content, and so on. The more proficient you become in this area, the more appreciated you’ll be.
CSS
CSS or cascading style sheets are designed to handle the visual appearance of a website. Because of this, it makes CSS an integral component of website design. CSS is something more web designers should and will want to learn.
Most web designers will find themselves learning both HTML and CSS at the same time, this is because the two languages are so heavily intertwined.
HTML
A lot of web designers think that coding is one area of the industry that they’ll never have to engage in. However, the reality is, at the very least, they’ll be required to learn HTML.
The understanding of HTML is one of expectation, given its level of importance and its widespread usage across the vast majority of websites.
With HTML you can better position and optimize your content on your site. HTML is used primarily in formatting content, such as when implementing header tags, paragraphs, italics, bolds and underlines, just to name a few. It’s also integral in the implementation of additional media, such as videos and photos.
Time Management
Whether you decide to learn how to design websites so that you can work for a company or work freelance, it’s important that you always stay on top of your schedule to ensure you stand out amongst your competitors. This may mean you adopting the usage of productivity applications, like calendars, task list, and project tracking tools, etc. Regardless of the tool that you settle with, the importance of work tracking and prioritizing, should never be understated, especially if you hope to succeed in the field of web design.
Business Management
As a freelance worker or an employee, having understanding of the bottom line, will ensure that either you or your company is sustainable and profitable. You won’t need to complete a degree programme in business, but you should, at the very least, understand your goals and finances for your businesses and also for whomever you might work for. If you’re creating websites for clients, then you should do your utmost, to ensure that your project backlog and cash flow are always moving in the right direction.
Communication Skills
Communication skills is a very important asset that everyone, that includes non-professionals, should have. To be an effective web designer, you must be able to convey technical information in a clear and concise manner, to someone who knows little or nothing about the topic you intend to converse in.
Marketing
There’s a lot of know how and skill that goes into mastering SEO, social media and digital marketing, so much so, that one may be mistaken to believe that learning such things is irrelevant for designers. However, because the internet is the medium, used for selling a great many products and services, nowadays, it’ll work in your best interest, if you learn a thing or two about these services. Even learning these things on a superficial level, should be sufficient enough to benefit you.
-AUTHOR INFO—
Uchenna Ani-Okoye is a former IT Manager who now runs his own computer support website https://www.compuchenna.co.uk.