Are you thinking of a career in web design but not sure where to start?

The good news is, irrespective of the stage you’re in your career, web design is an exciting and lucrative career choice. However, the path to becoming a web designer can be confusing, and you might need help.

While there is tons of information out there, most are conflicting, making it hard to determine the best advice. But don’t fret!

Here’s our quick cheat sheet to help you set yourself on the path of becoming a web developer.

Understand the Role

Before venturing into web designing, you need to understand what it’s all about. A web designer hangs out at the intersection of commerce and creativity.

He or she takes advantage of both creative knowledge and technical expertise to design websites and web pages that are not only functional but aesthetically pleasing for visitors. The websites also help businesses to achieve their goals.

On the surface, designing a website might seem simple, but there is more that goes into each design. For instance, a website that sells auto parts will look and feel different from a blog aimed at retirees.

“Web development presents you with complex challenges. You need to combine creativity, design, illustration, computer science, and art to achieve a user-friendly experience,”- says Nick Fisher, a Paperell blogger. Besides that, you might have to use an APA paper writing service to get some of your schoolwork completed in time. As a result, you can focus on other demanding tasks. 

Before working on a project, a website designer might have to ask the following questions:

  1. Who is the website for? What is your targeted audience?
  2. What information should the website contain?
  3. Which design element should you use to convert potential customers?
  4. How will the website help a business achieve its business goals?

Once you’ve found answers to these questions, you can create an effective, professional-looking website for any client.

Understand the work

What work will you do as a web designer?

Well, you can become a freelancer, work for an agency or become an in-house web designer.

Freelance web designers provide clients with different services, depending on their skills, experience, and preferences. They can manage the business and even do the actual client work. The best part is they are free to select the kind of project they can work on. But sometimes, the pressure of running a business can overwhelm them.

Web designers who work with agencies don’t have freedom in selecting projects they can do. Their work depends on the services the agency provides to clients and how the team is organized.

Finally, In-house web designers work on a single or a few websites for a company. They can handle specific features or a unique part of the larger website.

Web designers wear lots of different hats, irrespective of the jobs they do or where they work.

Some key areas web designers should understand include:

  1. Graphic Design
  2. User-experience design
  3. Digital marketing
  4. Maintenance and management
  5. Conversion-focused web design

You don’t have to be an expert in all the mentioned areas. You can focus on a specific design style.

We live in a world that depends on technology which changes nearly every day. Therefore, if you want to learn and succeed in web designing, you need to monitor the shifts in the industry, even as a student.

Spend 30 minutes or an hour each week to learn new things in your industry. Discover what’s new and determine what doesn’t work anymore in the field. This knowledge will not only help you advance in your studies but also in your career.

Find a Mentor

Is there someone in web design you look up to? Take them to lunch and see if you can pick their brains. Try to find a mentor who’s willing to work with you and teach you how to learn web designing on your own.

Whether you have formal education or self-taught, a web design mentor can help you grow. Individuals who are active in the industry can teach you how to ignore the noise and keep up with trends. Mentors can be a source of pep talks and constructive criticism that can help you move forward.

Although you can find a mentor via an online community, nothing is better than an in-person mentor. You can meet this mentor face-to-face periodically and discuss the field. You can even have both online and in-person mentors.

Challenger Yourself

As you study web design, ensure you challenge yourself continually to hone your designing skills along the way. We understand there are many shortcuts, code snippets, and themes that can help you fix nearly every website issue you’re having, but don’t get lazy.

web design

Challenging yourself and learning new technologies will help you improve your web design game significantly. As we said earlier, this field is constantly changing. There’s always something new to learn or try.

If you’re unwilling to fail, you will always take the safe road and not push yourself to accept new challenges and learn new skills. Do what feels uncomfortable and scary because, in the long run, it will pay off. 

Start by creating your personal blog and taking on challenging projects. Even if you fail, at least you have learned something. Try to get out of your comfort zone.

Conclusion

No one becomes a skilled web designer overnight. Understanding the required skills and gaining the necessary experience to design attractive, high-value websites for clients often takes years. But its reward is always something to look forward to.