Are your visual design skills exceptional? Are you tech-savvy and have stellar communication and presentation skills? Becoming a web designer could be a great choice for your next career move.
Web designers design, build, and enhance websites. They use their expertise in computer programming and their advanced graphic design skills to build websites that are easy to navigate and attract a target audience. Web designers must have excellent interpersonal and listening skills to understand and interpret a client’s goals and objectives and turn their vision into a reality. They need solid presentation skills as well.
Web designers must have advanced knowledge of front-end web development languages, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. They must also have a high level of proficiency in graphic design software, such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Exceptional collaborative skills are a requirement for web designers as well since they work closely with clients, back-end developers, and other stakeholders to ensure websites meet standards, requirements, and branding expectations. To be successful as a web designer, you will need to stay current on web design trends and technologies.
Sample job description
A web designer’s primary role is to design the overall look of a website, including the color scheme and layout. Web designers work closely with clients to translate their creative vision into an attractive, functional website. Some of their duties include coding the website’s navigation features, designing buttons and controls, creating and presenting mockups of websites for clients, removing dead links, maintaining the site, and backing up the website. [Your Company Name] is looking for a creative individual with excellent communication and collaboration skills, along with knowledge of coding and graphic design principles. Successful candidates will be fluent in HTML and XML, have an eye for detail, and be familiar with Adobe software.
Typical duties and responsibilities
- Create Photoshop Documents (PSDs) for the visual layout of web pages and convert each design into HTML and CSS
- Maintain and update all JQuery plugins for websites
- Implement and maintain high-quality SEO policies and incorporate them with content produced for the website
- Remove any “dead” links immediately and respond to issues with site functionality
- Create mock-ups for proposed project pages and update them as needed
Education and experience
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, graphic design, or a related field required
Required skills and qualifications
- Knowledge of content marketing
- Proficiency with ASP.net web forms
- Advanced Photoshop and Illustrator skills
- Knowledge of WordPress standards and functionality
- Professional portfolio with at least five designs for internal review
Preferred qualifications
- Proficiency in JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and other program languages and applications
- 1+ years of proficiency in WordPress & WordPress-related applications
- Proficiency in Google Web-based platforms
Typical work environment
Web designers typically work full-time for businesses or agencies. They work at a desk on a computer, sitting for the majority of their day. Some web designers get their own cubicles or office, while others work at companies with an open floor plan. Remote web design jobs are available, allowing individuals to work from home. Most of a web designer’s work is done individually, but they do have to meet with clients as well as work with other team members to design and develop all the working parts of a website.
Typical hours
The typical work hours in an office setting for a web designer are usually from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. Additional work hours in the evening or on the weekends may be necessary at times for web designers when approaching project deadlines.
Available certifications
With the amount of business that takes place online, web designers are highly in demand. Many certifications exist for individuals to stand out among other candidates and further their careers. Here are two options:
- CIW Web and Mobile Design Certifications – CIW offers 7 specialized certificates to prepare you to work in today’s market as a web designer. These certifications cover HTML5 and CSS3, user interface design, social media strategy, multimedia tactics, mobile application development, e-commerce services, and data analysis. All CIW certificates are vendor-neutral.
- Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) – Offered by Adobe, this credential has three levels of certification. The ACE Product certification recognizes the holder as an expert in one single Adobe product. The ACE Specialist certification recognizes the holder as an expert in multiple Adobe products across a specific medium. Finally, the ACE Master certification recognize the certificate holder as an expert in an entire Adobe Suite.
Career path
A web designer needs to have a bachelor’s degree in web design, graphic design, computer science, or a related field. Students are encouraged to pursue internships with web development companies while they are in school to gain some real-world experience in the field.
Web designers need to study HTML, JQuery, and JavaScript. Knowing application programming languages like Java, .Net, AJAX, and Ruby is helpful for these aspiring professionals. Knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite, especially Flash, Illustrator, and Photoshop, is also vital for a web designer.
Web designers can move up into roles like IT project manager. This position oversees and guides the entire development process of a project, sometimes supervising a team of designers and developers as well. Web designers who want to move into management roles should spend extra time developing soft skills like relationship building, motivating and influencing others, and communication.
US, Bureau of Labor Statistics’ job outlook
SOC Code: 15-1254
| 2020 Employment | 199,400 |
| Projected Employment in 2030 | 224,900 |
| Projected 2020-2030 Percentage Shift | 13% increase |
| Projected 2020-2030 Numeric Shift | 25,500 increase |
Position trends
Web designers need to keep up with the latest trends and study how users interact with websites. According to the website creation company, Wix.com, one primary web design trend in the next few years is the use of enlarged typography and website elements. More websites are enlarging text, photos, videos, and icons to grab users’ attention as they browse, helping to cut through all the monotony of the internet.
Another trend in web design is the expanded use of white space or negative space of any color on a website. It can give readers a breather while scrolling through a large amount of text or offset design elements to better draw the audience’s attention towards them. Websites are expected to make white space more substantial and prominent in hopes to create a cleaner look.
More web designers are also using overlapping layers on their websites. Layering elements adds depth to the screen, either by placing elements on top of each other or having content come to the top of a pile after it’s clicked. Many designers are using techniques like parallax scrolling to accomplish this.