A website is a necessity for most of the businesses these days. That is why web designers are in great demand. Many people are looking to switch their careers and become a professional web designer. However, before you take this step, it is important to understand what it takes to become a web designer. The more knowledge you have, the easier it will be for you to take an informed decision.
We will today not only delve into the details of web designing but also help you understand how you can become a professional web designer.
What is Web Design?
Web designing is the process of curating ideas and implementing them to create a proper layout. Web designing deals with the visual aspects of a website rather than the back-end aspects. Some of the elements of web designing include:
- Layout
- Color
- Graphics
- Fonts
- Content
Once you are able to tackle these elements, it will be easier for you to design a website from scratch. In order to create such a website, there are a few things which you need to be careful about. These are:
- You should provide seamless navigation to the website which you design.
- You should create a website using various multimedia mediums.
- You should design a website which is compatible with different devices and operating systems.
- Last but not the least; you should design a website which is engaging for the visitors.
These are the most basic principles which you have to be careful about while designing a website.
How it is Different From Web Development?
Now that you are aware of what exactly web designing is, it is time to look at the difference between web designing and web development.
Web designing involves using programs like Photoshop to create the visual elements of any website. Web developers, on the other hand, use the code programming languages like CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and HTML in order to create the design files. In a nutshell, web designing involves creating the aspects of the website which you can see. Web development involves creating the back end of the website which brings the website to life.
5 Steps to Become a Web Designer:
Let us now delve into the exact steps which you have to undertake in order to become a web designer. It might seem like a daunting task at the start but once you get the gist of it, it is actually pretty easy to familiarize yourself with the various aspects of web designing. In our guide to web design, we will explain the entire process in simple terms.
1. Learning the basics:
You have to 1st and foremost start with the basics. There are a few basic skills which you need to master before you learn further. These are:
- Drawing:
You have to be fluent at drawing. You will not have to do this manually. There are dedicated software which can help you bring your ideas to life. You should, however, be familiar with drawing on digital interfaces.
- Layout:
Planning the layout is a vital skill/task which you need to undertake for designing each and every website. The goal should be to arrange the information as well as the graphics in such a way that not only the consistency and integrity of the design are maintained, but it is also easier to go through. That is why; you have to always plan the layout for each and every website before you go any further.
- Structuring:
The structure of the website refers to the navigation of the pages of the website and the hierarchy of those pages. The structure of the website is seldom changed at a later stage. That is why; you need to be well versed with structuring in order to get it right in the 1st attempt.
- User experience:
You have to always design the website keeping the actual user in mind. You should not focus on the marketing aspect or the SEO aspect. You have to ensure that each and every visitor/user of the website has a smooth experience while operating or going through the website.
- Best practices:
You have to always create the Web design according to the industry standards. This will ensure that it is not a jumbled mess but is rather professional and easy-to-use like it should be.
You have to start with these basic skills and thereafter, you have to advance towards using different tools in order to accomplish these goals.
2. Mastering the tools of the trade:
Just like in any other profession, there are a few tools of the trade which you need to master. In the case of web designing, these are software which will aid you in creating the various elements of the website. Some of the software which you should be well versed with include:
- Photoshop:
Photoshop is the Swiss Army knife of the web designing industry. It can help you in editing images as well as creating logos and other visual elements of the website. You need to be well versed with Photoshop in order to create the design elements smoothly.
- Adobe Illustrator:
Adobe Illustrator allows you to create a pretty strong website structure for your website. It allows you to manage the colors as well as the vector-based assets of the website. That is why, with the help of this software, you will be able to create vibrant web designs quite easily.
- Dreamweaver:
Dreamweaver is a good software, to begin with. It allows you to utilize your web designing techniques and amalgamate it along with your programming knowledge. It is ideally an integrated development environment. It combines web development with web designing. That is why, when you use this tool, you might need some basic understanding of programming languages like CSS, Java, JavaScript.
- Premiere Pro:
With the popularity of videos increasing day by day, Adobe premiere pro is a tool which you should definitely master. It allows you to edit videos as per their timeline. This ensures that you are able to get the perfect video output you want.
So, if you want to become a professional web designer, it is important to know the tools of the trade. You should be well versed with the software in order to kick-start your web designing journey.
3. Become fluent in basic programming languages:
Even though, web design is more related to the visual aspect of the website but still, knowing the basic programming languages will make you much more efficient and productive. You should learn at least 3 basic languages if you want to become a professional web designer. These are:
- HTML/CSS:
HTML/CSS are intertwined in most of the cases. CSS deals with the colors, fonts as well as the layout of the website. HTML is the markup language which is used along with CSS in most of the cases. It helps you organize the pages as per your requirement.
- JavaScript:
JavaScript is the most popular programming language which is used for web development. If you already know HTML and CSS, JavaScript will help you handle the front-end development quite easily. Many of the most popular websites on the Internet like Facebook, Twitter rely on JavaScript in order to create interactive interfaces and manage dynamic content.
- PHP:
PHP is another server-side scripting language which you should learn. Many of the tech giants like Facebook, Wikipedia rely heavily on PHP for managing their background. WordPress which is the most popular content management system also uses PHP.
Thus, it is a good idea to be well versed with these 3 basic programming languages in order to become a better web designer.
4. Work on an actual project:
In order to become a professional web designer, in addition to knowing all of this stuff and the theoretical knowledge, it is important to take part in an actual project as well. Also, in order to know more about the practical aspects of web designing, you can head over to 2 websites which are:
- GitHub
- Stack overflow
On both of these websites, you will get actual web designing industry knowledge. This will ensure that you are able to use your skills in the actual projects. In Github, there are community projects as well in which you can take part. This will help you in some actual real-world web designing experience rather than just the theoretical knowledge.
5. Upgrade your skills consistently:
Web designing is a field which is constantly updating. Newer and newer software trends are emerging each and every year. This is the reason why you have to always follow web designing blogs in order to know more about the latest trends in web designing.
Additionally, you have to always keep a watch on the new software which are being launched specifically for web designers. As far as possible, you have to try and learn programming languages which can help you with web designing. When you constantly update your knowledge, it will be easier for you to have an edge over the other web designers. This will help you grow your web designing business by leaps and bounds.
So, if you plan to become a web designer, it is important to follow these 5 tips. When you follow these 5 tips on a regular basis, not only you will be able to design a website but also you will have an edge over your competition which will help you create a flourishing web designing business.