Are you looking for a job that requires some creativity? Have you always wanted to work with the latest technology and UX design? Do you like to stay up to date with what is going on in the field of marketing? Would you like to earn a decent salary? Well, then you should definitely consider becoming a web designer.
Though, to become a web designer can be a somewhat complicated path. Where should you start? Should you pay all your attention to learning how to code? Will it be enough just to watch many educational videos? Would formal education be the better route?
The following step-by-step guide will answer these questions and help you to become a web designer.
Step one: Figure out which kind of designer you would like to be
Not all web designers do the same things. For example, there are certain designers who can code. Though, knowing how to code is not the be-all and end-all thanks to website templates.
So after you’ve decided which skills you would like to boast, you can focus on getting an education.
Step two: Get educated
What makes web design so great is that a formal education is not a prerequisite. Yes, it will help you, but it is more crucial that you know how to use all the tools. Thanks to all the informative material that is available online, you are only a mouse click away from excellent resources. On top of that, some of these courses are even free!
Step three: Teach yourself how to use the top tools
If you are striving to become one of the best web designers, you will have to ensure that you know how the latest tools work. For example, you will definitely need to know how to use Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. With the help of these two tools, you will be able to design visual elements. Then, there are also tools available that will help you with code building.
Apart from making your job much simpler, when you know how to these tools, your clients will be able to tell that you are indeed a knowledgeable web designer.
Step four: Become adaptable
If you want to be successful at web design, you will have to know how to do other things for your clients too. There are many essential elements that a web designer must add to a website for it to be really successful.
For example, you will need to understand how search engine optimisation (SEO) works and some basic things regarding marketing. Also, if you were always too shy to try your hand at writing, you better get more comfortable with pen in hand as websites require quite a bit of web copy too. Once you have become more familiar with these skills, you can use your new knowledge to design more user-friendly websites for your different clients.
For instance, by understanding a few marketing fundamentals you can create a website that has a catchy tag line, captivating headline and effective description of the services or products offered by your client. By incorporating basic elements like this, the website that you create for your clients will not only look and function great, but will also attract more traffic.
Step five: Figure out where you want to work
You basically have two options. You can either get a job as a web designer at a web design agency or you can be your own boss and focus on finding your own clients for your own company.
The perks of working for a web design agency are that you will have access to a team of developers and engineers who can assist you. Plus, you won’t have sleepless nights figuring out where you will find your next client.
Though, running your own website design start-up can be a lot of fun. After all, you get to decide if you want to work on a specific project or not. If you decide to go this route and you believe that you have what it takes to be a successful web designer on your own, be patient and start reading up on the basics of managing your own business.
Whichever route you decide on, never forget that there will be challenges along the way. To be successful in this industry, you need to be knowledgeable! So, you need to make peace with the fact that you will be a lifelong student.
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