The Career Path of a Web Designer

Are you creative, passionate about design, and interested in a digital career path? If you’re nodding your head yes, web design might just be the perfect career for you.

Web design is a truly creative career path that allows you to design websites for a living.

If you’d love to let your creativity free and help brands connect with their customers online, this guide will show you how to become a successful web designer.

What is a web designer?

A web designer is responsible for creating a functional, aesthetically pleasing website by combining a number of visual design elements. Web designers will use text, graphics, animations, videos, and other design elements to either build brand-new websites or update existing ones for brands and companies.

Web designers sometimes get confused with web developers. However, developers are the ones that work on the back-end of websites to keep them up and running. Designers are responsible for making them visually appealing and easy to use for visitors.

Web design as a career

The exact responsibilities of a web designer will vary, depending on the website they’re working on. However, if you’re thinking about web design as a career, here is what you can expect to be doing day-to-day:

• Creating web design concepts for clients.
• Building a portfolio of websites to show potential clients.
• Designing engaging, functional web pages and landing pages.
• Keeping up to date with industry best practices.
• Conducting tests to improve the functionality and design of web pages.
• Optimizing websites for load speed and efficiency.
• Creating style guides for brands to follow.
• Ensuring all design elements created are in-line with client branding and guidelines.
• Working with web developers to ensure websites function well.
• Working with marketing teams to ensure marketing materials are in-line with the website design.
• Providing support to clients during the launch of their website.

The skills you need to be a web designer

You don’t need any formal training or qualifications to become a web designer. However, there are many online courses you can take to become familiar with coding, design programs, and design practices.

Most web designers specialize in a certain type of website, for example, WordPress or Squarespace. However, many are well-versed in several platforms, so they can offer their services to more clients.

It’s best to also be familiar with programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript, since you’ll be working with these on different projects.

Finally, you should also be familiar with design software, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and GIMP. Many web designers use these programs to create parts of their designs.

Qualifications and training

The best way to become a great web designer is to jump in and start getting experience with web design software. But if you’re looking for some tools and training to help you get started, here are some ideas:

• There are tons of free training programs for coding HTML, CSS, and Javascript.
• You can also find plenty of workshops and training programs for WordPress design or Squarespace website design.
• Applications like Dreamweaver and Photoshop will give you the basic tools to start your new web design career.
• Google Chrome’s Inspector Tool allows you to take a peek at the code of existing websites so you can see how successful sites are built.

Qualities of a successful web designer

If you’re wondering whether you’d make a great web designer, here are some of the important qualities the best designers have.

A passion for design

Good web designers spend a lot of time creating a beautiful portfolio of websites that showcases their skills.

To be a successful web designer, you’ll need to be passionate about creating an eye-catching portfolio of designs that shows versatility and creativity.

Good business sense

Most web designers begin their careers as freelancers. This means you’ll be running your own business and looking for your own clients.

Take some time to draft a business plan that includes your pricing, services, and timeframes. You’ll need to deal with contracts, invoicing, and other aspects of a business to become a success.

Once you have a few clients under your belt, you’re more likely to be hired by a company to do in-house web design.

Organized and committed to schedules

Time is a crucial aspect of any website project. Clients will have strict deadlines and may even have a launch event organized for their newly designed website. The best designers know how to keep design files organized and stick to timelines.

Flexibility

Web design is a creative process, and it’s important to be flexible in your approach. Often, clients will request changes or even change their minds about the entire project. Great web designers are flexible and able to adapt their design process to fit a range of briefs.

The most successful web designers are also flexible in the services they offer. You may find clients who need SEO or content creation, so being able to offer these services alongside web design will expand your client base.

Strong communication skills

Web design requires a lot of back-and-forth with clients. To be a great designer, you’ll need to be able to communicate well with clients and explain complex design ideas clearly and concisely.

If you can’t communicate with clients easily over the phone or email, they won’t trust you to communicate their brand message through design.

It’s not just clients you’ll have to communicate with; designers often have to liaise with web developers, copywriters, marketing teams, and more to make sure the entire website functions as it should.

Open to new ideas

The landscape of web design is always evolving, and what customers expect from websites constantly changes. The best web designers are always open to new ideas and willing to change their approach to design.

You’ll also have clients who have their own ideas about how a website should look. Good or bad, it’s your job as a professional designer to take those ideas and translate them into a beautiful website.

An understanding of website users

One of the fundamental traits of a great web designer is an understanding of website users. Without this, you won’t be able to make websites that are visually appealing or easy to navigate.

Having a deep understanding of color theory, website structure, and user experience will help you create the best designs that not only look fantastic but also get results.

Getting started in your web design career

To get started as a web designer, you’ll need to create a portfolio of web designs to show to potential clients. You can make these for imaginary businesses, reach out to local businesses and work for a reduced fee, or even offer your services for free to get those initial designs.

Once you have a portfolio, it’s time to do some marketing. Reach out to local businesses in your area and explain how you can improve their website and what benefits they’ll get from a new design.

If you’ve picked a specific niche, do some research and find potential clients online you could reach out to and offer your services.

Once you get those initial clients, you can set up a simple referral program to start bringing in a consistent stream of leads.

It can take some time to get those initial clients, but you’ll gather momentum the more experience you have.

Salary and career prospects

The next big question is, how much do web designers make? In the US, the average salary for a Web Designer is $61,160. However, this depends on your employment status, location, experience level, and specialty.

Designers with more experience earn more because they know how to create beautiful websites and have an extensive portfolio to showcase to clients.

When you’re just starting out, you may earn considerably less than the average. But with some time and effort, you can build a lucrative career in web design.

Examples of good web design

The best way to find inspiration when you’re starting out in web design is to look at some of your favorite brands and company websites. Think about what you love about those sites, what visuals look great, and what functions work well.

You can also check out the website portfolios of established web design agencies to see full web designs that clients have paid for.

By finding inspiration from other websites, you’ll be able to figure out what you want to specialize in and the kind of designs you’ll offer.  

Overall, good web design focuses on:

• Consistency
• Color theory
• Typography
• Simplicity
• Functionality

The future of web design

Web designers will always be in high demand, and businesses will always need beautiful, high-functioning websites. Because of this, the industry is continually evolving to keep up with demand.

There are a couple of trends that will shape the web design industry in the future, and it’s important to be aware of them now before you start your new career.

• New web developer tools are making it easier to create websites with little to no experience with coding. Although it’s useful to know how to code, new tools make this part of the job much easier.
• Designers are moving toward data-driven designs with a focus on analytics and user experience.
• Conversational user interfaces are growing in popularity and so should be in the arsenal of any designer.
• UI animations are another growing trend, so make sure you can offer animations to new clients.

Is web design right for you?

Web design is a rewarding, creative career path for those looking for a professional in the online design world. The best part is that you don’t need formal training, so you can jump in and figure out if it’s right for you.

You might also find a hidden passion for web development, copywriting, or coding and open up an entirely new career path while you work.