Friday 25 May 2012

What Does it Take to Become a Web Designer?

The first thing you notice when you log on to a website is the design and layout.  The appearance of a web site speaks to us the moment we lay eyes on it.  The look and feel of a website can encourage us to explore it or to hit the back button on the browser.  Web designers understand the impact that appearance has on the success of a website.  Armed with an arsenal of skills and perhaps a degree, web designers are important assets in our web-enabled lifestyle.  Perhaps you would like to know what it takes to become a web designer.  Here, we will give you the crash course.


Web designers come from all walks of life.  You could be a self-taught web designer or one with a master’s degree in computer science.  You can design websites on a freelance basis or perhaps as a team member of a web design company.  Some web designers enjoy building sites for friends simply for a little extra cash in their pockets.  The truth is that web design is a learned process and just like any other discipline, practice makes perfect.  Whether you learn web design in school or through real-life experience, you can turn your passion for web design into a promising career through hard work and dedication.

Skills, Knowledge and Education

Web designers use Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) to design and create web pages.  As a web designer, you need to not only understand this compute language, but also stay updated with the most recent HTML extensions and changes.  File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and other programs are also required to operate and work on the Internet.  Accordingly, a web designer should have a good background on these types of programs.A good working knowledge of software aspects and graphic design is another requirement among web designers.Javascript and other software programs also help web designers build websites, so a basic knowledge and understanding of these programs is a general requirement.
Familiarity with server and browse compatibility and incompatibility issues is not a full requirement for a web designer.  Still, an understanding of these issues will give a web designer an added advantage.  The same is true for a college degree.  Although not necessarily required, a degree will certainly help a web designer land a job, especially as a full-time designer at a company.

jQuery can be used for Mobile Web Design

A professional web design company is more likely to require a college degree, usually a bachelor’s degree.  You may also require some web design specific training to get your foot in the door at a web design company.  If you want more flexibility in your web design career, the freelance route is quite promising.  You can even opt to earn a degree online so long as it is from an accredited school.

Resume and Portfolio

Regardless of the route you take, you will need a professional web design resume and portfolio.  You will need at least three online examples of your work to entice potential clients and employers.  If you need to build a portfolio, then you might work for no money in the beginning.  Once you are able to show three examples of your work, you should be able to land a paying gig.

Author: Akesh Gupta is President of Light Speed Solutions.  Akesh and the Light Speed Solutions team strive to deliver quality web design services on time and on budget.Read our guidelines to be a Guest Author at TechGau.Org
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Gautham A S

Gautham A S is a personal tech columnist and blogging expert at TechGau.Org, one of the leading Tech, How-To and Blogging Tips blogs