How To Be A Successful Web Designer

Web designing can be an exciting career. You start out with a blank slate and turn texts and images into an awesome website. The project starts small and slowly, it will grow into this enormous web of connected information glued together. Though it is more on designing and creating art, there are other things to consider in web designing. Success doesn’t come overnight. The list below will help you get closer to becoming an accomplished web designer.

Follow these 10 helpful tips to reach your goal in becoming a web designer:

1. Communication skills are crucial.

   You need to get your points crossed to your client and your art director. You should be able to justify your design choices. If problems occur along the way,  good communication can surely fix that.

2. Learn to effectively sell your skills.

   You need to learn how to survive in the competitive world of web design.  Yes, things may get tough, but you should know your value. Stick on promoting your strengths and pointing out your unique skill sets. Use social media to your advantage and show the world your talent.

3. Plan first, design later.

   When you plan, you get ideas and it can spark new concepts. Plan how to go about a particular project. Research about your client’s company and know what is desired from you as the designer. In order to come up with a good design, look into the company’s competitors to know more about the latest industry trends.

4. Ask for feedback.

   Evaluate your work first and then, ask help from trusted and respected people. Accept and implement their criticism to improve your work. They may be able to spot your mistakes easily and this will help you save time. You can dedicate more time on other aspects of the project.

5. You are a Web Designer, and not a Graphic Designer.

   Graphic designers are NOT web designers and vice versa. The two are completely different and each has its own field of expertise. For you to be successful in web design, you should dedicate your time to it and hire a part-time graphics artist for a specific task.

6. Stay informed.

   Technology evolves fast. What may be trendy today might become obsolete tomorrow. Like fashion, the web design changes over time. Find time to learn new things and follow the latest news.

7. Be organized.

   Like in any other field of profession, being organized is important to effectively get the job done. Begin with organizing your computer by properly labeling files and folders.

8. Update your portfolio.

   Always keep your portfolio current. It should show potential clients that you have more recent, active, and relevant projects. Web design projects years ago may not be what is trendy now. This will justify project costs if you charge a relatively hefty web design fee.

9. Learn to be a team player.

   Two heads are better than one. Know how to work with others and see how your teamwork will greatly improve the end product.

10. Be business minded.

    Apart from being a web designer, you must also know learn to balance costs, and make significant assessments. Then, you can earn more and lessen expenses.

Once you have grasped the basics of web design, do not stop there. Learn new tricks and slowly apply it your design process. Aside from web design skills, you may want to dig deeper into HTML/CSS, Java, SQL, and other coding techniques to acquire more skill sets to add to your growing portfolio.