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Job Spotlight

How to become a Web Designer

Web Designers use a range of skills to build, design, and maintain websites for their clients. Using both creative and technical skills, they generate websites that are functional, meet the needs of different businesses and organisations, and are aesthetically appealing and user friendly.

 

If you’re creative with a flair for graphic design and the ability to see the bigger picture, then this could be a great career for you to consider.

 

If you have these skills, you could make a great Web Designer

  • Great technical skills including coding, graphic design, UX, design software, and device knowledge
  • Strong maths skills could be beneficial
  • Impressive communication skills – you’ll need to ascertain your client’s requirements
  • SEO knowledge and marketing skills are also important for this job
  • Organised, great at managing your time efficiently, and happy to constantly update your knowledge and skills

 What tasks can I expect to do?

  • Provide advice and ideas, then design concepts to meet customer’s needs
  • Conduct research and analysis of technical requirements
  • Detail and document plans and layouts for client approval
  • Write and edit code and content
  • Design or supervise development of websites and problem solve issues that arise
  • Maintain, update, and back up your work regularly

 Where do Web Designers work?

You will be doing most of your work indoors, in an office environment. There is a great amount of flexibility, as most of your work can be done remotely or from home on computers.

 

What kind of lifestyle can I expect as a Web Designer?

Part-time work is relatively common for Web Designers, meaning you have some flexibility to choose your working hours. Lots of Web Designers also work for themselves as freelancers, or take on contract work.

 

Most Web Designers can expect to earn an average salary throughout their career.

Web Design can be a competitive career to break into, but it’s also in high demand as more and more businesses turn to technological solutions, online marketing, and web sales.

 

How to become a Web Designer

Formal qualifications aren’t essential to becoming a Web Designer – but if you choose to pursue this career without qualifications, you’ll need to get extensive experience and amass a great portfolio of works. Qualifications could help to fast track your career.

 

Step 1 – Finish school. You don’t have to focus entirely on design or IT subjects, but they can be beneficial.

 

Step 2 – Learn to code. If this isn’t offered at your school, you can learn online or attend extracurricular classes and workshops. Focus on HTML and CSS, but learning JavaScript, Python, and other languages is also advantageous.

 

Step 3 – Get experience of all kinds. Find work experience placements, work on design projects at school, create your own website, or volunteer to work on or design websites for other people.

 

Step 4 – Start building a portfolio of your work, build on it and keep it updated throughout your career.

 

Step 5 – Research tertiary courses in design or IT that might interest you and could boost your entry into the industry.

 

Find out more here:

 Similar careers to Web Designer

  • User Interface Designer
  • Digital Designer
  • Web Developer
  • Graphic Designer
  • App Developer
  • Games Developer
  • SEO Specialist
  • Multimedia Programmer
  • Web Content Manager

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