A web designer designs, produces and codes websites and similar software for people, businesses and other organisations. They collaborate with their customers to include technological and visual elements of the platform or programme. Any web designers will also help manage the website for their clients until it has been completed. As more and more websites need smartphone touchscreen usability, web designers must also be able to code pages that are simultaneously compliant with this platform. This is a fast-changing work that needs the continuous upgrading of expertise. Online courses like Blue Sky Graphics are helping enthusiastic people enter this field with ease.
Web designers ought to be well acquainted with internet technologies and have outstanding computer engineering and coding abilities. They ought to grasp how networks function to provide a great deal of sensitivity to detail. Debugging website issues is a regular activity, but the capacity to fix problems is often important. Excellent time management abilities and the willingness to fulfil deadlines for this role are needed. Healthy consumer relationship skills and patience with customers are helpful. Excellent verbal and written correspondence is often really helpful. Web designers need to recognise one or two machines scripting languages, as well as certain graphic design expertise.
Salary of a web designer
A web designer with less than 1 year of experience should receive an overall gross salary (including tips, incentives and overtime pay) of £18,225 based on 36 salaries. An early career Web Designer with 1-4 years of practise receives an estimated gross salary of £21,794 based on 300 salaries. A mid-career Web Designer with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of £26,391 based on 177 salaries. An accomplished web designer with 10-19 years of experience receives an estimated gross salary of £29,781 based on 88 salaries. In their late careers (20 years and older), employees earn an average total compensation of £31,429.
Job Description of a Web Designer
Web designers prepare, build and code websites and web pages, all of which blend text with sounds, photographs, graphics and video clips.
The creation and development of a website or blog page is the responsibility of the web designer. It can involve operating on a whole new website or upgrading an established website. Their job is different from that of web developers who specialise in rendering web projects a reality or writing code that determines how different sections of the website come together. However, there might be a crossover between the two functions.
Qualifications and preparation criteria
There are web creation routes for both university and school graduates. Employers are likely to pursue a degree in interactive media design or similar subjects for positions advertised to graduates. Whether you have a similar degree, you would need to be willing to show a portfolio of the best web design jobs.
School graduates who wish to go to web design should watch out for web designer apprenticeships and should prepare to have to show their commitment, for example by getting the necessary job experience to speak about.
HTML, CSS, JavaScript
These three languages” are the backbone of most websites and are the three largest tools in the web design toolbox. They are both legally “languages,” while HTML and CSS are not technically known to be true programming languages.
HTML
HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) is a set of “markup” tags that are responsible for structuring all the different elements of a web page. Designates headers, footers, paragraphs, links, images, and everything in between. HTML is what the search engine crawlers “read” while indexing the page.
Proper HTML is a vital aspect of a competent, working website. HTML failures would almost universally manifest in graphic irregularities on the page, which are noticeable to consumers as well. In the worst scenario, incorrect HTML will effectively destroy the whole website.
CSS
You can think of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) as an HTML add-on. CSS is responsible for designing HTML elements – in other words, CSS governs how the website elements appear to end users.
For eg, HTML uses the <p> tag to define paragraphs or general body text. Using CSS, a designer can make a certain colour, a certain font size, a certain font type, and so on of all text designated as <p> element.
CSS can be easy and usable in the sense of tiny, static websites, but it can easily expand to thousands of lines of code when working with broader, more complicated websites.
JavaScript
JavaScript is also another additional language for HTML and CSS. It is considered straightforward to learn, as far as programming languages are concerned. JavaScript also straddles the distinction between web designer and software artist.
To put it obviously, JavaScript allows for improved modification of the functionality of the website. HTML and CSS are not necessarily “programming” languages because they only serve to structure and style web pages. You may accomplish any sort of functionality with them, such as forcing an entity to change colour when it finishes, but JavaScript comes to help for something beyond that.
JavaScript allows programmers advanced influence over the functionality of the website. For eg, programmers may use JavaScript to specify that when a user does X, Y will happen,” where Y is a technical complication that cannot be solved by plain HTML and CSS.
A very basic use of JavaScript is something like hiding or showing a certain element when the user clicks a specific button.
There are various JavaScript implementations or versions, with jQuery being the easiest and most common way for web designers to learn and use.
Graphic elements
It is the duty of the web designer to create the overall look and sound of the website, utilising photos, HTML, CSS and JavaScript to do so.
Designers are usually imaginative in nature and have a talent to select aesthetically appealing paint palettes.
Designers structure websites so that the flow of information is intuitive and user-friendly. They are responsible for creating a coherent user experience, while the developers create the user interface themselves.
Collaboration with the developer
Again it is necessary to remember that a successful website is the culmination of hours and hours of work by people of several diverse ability sets, from architecture and production to copywriting.
Designers also collaborate closely with web developers to produce refined, industry-leading features and overall user experience.