Web design is an exciting and demanding profession in many areas these days. But what features differentiate and make good web designers stand out? In this article, we would like to explore the core skills required for web designers to become successful in the area.
10 skills web designer needs to be proficient in
Awareness of the color theory
The color theory provides deep knowledge of how web design is perceived. It teaches tons of combinations of various colors, when to apply dark or light themes, what colors can be mixed and what combinations are better to avoid. This knowledge is a must to work with clients with different requests, let us show an example.
Imagine you get a client with the request of redesigning several landing pages according to the brand book. But as a professional, you see that the brand colors are not mutually reinforcing and probably deter the website users. So your task is to prove your rightness and enable a client to global web design changes.
Create responsive design
Nowadays, having a responsive design is one of the main terms for websites. Even if the client spends huge sums of money on developing the business website, it is still needed to consider lots of users that use tablets and smartphones to surf this website. Hence, the web design needs to be optimized to each screen size and resolution correctly where each button is visible and can be easily clicked, where the landing pages or blog articles are readable, and where all images save the high-quality despite the device.
Get acquainted with CMS apps
Honestly, you will hardly find a custom business website these days. There is quite a broad range of content management systems that can easily be customized to certain business requirements. One of the most usable CMS is WordPress, which can be integrated with lots of themes and plugins to make the website look like the client requires. Surely a web designer needs to be proficient with CMSs as they will work directly with their admin to edit the page designs.
Use modern design tools
Today, web designers have access to a wide range of various design tools which simplify the overall process of their work. Commonly, design software helps create web page prototypes for further discussion with a client, approval, and migration to the actual website by front-end developers or web designers, depending on the skills. Among the popular solutions, we would surely like to mention Photoshop, InVision, Figma, Adobe Illustrator, and many others. The selection depends on the specifics of your jobs and personal convenience to use.
Basic knowledge of HTML
HTML is a considered basic sphere of knowledge for web designers, but in fact, only experienced designers are proficient in it. So if you want to succeed in the area, you definitely need to learn the basics of HTML. In the previous point, we mentioned the migration of a web page design prototype to the website, and it requires knowledge of HTML. It means you need to write the page code, including the content it needs to contain. This markup language is pretty simple to learn but requires very thorough attention to detail.
Manage the time you spend on tasks
Certainly, web designers are creative specialists that apply individual approaches and visions to each project they get, but far not all clients are ready to cope with that. To be successful in this sphere, you need to build your own algorithm for executing different jobs and do them in time. When the next client tells you the requirements for the job, you will already be aware of how to set the right priorities and how many hours or days you need to deliver the expected result.
Enable communication with clients
Communication is key to being on the same page with your clients and the team if you work with any. There are going to be lots of challenges for you working with different clients, as some precisely know what design they want and some just have some suggestions but don’t see the final result. You need to know what questions to ask to find out more about the client’s requirements and provide the design approach that will be approved.
Be ready to work with a team
Mutual understanding is pivotal for smooth teamwork, especially with co-workers who influence your job or the contrary. For example, if you are a web designer in a software development team, you need to be collaborative. You will be tasked with creating a solution prototype and then designing the web app. So the project’s success partially depends on your job as well as the jobs of all engineers involved in the team. All tasks assigned to you must be done according to the project roadmap and deadlines, similar to what writers from writing services TrustMyPaper do.
Consider client reviews as an essential part of your job
If we talk about large-scale tasks related to web design, regular reviews by a client are a must to know you move in the right direction, and that the done part correlates with client demands and expectations. If you are tasked with designing the entire business website, you need to build a communication plan and outline what process you need to discuss and approve with a client. The best revision approach is to conduct weekly presentations for a customer about what is done and what the next steps are. When tackling extensive web design projects, regular client reviews are crucial for aligning progress with their expectations. Incorporating a customer testimonial template offers multiple benefits: boosting sales, streamlining feedback, and enabling continuous improvement.
Be familiar with digital marketing strategies
The main purpose of creating a business website like the writing service BestEssaysEducation is to effectively promote the services or products online by applying a digital marketing strategy. It can be an organic promotion or paid promotion, and they work differently. The advanced web designer has to be aware of how digital marketing strategies work, and what strategy the client business follows, in order to define the design trends and methods that are relevant to current marketing plans.
To sum up
Constant replenishing knowledge about the latest design trends and software tools are key components to widening your client network and improving design skills.
