These days, it’s pretty tough to locate a business that doesn’t have a website or who can’t be found online in some way, shape, or form. The online world is a whirlwind of up and coming websites, with new and exciting designs wowing consumers every single day. So who do you think actually does all of the designing for these visually appealing sites? Web designers (duh)!
This profession is not only enjoyable, but rewarding as well. Not to mention the stability of it; with sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, it’s safe to say the internet will be around for a long time. In fact, internet usage is expected to drastically increase by 2018, which means that web design and graphic design fields will also increase. Let’s take a look at five reasons why web design is a great career path and see if it’s the profession for you.
- Creative Freedom: This one is kind of a no-brainer. If you’re type who loves to get your creative juices flowing, web design is right up your alley. Generally, businesses don’t give you total freedom, but they trust designers to make their website classy and easy-to-navigate. Looking for inspiration from already successful web designers is a smart place to start and will help spark your brain cells into action.
- Ever-Changing: Does the thought of sitting behind a desk performing the same tasks day after day- like a robot- make you cringe? Well, welcome to variety, baby. Web design is constantly growing and changing; design courses and refresher courses alike should be taken regularly in order to stay on top of the newest tips and changes. You can go from designing a small business shopping cart platform to making sure the general layout is correct to adjusting the color theme- all in one day. Regular maintenance of the website also needs to be kept up on.
- Organized: Deadline lover? Web design, while fun if it’s something you’re interested in, requires the designer to be prompt with deadlines. Yes, you can still be a freelance web designer and have a complete blast, but if you’re not organized and serious about keeping deadlines, you’re going to flounder. Maintaining professionalism and still producing different, imaginative creations will push you right to the top.
- No PhD Required: I don’t mean this in a degrading way by any means. Anything worth acquiring obviously takes hard work and dedication and while web design isn’t exactly rocket science (what is that anyway?), it does require a bit of schooling- but only a Bachelor’s degree worth! Within the schooling, the ins and outs of HTML, CSS, javascript, ASP, and php are topics that will be covered. Photoshop and other graphics editing programs are also areas you should be savvy in. Remember that web design and all of its components take practice, so if you don’t get it the first time, keep at it.
- Show Off: Once you’ve mastered all it takes to be a successful web designer, you can show off your work- to billions of people worldwide. How cool is that? And rather than explaining exactly what you do to everyone you meet, with the click of a mouse, you can show them. It’s also important to have a broad portfolio of everything you’ve ever done. It just helps to show people your projects and work ethic as well as the quality of your work. Potential clients can browse through and decide if you’re the person for them or not, which is extremely helpful.
