Custom web design involves a lot of aspects that you should learn about—starting with you, the learner. Do you have any innate skills that you could use to your advantage or would make it easier for you to learn web design? Once you’re done with the self-evaluation, you should be able to figure out where to get started. From there, you can map out the process or the way you wish to progress.
In order to be a web designer at Proweaver, you must learn to play various roles and have sufficient knowledge in creating effective and quality layouts. But then, that’s really just to start with. You also have to be client-oriented, have a pleasing personality, and unmatched creativity. It seems like a tall order, right? Well, that’s because anything less is a disservice to our clients.
Why Learn Website Design?
Almost everything you learn from web design will come from experience. If you’re thinking about becoming a web designer someday, don’t hesitate to start right now. The sooner you begin, the faster you can master your craft and build an awesome website for your audiences. Plus, the title “web designer” does have a nice ring to it, don’t you think? It’s all the makings of a fascinating and rewarding career for someone who just loves solving problems in the most creative ways.
Whether you’re a print designer, graphic designer, or any other creative looking to learn another skill to add to your repertoire, website design will offer you countless opportunities. Don’t let another day where you’re letting everyone else pass you by go. Think about it! Website design might just be the tool to help you make your mark on the industry.
Getting Started
The first step is the most critical. For those who are thinking but have yet to dip their toes into the world of website design, the prospect can get a bit overwhelming. You may be thinking to yourself: “Do I even know what I’m getting myself into?” “What if it doesn’t work out?” “What tools do I need for success?” “How do I manage my clients?” There could be so many things going through your head.
You shouldn’t have to worry too much, though. Proweaver will be the first to tell you that designing websites is a lot easier than you think. Once you get started with the amazing tips we’ve listed below, you won’t have any trouble paving your own way. Our awesome list is guaranteed to help you build your very first website, teach you the most effective industry practices, and a whole lot more.
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Start your own website
Sometimes the best way to learn something is to just get straight to it. Proweaver recommends starting a blogging site to play with and experiment. You’ll only be surprised at the many opportunities and skills you’re able to acquire in the coming years. One of the best things about having a blog is that you’re free to do whatever you want. There’ll be no one there to fire you if you make a mistake.
Of course, getting into the thick of things doesn’t necessarily mean going big right away. You can start small and figure out what works for you. It would also be a good idea to do some code inspection and get a deeper insight into what makes your website work.
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Read, read, and read some more
There’s little that reading can’t get you—including that “website designer” title below your name. What you’re doing right now—reading this article— is exactly what will get you to where you want to be. Keep on doing it!
The digital atmosphere is a fast, ever-changing environment that you constantly have to keep up with in order to meet your target market’s demands and remain ahead of the competition. There’s a ton of things you can learn about web design, techniques, practices, and trends. Don’t hesitate to follow some awesome designers on social media who can teach you a thing or two about the industry.
Majority of your reading should be about web design. Again, you can start small and begin with the basics on design theory, coding, tutorials, and all the latest articles.
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Brush up on your communication skills
Your website is your means of communicating to your target audience everything there is to know about your business, including your brand, mission, vision, and goals. You’re basically reaching out to the incredibly vast online world, and not being able to communicate in a way that gets the message across is going to hold your business back and keep it from growing. Communication is a vital part of website design.
Aside from communicating through your website, you’ll also be dealing with clients in person. Clients are very particular about how they want their project to go. Rarely can you get away with just telling a good-paying customer that their message was heard loud and clear. You have to actually reassure them, ease their worries and doubts, and grant them peace of mind in an eloquent manner.
It simply isn’t good enough to have great technical skills and the ability to come up with an awesome solution; you need to be able to effectively communicate this solution to the people you serve. Great communication skills will go a long way to helping you succeed in the world of website design.
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Apply your skill as a creative
Think of the tons of ways you can apply your skill as a painter, graphic designer, or creative designer in your new venture. Keep in mind that the principles for achieving visual appeal through any medium are usually the same.
While it might take you a while to fully grasp the elements of coding, having some kind of background in design is sure to give you a boost. Your website may be coded exceptionally well, but that’s not going to matter if audiences don’t want to interact with it.
How do you approach graphic or creative design? Of course, there is a unique way to tackle each of these avenues for creativity. Your one-of-a-kind approach is what makes you stand out; it’s what makes you special. When you venture into custom web design with this approach, it adds a whole new level of interest to the entire thing.
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Learn from other websites
There are thousands of websites to explore and learn from. Some of these sites may, to you, stand out more than others. Pick the crème de la crème and study them. Ask yourself what exactly is it about these websites that appeal to you and how you will be able to incorporate these certain elements into your own design.
It’s vital to pay attention to scroll effects and animation, colors, texts, uses of space and images, navigation, typography, and design of forms. While you want to replicate some aspects of successful competitor websites, you’ll also want to look into what’s absent from them and apply these elements into your own site. You’ll want to bring something interesting and unique to the table—something your target audiences won’t be able to see or experience when they visit any other site.
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Keep up with the latest technology
There are so many types of new trends and technologies that surface every now and then that it’s going to be hard for you to keep up. However, it’s crucial to stay up-to-date with these changes if you’re thinking about learning web design.
To start with, you can study technologies closely related to your business and the kind of work your company does. For instance, if your website has an online chat feature, you can begin learning about bots. For a site that has a ton of video content, then you may want to play around with a 360-degree video.
Modern web design will require you to learn a lot about augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and other more complex matters. These elements have been integrated into today’s design industry and are only going to get more complicated moving forward. At the very least, you should be aware of the fundamentals regarding these highly complex subjects and their contributions to quality web design.
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Take advantage of SEO
It’s simply not enough to rely on an SEO specialist to get your website ready for search engines; so much of the design work is connected to SEO that web designers also need to have a comprehensive grasp on the matter.
Creating fast, clean codes and uploading images should all be done while considering “searchability.” You need to keep in mind that most of today’s clients know how important it is to have SEO-optimized websites. Make sure to learn about SEO, particularly if you work alone. It’s important that you’re able to create a framework that the major search engines are able to read.
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Find a good teacher
There are amazing web designers out there—some of whom you probably idolize. If one happens to live in your town, don’t hesitate to invite them over and ask for guidance. You can ask someone whom you have similar views with and whose approach to business mirrors your own or, at the very least, how you would want your approach to be.
Once you get someone who’s been successfully designing websites for a long time on board, it’ll be easier for you to grasp concepts and learn in your own special way. While there are a ton of ways to learn online— accessing online community forums and other means of learning on the Internet—nothing will quite compare to having a professional teach you in person.
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Enroll in a class
Some learners need a formal learning environment to truly master web design. You can choose from either in-person or online classes. Perhaps, there are local colleges in your town, or in the next town, offering basic and advanced web design courses. The first thing you need to do before enrolling in a class is to gauge your level of expertise. Pick a class that caters to your current ability level and simply move forward after that.
Looking at these tips, there’s nothing that suggests you need to be an exceptional talent to learn and master website design. It’s really just about learning the craft in the most effective ways. You need to establish a foundation on the technical side, have a clear understanding of the organizational parts, and gain more knowledge from reading and keeping yourself up-to-date with the latest methods. From there, you can build your skills on custom web design and even build a career with it.
Again, if you’re looking to learn about web design, then you are probably already practicing most of these tips. However, never forget that this field is constantly shifting and there’s always something new to learn every single day. Just ask anybody who is a web designer.