Thinking About Becoming a Web Designer? Here’s A Good Place to Start

As a profession, web design has only been in existence since the internet was first introduced, and back then all people needed to create was very basic websites with some seriously dodgy templates. Now we are faced with huge shopping sites with flashy banners and interactive designs that capture data from their users without them even knowing. It’s a massive industry and there’s scope for lots of different skills. If you’re into SEO, design or programming, you will be able to carve out exciting career in an industry that is continually evolving.

So where do you begin?
As with any career path, you need to know what you’re getting yourself in for before throwing yourself into a field with a plethora of options.

Web Development
If you like computer science and programming then you’re going to be intrigued by a web developer role. But consider this – with the web getting bigger and becoming more multi-functional as we speak, what kind of developer do you want to be? Front-end developers generally do all the coding that you see when you go to a site, so if this appeals to you, you’ll be getting involved with CSS and jQuery (some excitingly versatile programming languages). Back-end developers do all the behind-the-scenes code, so they’re more concerned with how everything is linked to a database, where this information is pulled from and how it needs to function.

Web Design
Think of a web designer as a graphic designer that specialists in websites. But websites aren’t the only think you’re really involved with if you want to excel in this field. You should study icon design, user interface design, logo design and possibly even read up on how to improve online user experience to really broaden your skill set  If you’re thinking about web design then it’s not generally as well-paid as web development – but that’s not to say you won’t be able to make a fortune if you really learn your trade well!

Search Engine Optimization and Social Media
As a marketing channel, social media has developed dramatically in recent years. Any person remotely interested in marketing will understand how important networks like Twitter and Facebook are becoming when it comes to creating a buzz around a product and getting it out there to the right audience.

Similarly, search engine optimization has morphed into a huge industry in the last decade or so, and online companies are now willing to invest a lot of money into the knowledge and experience of SEO ‘gurus’ that profess to help them get more traffic and more business.

So, What’s Best For Me?
On the whole, web design is a diverse and fulfilling industry that offers web professionals a number of different avenues. You can explore each one in depth before you settle on your eventual path. Just have a think about what you’re really cut out for before you dive into training. Do you prefer the challenging monotony of coding, or would you rather be conjuring up amazing, innovative designs for your clients? One thing’s for sure – you’ll never get bored working in web design!

Boasting a team of dedicated designers and developers, 1st Web Design delivers the affordable website design Essex needs.