Web-designer – pros and cons of the profession

The Internet has existed since the early 1980s in the form to which we are all accustomed when TCP/IP – a single data transfer protocol – was introduced. At the same time, the profession of web designers also originated. As there was a need for specialists who could professionally create websites. Initially, the profession was purely technical in nature. Today, however, web designers are widely sought after and well paid specialists.

Many of them are employed as IEs. This profession is distinguished by its specificity, as it requires both creative, technical, communication skills and a broad outlook. If someone likes interesting, not ordinary tasks, appreciates diversity, is able to creatively approach any questions – then perhaps he should try his hand at the art of web design!

The concept of “designer” in the name of the profession itself adjusts a person in a creative way – it is immediately imagine a certain artist playing with fonts, colors, creating for sites elegant design. However, this impression is somewhat wrong. Web designers, first of all, technical specialists, solving very specific problems. Their job is not to create a beautiful site. They must create a site that is convenient for all, and most importantly functional, so to speak, selling.

In a large team duties web designer, as a rule, the visual design of the created site (for design):

– develops a “facade” or the appearance of the graphic components of the site – banners, button views, icons;

– selects the background, illustrations, font design;

– develops the visual design of related tools, such as groups in social networks, mobile applications, advertising banners placed outside the site.

If the web-designer acts in a single person, or he works in a small studio, it may be assigned to him and some additional functions:

– he develops the structure of sites, the consistency between their pages, creates an intuitive and easy to navigate system;

– adapts website layouts to a variety of sizes and display proportions so that sites are always adequately displayed on PCs and mobile devices of all kinds;

– designs and then implements the full functionality of the future site – a system of comments, a system for downloading and uploading files, receiving anticipated client requests, callback functions, and so on;

– ensures a high degree of conversion of the future site, i.e. ensures that users perform the largest number of targeted activities on the site (shopping, navigating to certain pages, filling out questionnaires, etc.).

That is, at the same time a web designer has to be and a programmer, and graphic designer, and a master of interfaces a, to all this and to some extent a marketer. The main thing – to see the whole picture of the future site, what the result should be achieved.

A small project, for example, a business card site or website portfolio, or single-page branding is very often created alone. More large-scale work takes place in a team, where all the powers are clearly distributed. However, we can still talk about some common qualities that are important to all web designers except for the excellent taste and ability to combine many functions in one person.

Web designers where to start: – the basic principles of layout and general construction of the concept of visual character (hierarchy, domination, focus points); – technical and legal aspects of the site (registration of domain names, the choice of hosting, the choice of CMC for management, etc.). ); – actual directions in web design (flat design, tiles, skevomorfism, metro-interfaces, etc.); – structure and features of various types of sites (online stores, branding, business cards, information portals, promotional sites, etc.). ); – the principles of so-called usability (usability); – the psychology of advertising and the basis of marketing activities.

It is important that a web designer can: – think systematically and think in advance about all aspects of the future work of the site; – collect and then structure the data, separating the secondary and most importantly, to find compromise solutions. This is important mainly in the preparatory stages of the work (when analyzing the target audience, market segment, competitors’ activity and the wishes of customers); – to make meaningful and concise presentations; – to work in graphic editors with raster and vector graphics, with animation; – to understand the typography, various and other components of the layout; – to be able to constructively and competently negotiate with customers at any stage of the work; – to interact with subcontractors, with the accuracy necessary for the work to be done.

We also advise you to familiarize yourself with the professions of logistician, hairdresser and cook.

The profession of web-designer has both positive and negative characteristics.

The undoubted “advantages” include:

– sustainable professional and personal growth, the opportunity to constantly learn;

– demand for web-designer services is in the process of growth;

– the opportunity to work remotely both at home and abroad;

– tasks are always diverse, interesting, there is still room for experimentation and display of creative skills;

– the level of income in this profession has no limits and depends only on the competence, the ability to “sell” themselves.

The “disadvantages” of the profession include the following:

– when working as a freelancer or in a small firm, there is a need to constantly find new customers while competing with other freelancers;

– the tasks set by the customers have to be solved with constant shortage of time and often financial difficulties;

– numerous corrections to the project are possible at the customer’s request, it is necessary to adjust to the customer’s point of view.