Welcome old and new friends, alike! This blog post is all about Web Design. Web design is a booming industry with lots of opportunities for people to get jobs and become web designers. It’s also an industry that requires training, education, and skills in order to be successful. Web design has come a long way since the early days when it was just text on a page – now you can use HTML5, CSS 3, JavaScript frameworks like AngularJS or ReactJS, PHP/MySQL platforms like WordPress or Drupal. Web design is actually more than just designing pages; it encompasses everything from defining brand identity to managing social media accounts.
We will go over three areas for web design foundations:
- Education and training
- Job prospects
- Future growth
Web Design Education and Training
There are plenty of ways to get education and training in web design. One way is to go to a traditional school, like the Art Institutes or Full Sail University. These schools offer degrees in Web Design, Interactive Media, and other related fields. There are also many online schools that offer courses in web design. Some popular ones include Treehouse, Codecademy, Lynda.com, and Udacity.
No matter which route you decide to take for your education and training, it’s important to have some basic skills before starting out:
HTML/CSS – these two languages lay the foundation for all modern website development; you’ll need to know how to use them both for styling pages and adding interactivity
JavaScript – this language is used for creating dynamic and responsive user interfaces
Photoshop/Illustrator – these two programs are essential for designing web graphics and interface elements
Web hosting and server administration – you’ll need to know how to set up a web server and configure it to host your websites; this is usually done using Linux or Apache
Job Prospects in Web Design
Once you have the education and training necessary, the next step is finding a job. Web design is a growing industry, so there are plenty of jobs available. Some popular job titles include:
- Web Designer: this is a broad term used for many web and graphic design jobs
- Web Developer: this is another general job title that could refer to anything from front-end development to back-end development
- Graphic Designer: this job is focused on creating graphics and logos for websites
- Web Content Manager: this job is focused on managing social media accounts, overseeing content for websites and blogs
- User Interface Designer: this job is focused on designing user interfaces for websites and applications
- Webmaster: this job is focused on managing and maintaining a company’s website
- Graphic Designer: this job is focused on creating graphics and logos for websites
- Web Developer: this job can refer to anything from front-end development to back-end development
- Front End Developer: this job is focused on creating the user interface and interactivity for websites
- Web Administrator: this job is focused on managing and maintaining a company’s website
- Web Applications Developer: this job is focused on developing web applications using languages like PHP, Java, or Ruby on Rails
- Web Developer: this job can refer to anything from front-end development to back-end development
Future Growth in Web Design
As the Web continues to expand, so do opportunities for web designers. Web design is no longer just about creating websites; it encompasses everything from social media management and mobile applications to e-commerce platforms like Shopify or Magento. Web Designers are needed more than ever, but here’s what you can expect in 2022:
Responsive website design – this means building sites that look great on both desktop computers as well as mobile devices
Mobile application development – the majority of companies have a smartphone app these days
E-commerce platform integration with other services/sites – many retailers need their online storefront tied into existing systems such as shipping carriers or payment gateways
Augmented reality apps – interactive software that combines live video feeds with digital objects, often used for gaming or marketing
Virtual reality apps – these are similar to augmented reality apps, but they create a completely virtual environment that users can interact with
The Web is always changing, so it’s important for web designers to keep up with the latest trends. The best way to do this is by attending conferences and networking with other professionals in the industry. There are also many online resources available, such as blogs, tutorials, and forums. With the right education and training, along with a willingness to learn and stay current on new technologies, you’ll be able to find a job in Web Design that you love.
Web design has come a long way since its inception in 1992 when Tim Berners-Lee created the first website. Web design has evolved from basic websites to mobile apps, e-commerce sites and more. Web designers are needed now more than ever before with smartphones in hand almost everywhere you go. Web Design is a broad term that includes everything from graphic design for web images and interface elements to coding skills like mobile application development or augmented reality/virtual reality app creation (AR & VR). As technology advances so do job opportunities in Web Design which will continue growing at an accelerated rate through 2022. This blog post talks about where we’ve been, how we got here and what’s up ahead for Web Designers including education, training and jobs prospects within the industry along with resources available online such as blogs, and forums.
