Do You Have What It Take To Be A Successful Web Designer?

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Websites are an important medium of marketing communication being used by businesses all over the world. In the field of web and Internet, the task is divided among two professionals i.e. web developers and web designers. In this article we are going to discuss the traits of a successful web designer.

In today’s world, web designers are at the vanguard of the web marketing revolution. Unlike the general perception, the job of a web designer does not end at building a website that looks good, but it should also draw out useful information from the entity that the web pages are representing. In the virtual world of web, you have to fit in everything that you want to say in a single web page. So, along with designing an eye-catching website pattern, web designers have the challenging task of effectively balancing the huge amount of information, the interests of their client and their aesthetics all into one website.

Being successful in a certain profession requires certain characteristics and traits. Similar is the case with web designers where certain characteristics judge the success of their profession. These traits include the ability in planning, synthesis, aesthetics and creativity in general and the study of interactivity of websites and certain soft skills in particular. Following is the list of certain questions regarding the required qualities of a successful web designer that will help my fellow web designers to gauge the level of their success in the field:

Do you have a dazzling Portfolio?

The best medium for the creative workers to showcase their abilities and aesthetics is a portfolio. An impressive portfolio has the potential to often to nail a client or a job for the web designers even before the first phone call or email. A web design portfolio will show the different styles and patterns the web designer can deliver and what type of features to expect in their page designs. When your client or potential employer looks at your website design portfolio, several questions about your designs pop in their mind and answering those questions gives you a chance to explore the client/employer.

To make your portfolio and instant call-to-action, add your best work out for the rest. If possible, give rationales and the ‘idea-behind-the-design’ in your portfolio. This will create an image of a well-researched design and a research-oriented designer.
Do you plan for your designs before making them?

Planning a research is very important before starting a creative job. Same goes with web designing. When starting out a website, successful web designers plan ahead what are the goals of a website they are making and what does their client wants out of it. The images the layout, the content, even the colors and typography is pre-planned.  By being effective planners, web designers give proper focus to their web designing and its ultimate goals.

Are you good at communication skills?

No matter which professional field or carrier level you belong to, you like to work alone or prefer team-work, communication skills are a MUST for your successful career. Many of your discrepancies can be covered up if you are good at communicating. Not only that you should be good at communicating with other people, your written and verbal skills should also be strong and effective.

Do you keep up-dating yourself with new technology?

Technical skills are highly essential for a web designer. However, rapid updating is more of a rule of thumb when it comes to technological advancement. Web designer’s success depends a lot on having outstanding technical skills to master the essentials of the job. Sticking yourself to a limited technical knowledge and only certain skill set is not going to work. Apart from your daily routine tasks, it is better to take some time out and gain knowledge of any advancement that took place in your field.

How much experience do you have in the web designing field?

Experience counts a lot, even more than the qualification one has. Your potential employer and clients are very interested in your past experiences i.e. the places you have worked at and the companies you have worked with. There are many models for websites, and often you come across a certain client who belongs to a certain field of industry on which you already have done a website. Past experience with a similar client type will be an advantage on your side and might land you the job.

Having a good experience will also lead to quicker discovery of client’s mood and requirements. So don’t just wait for the college to end so that you step into the professional field. Start looking for projects so as to have a richer experience when you land into the professional field.

Do you have the required soft skill-set?

Having a greater skill-set is very important to be successful in the field of web designing. The more web designing skills you will have, the less hard will be your way towards success. You should know the most modern HTML coding, high quality CSS for best cross browser compatibility, smart basic search engine optimization practices, and to build a foundational site in that you can add more pages or content with the passage of time. You should also judge as how deeper your technical skills are when it comes to custom programming, ecommerce and content management system development. So for a successful web designer, it is better, rather best to have a multiple sill-set.

Are you a website designer or a graphic designer?

Web designing is a separate field of designing, having its own flare and expertise. It is quite a general perception that graphic designers can advance to the level of a web designer once they learn certain technical skills. Graphic designers do have excellent graphic skills and can come up with excellent website designs, however many of these designs are not functional. Web designing is a particularly important field and requires special expertise and experience.

Are you well-organized?

Being organized is important for every person to be successful. Especially when it comes to building a website, it can turn into a tedious task. Too much information and files can be difficult to be handled. So when you are not organized, it can lead you to much trouble. First step towards organizing is to classify texts, pictures, graphics, videos and even sound files in separate folders that should be labeled appropriately.

Web designers can also use a tip of making a layout of their plan on paper before actually using the computer. This will save them precious time because they already have a road map of the web. By being organized, web designers amplify their time well and finish the job easier than expected.

Are you good at evaluation?

Critique and evaluation is an important trail of all creative people, especially the web designers. Having a good eye in pointing out mistakes in their own work is definitely a quality that good web designers should possess. You should know how to evaluate the work your have produces i.e. what looks good and what needs to be deleted in the website.

They should also be a devil’s advocate and judge the success of their website being in the visitor’s shoes. Most online visitors leave a website because it has too much advertisements and unnecessary clutter that they have a hard time drawing out the information they need from the web. Thus, by being able to self-evaluate your website, enables you to present your website well to your target audience.

How creative are you?

A web designer is nothing without creative and aesthetic sense. In this career, an artistic eye is a huge asset. Many of the website designers come from a history of graphic design. This can allow you to use your ideas, expertise and creativity in areas such as photography, layout, typography, color, and graphics.

Do you possess a good business sense?

Having a good business sense is also very important for carrying out a web design business and maintaining it well. A web designer does not only design the websites for their clients, they create a business solution for them as well. If you are good at understanding an organization’s marketing needs and can get into the minds of the potential visitors, you will certainly have an edge over your other competitors in the market. Although some web development agencies have specific department for marketing, however it will good for you as a personal trait to learn the tricks of trade.

The Wrap Up

A website can create a huge impact on how people utilize it and interact with your business. However, a career in demands more than just web designing the appearance of a website. A web designer’s main objective is to create an effective communication solution so as to promote their client’s brand identity.

This indicates that making use of your knowledge in technology; you need to make sure that the website properly works and will vouch for your success. If you have a combination of all (or some of) the aforementioned traits, it will definitely bring about a thriving and successful career ahead in web design.