Web design is definitely an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. It is a trade that combines technical skills with creative ability. Should you feel comfortable with computer technology and you enjoy creating documents, web design can be a great way to mix both interests.
However, it's always overwhelming to consider learning a fresh skill. Before learning how to become a web designer, you need to think about, "Should I become a web designer?"
I've been learning web design since I was a decade old, in 1994. I now do lots of web design for myself and for a few small company clients. There have been plenty of pleasures, but additionally plenty of frustrations. If you're considering becoming a web designer, there are a few things you need to retain in mind.
When you have lots of time and energy to devote to learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Photoshop, it's possible to understand the fundamentals in several months. Prepare yourself to pay some money on manuals, books, and applications.
Regardless of how you determine to learn web design and how you determine to enter the field, some individuals have better potential to become site designers than others.
When you're programming, even if you're employing a simple language like HTML and employing a helpful application like Dreamweaver, you're planning to encounter some frustrations. Sometimes, when I create an HTML document, I spend far more time making corrections and problem solving than doing fun stuff. Are you prepared to pay lots of time testing and making little changes? Regardless of the manner in which you approach web design, tedium can't be completely avoided. If you're easily frustrated and discouraged, web design mightn't be for you.
Unless web design is going to be just an interest for you, you will have clients you've to work with. Sometimes clients have lots of specific expectations. Some clients have experience with web design themselves, but others may demand things without knowing the technical limitations involved. Before you start any project for clients, it's best to truly have a thorough conversation using them about what they need and what they need. That will save you lots of time. How would you want to pay weeks developing an internet site, only to learn that your client wants very different fonts, colors, graphics, site organization and content? If you're going to get into designing website pages for others, you're planning to need to be ready to create lots of compromises and take lots of criticism. Are you ready for that?
Finally, think about when you yourself have the full time and energy to advertise yourself. If you want to be hired by a web design firm, along with learning skills and possibly obtaining certifications, you've also got to get ready to pound the pavement along with your resume and portfolio. It might get you over a year to discover a job. Prepare yourself to attend lots of job interviews, and possibly get lots of rejections.
If you're going to become a freelancer, like I am, you've really got to devote lots of energy to self-promotion. Set up an internet site, preferably with your own personal domain. Prepare yourself to pay some money on advertising. Spend lots of time promoting your services with social networking - Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, and so on. Scan classified ads, particularly online classifieds. Print business cards and distribute them wherever you can. Use your connections and word-of-mouth to your advantage. Tell everyone you realize that you're a web designer, and maybe someone knows an individual who could possibly be your first client. Sometimes I take more time promoting myself than I do actually carrying it out itself.
If you're ready to pay a bit of money, do lots of tedious work, take some criticism, and do lots of self-promotion, then web design could be the field for you.
First, you've got to start the training process. In the event that you enjoy classroom instruction and having teachers, subscribe for a few web design and graphic design courses through your local community college. If you'd rather start learning by yourself, buy the right books, look at the source codes of the net pages you visit, and go through some online tutorials. Even if you're going to start learning web design in a school setting, be prepared to do lots of learning in your spare time, as well.
It's important to understand HTML, especially HTML5. Learn Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), around CSS3. JavaScript, possibly some server side scripting languages, and Flash are invaluable, too. Don't forget to learn how to use Photoshop. If there isn't the amount of money to get Photoshop straight away, begin by downloading some free graphic design programs like Paint.Net and GIMP. You can learn a few of the basics of graphic design like that, and possibly be better prepared whenever you finally buy the most recent version of Photoshop.
Nowadays, people access the net in more ways than were ever possible before. When you're web designing, you not just want to create your website pages work in multiple browsers, but additionally on multiple devices. Even basic cellular phones can access the net today, not merely smart phones such as for instance BlackBerrys and iPhones. Even some gaming playing devices just like the Sony PSP and Nintendo DSi have web browsers. Web surfers could possibly be using tiny screens or enormous screens. They may be using a number of different browsers and versions of browsers. Users could have very different plug-ins and fonts; Adobe Flash is a browser plug-in, for instance. When you're learning web design, try surfing the net in as much ways as you can.
There are many helpful resources for learning web design online, and there are numerous helpful online tools for site designers, many of which I use.
The W3C is a superb place to start web design Mississauga. They're the non-profit organization founded by Tim Berners-Lee, the man who started the World Wide Web. The W3C sets standards for HTML, XML and CSS. As well as information about coding languages and standards, they've handy tools to validate your code.
HTML Goodies has lots of excellent tutorials and articles.
I've learned a great deal to date, but I'm always learning more, and I'll always be considered a student of web design and media technology. As technology advances, things change. There'll often be new programming languages and applications. Learning is a constant process.
Web design has been an engaging experience for me, and if you choose to get into it yourself, I hope you take it seriously and have lots of fun.
My name is Kim Crawley, and I'm a web and graphic designer. As well as my fascination with using technology creatively, I'm also very thinking about popular culture, social issues, music, and politics.
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