7 Skills You Need to Master To Be A Great Web Designer
- October 24, 2016
- Business Advice, Web Design
A well -designed website has better chances to attract Internet users than one that is poorly designed. Images that are out of place, awkward text size, poor spacing, wrong choice of colors, irregular lines and other elements that are out of sync will give any website very poor user ratings.
Becoming a great web designer is to appreciate that there is an art form angle to be grasped in your bid to master the precision and aptitude for website creation. There is a need to understand a couple of details involved in designing a website that will not be regarded as ordinary or mediocre.
Another important facet is that technology has vastly improved how creative people are able to communicate and collaborate resulting in improved designs all over the web. Acuity Training gives you this compact infographic which throws more light on the relationship between technology and creativity.
Here are 7 skills you cannot toy with:
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Become an Excellent Coder
If you are not going to shirk at the prospect of dealing with HTML and becoming adept at it, then chances are that you have a chance to be an excellent coder. Avoiding the rubrics of HTML is a sign that you won’t become a great web designer. You need to be to grasp HTML basics if you are going to excel as a web designer.
Some of the qualities that you need to excel at coding ties–in as worthy nuggets that every potential web designer of repute will have to imbibe. These include:
- Finding a quick way of getting things done without sacrificing quality
- Unmistakable technical skills
- Ability to deal with failure
- Problem -solving skills
- Ability to relate with people
- Debugging abilities
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Grasp the Design Process
A web designer with poor graphic design skills will find it difficult to excel in his chosen field. Graphics overlaps with the design of websites and if you are able to grasp the underlying basics, you will be primed to become a great web designer. Also, when you begin to understand that technology and creativity are interdependent, then you will have reached your full potential.
Some principles you need to grasp include:
Spacing
Spacing defines how close to each other the elements of a website are and you need to know that this cannot be compromised. When someone lands on a website from anywhere on the Internet, the layout could decide whether the user spends time in there or not.
User –friendliness is recommended here as text and images require a balancing act such that readability is not undermined by the wrong use of space nor images placed awkwardly or out of place. All the elements need to have decent space between them so that the beauty of the website can be appreciated.
Proportionality
On every website, there are identical and non-identical details that need to have a balance and equilibrium. Whether it is in a vertical or horizontal sense of it, elements need to be in place in such a way that the flow of information can be aesthetic and pleasing to the eyes.
Linkages
Linkage on a website describes the user’s experience as he navigates his way. The hue of colors, line, hierarchy and shapes goes a long way to affect a user’s perspective of a website. Proper use of linkages requires that flow tools like spacing, facial direction and outlines have the corresponding balancing.
Colors
Colors significantly affect mood and perception such that it is at the very core of web design and can’t be overlooked. Color needs to align with the theme of a website and as a web designer; you need to grasp this to be able to project client’s expectations in your completed projects.
- Grasp the Killer Copy know-How
You need a grasp of how to create killer copies and this is also needed when writing a marketing pitch for prospective clients. Knowing what to write and how it should sound when it is read, lies behind the art of copywriting.
Copywriting is vital when you design a website and it is a veritable asset you need to also leverage on to advance your sales.
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Acquire Business Skills
It is easy sometimes to become so focused on the technical aspects of the job that you can forget that design aptitude alone cannot get the job done. You need these skills to reach out to clients, retain them and advance in your profession.
The ability to multi-task is not necessarily a natural trait and you can learn this skill to advance in your career. You will be primed to be adept at running your business as much as you also can so that the cash flow can be sustained.
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Understand Client’s Requirements
To excel as a web designer will require that you do not just listen to clients but that you take the time to understand what they want. This is the first step to successful client management and it cannot be ignored.
To listen is a great skill but to understand a client’s standpoint is best for business growth. When you ask questions, you are able to get a client to exhaust the ideas they have so you come to grips with their expectations. To assume a standpoint is to set yourself up for failure.
Having got the finer points from the client, you are better placed to come with what will be pleasing and better appreciated.
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Take Criticism in its Stride
Criticism can be a two-edge sword but no one ever got better at what they do without it. As a web designer, whether the criticism is coming in from your clients or peers; take it for good measure and see what you can make out of it.
You can deliberately look for ways to get your projects or skills evaluated and criticized by joining professional forums online or a brick and mortar one, where possible.
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Self-Improvement
Self-improvement is possible in all facets of life and as a web designer, here is an area you can leverage on to arrive at the zenith of your profession. Professional development workshops and seminars are available online and in many cities across the country. These avenues are such that you can utilize to be the best you can be.
Learning is a life-long process and it is evident in today’s world that the more you know and put to practice, the better you will become.
Guest post by: Amy Hayes @ http://www.acuitytraining.co.uk/
Chris is a father of 4 and works full time as a network engineer. He loves The Office, P & R, brewing (and drinking) beer, and of course Web Design and SEO.
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