Web Design
FAQ - Ask a Web Design Expert

How Do I Become A Web Designer?

Description: Given the continued expansion of the internet it's not likely that very many web designers will be out of work anytime soon. This makes it a great field to go into if you have the right skills and abilities.

Web designers come into the profession in many ways, but there are two main options open to you if you are looking for a way in.

Firstly you can set up shop on your own as a freelancer, bidding for work on internet job sites or building websites for friends to get started. You don't necessarily need any formal qualifications if you decide to take this route - a simple passion for designing websites can often work better than a qualification written on a piece of paper.

Secondly you can try and get a job with a web design company, or alternatively seek a position within the IT department of a standard company, where you would be responsible for the creation and updating of their company site.

While there are college and degree courses available in web design, it is not necessary to have any qualifications of this nature at all. What is advisable is to have some kind of experience or knowledge that you can demonstrate to prospective employers, such as being able to show them websites you have already designed, either for yourself or for other people. It's also a good idea to be able to show that you have knowledge of design which goes past the visual stage and also pays attention to the practical issues that come with maintaining a website.

In this sense, being able to show skills in design in general is just as important as showing that you have programming abilities. Being a web designer is all about marrying the practical side of designing with the more creative side - and the people who can do that the best will find that doors automatically open to them with job offers and much more besides.