ALT-1 How to get Started as a Web Designer
Becoming a web designer is not as hard as some might think, however there are many misconceptions around the term, so before we go any further into the topic about how to become one, let us clarify the title itself.
A web designer primarily deals with the graphical aspect of a website - how will it look, how will users interact with it. Very often a web designer's job will also require knowledge about design principles in general (shared with print design), about customer psychology, user experience and accessibility.
Some people might disagree and say that the latter are specialties in themselves. I say yes to that, however a minimal knowledge is needed to be able to provide your prospective clients with websites that work and fulfill their needs rather than just look pretty.
In a similar manner there are people who list a plethora of web developer skills as part of a web designers skill set. Just because there are people who can do or have to do both does not mean these are that much related. Design and development tend to be very opposite activities - one being highly artistic and creative, while the other requiring a lot of analytical skill. This means you can be an amazing web designer while not having a clue about coding. Of course the more you can do the better, but do not get discouraged by this false requirement for developer skills and knowledge.
Where to start?
Because the main aspect of a web designers job is the graphical design it is good to start of with things like colour theory, how different images influence people, some traditional arts history always helps, and different guides about text layout and reading behaviours.
Many people have a natural sense for these things, however the less you can just guess which two colours work together, the more you will have to read up on the theory. At the same time do not despair, except for a small minority like with any skill with enough time and effort you will get better at it through learning and repetition.
Although the web is quite a different medium, a lot of the rules used for print design still hold true. Learn about the differences between fonts, as well as the the use of spacing and line-height. Keep in mind the differences though - online text is a lot more "fluid" and as users can change their font size and resize their browser windows your design should accommodate for these variations.
Tools of the trade
Designers often have their preference about what they use to do their jobs. The common industry standard for web design is Adobe Photoshop, followed by Adobe Fireworks and then other graphical programs. If you want to save some money to start of with you could try the open source program - GIMP. Otherwise Adobe offers 30 day trials so you can get yourself acquainted with each program before you commit to it.
Despite design work sooner or later ending up in a digital format when working for the web many designers start a project the old fashioned way - with simple pen and paper. These initial ideas are often very rough sketches of user journeys and ideas for the design.
Constant education
Be prepared to be forever searching for inspiration and learning new things. As the industry trends and standards change and evolve you have to stay on top of it all. And of all the things this is the biggest commitment of becoming a designer - the basics you learn once, however you can never let yourself stagnate.
Luckily the Internet provides a wide range of inspirational galleries, tutorial sites and forums you can turn to for advice and guidance.
Entering the real world
With all this learning and sucking in knowledge like an eager sponge you have to keep in mind that practice is very important. While going through the things mentioned above do not just read about it, make sure you try it out yourself. Yes this will mean you will end up with plenty of mini-projects which are not quite right or not quite there, but it is all part of the process.
A great way to train your web design skills is to see if any of your family members or friends need a design. And if they don't you can always pretend that your uncles company website needs a redesign... You will get some practice and who knows once you are done they might actually change their mind.
You can go one step further and turn to charities or other non-profit organisations. This is always a great way to start your designer portfolio. You might not get paid, but you will get feedback as if they were a real client.
