Web Designer
Career information and advice on being a Web Designer

As a Web Designer you need to posses the creative and technical skills to be able to design and program new and existing websites.

A Web Designer must be able to correlate both the aesthetic look and feel of a website with the ‘backend’ functionality in a cohesive and practical design.

You could work on a wide range of projects ranging from simple html-based sites, to Flash animation, resource sites as well as e-commerce sites where customers would be able to purchase online.

You could work with Programmers, Artists, Designers, Graphic Designers, Art Directors, Video Producers, Technicians, and clients from any field where they would like exposure through a website.

Web Designer functions include

As a Web Designer your functions could be many, depending on whether you work for yourself, for a company and whether you specialise in a certain area or oversee the management of different specialists to achieve the required results.

You would be expected to meet with the client to discuss what the function of the site will be, and also to give solutions to possible problems through your understanding and experience of web design.

Once this has been done you would then need to prepare design plans and storyboards, showing both the functionality of the website as well as the way that the site will look.

You would decide on the navigation of the site, through logical and easy to understand steps, using a combination of text links, buttons, drop down menus or flash navigation.

The combination of text, graphics and multimedia features such as sound, animation and video would also need to be considered and programmed into the website.

Once this has been done and the client is happy with the overall design you would then need to test and debug the site before uploading to a server via an ftp or similar link.

You could work on a pc or Apple Mac, from an office or remotely, depending on how you work or who you work for. Many Web Designers work as freelancers and only meet with clients at certain points along the design and programming process. It is therefore essential that you are able to communicate face-to-face, as well as by email, Skype or other technology.

It is the job of a Web Designer to design and implement a website that is easily navigable and easy to use, even for those who are not particularly computer literate. In order to do this, you need to be clear in your design and logical in your execution.

Usually you would work to tight deadlines and this may mean working long hours in many cases to ensure that the job is delivered on time and to the exacting standards that are required.