How to become a web designer and never sit out of work

Millions of people start their morning on social media and end the day with series on video hosting. It is the responsibility of web designers to ensure that these and other online services are enjoyable and user-friendly. Together with us, we figured out how their work differs from the tasks of other designers, how to reach the top in the profession and how to earn an amount with five zeros at the start. Those who want to join the ranks of web designers will receive a 55% discount on the training course at the end of the article.

What a web designer does

Design is a synthesis of form and content, convenience and visual appeal, where not “finishing” is primary, but the construction for which it is intended. And this is true for any design profession.

A web designer is a person who puts a service into a usable form. He develops layouts and prototypes of a wide variety of resources: company portals, online stores, landing pages, online services, applications. Often, a specialist's tasks include banners, email templates, and instructions for online users.

In its most general form, the work of a web designer looks like this. This specialist works closely with the customer and programmers. He receives a brief from the customer: what is required from the site, what is the purpose of its creation, for whom it is being developed, how it should be arranged. The designer analyzes this information and makes a prototype of the site - in a graphic editor or in special programs. The prototype indicates the main elements and the connections between them. It makes it clear, for example, what path the user goes from getting to know the product to buying it: which pages they go to, which buttons they click.

With the overall schema approved, the web designer draws the layout. At this stage, the design style is selected, the sizes of elements, interface colors, animation are set. At the end, the developers receive the layout, they "finish" the product to readiness: they make up, connect the necessary functions, fill the site with content and ensure correct data processing.

What skills are important for a web designer

the profession of a web designer: what skills are important

Any modern and competent web designer strives to design websites and other services, taking into account not only the brief, but also the convenience for different users. There are two important concepts to consider:

UI (user interface - "user interface") - how the site looks like, how it is designed, how the elements are located, what color and size they are;
UX (user experience - "user experience") - how the user perceives the interface of the resource, whether it is convenient for him here, whether he can solve his problems in a simple and logical way.

If you initially learn to look at the site through the eyes of a user, then it will be very easy for you to create comfortable and effective solutions. Therefore, Skillbox's course covers UI / UX features in almost every topic.

Understanding UI / UX is necessary, but not enough. It is important for a web designer to own the tools:

graphic design - to choose the right shape, color and size of elements;
layouts - to understand how to turn a layout on paper or in a prototype program into a working website;
animations - to convey the dynamics when the user interacts with the site, as well as when creating banners and other elements.

There are other, more universal areas in which knowledge is especially important in the work of a web designer:

psychology - to determine what the user really wants and in what format, what is important to him;
analytics - to clearly understand why the site is being created at all, what tasks it will solve;
Internet Marketing - in order to submit a “product by the face”, you need to know how online sales work and how advertising is perceived;
Negotiation - to communicate effectively with the customer and programmers;
aesthetics - without a developed artistic taste, the work of a web designer is unthinkable, but, fortunately, it can be developed.

The Skillbox course is a good opportunity to improve all these skills. You will immerse yourself in a real working environment with customers, users and developers, understand how design studios work, how successful websites with millions of audiences are created. This will provide you with a quick start in the profession.

How much does a web designer earn

the profession of a web designer: how much can you earn

According to the Habr Career website, the median salary of a web designer in Russia is 48,000 rubles. This means that half of the specialists earn more than this figure, half - less.

Yes, the money for IT is surprisingly modest. But, objectively speaking, only "banner designers" and people who have page layout or reworking ready-made layouts are the pinnacle of professional skills earn so much. If we talk about UI / UX and design development from scratch, the figure more than doubles - on average, up to 100,000 rubles.

As expected, salaries abroad are several times higher. Statistics from Glassdoor show that the average web designer's income is $ 53,000 per year, or about $ 3,500 per month net of taxes. The salary for a UI / UX designer is $ 85,000 a year, or $ 5,500 a month after taxes.

The ability to work with UI / UX is literally a very beneficial bonus for a web designer. The business is aimed at exactly this - to provide the user with a comfortable experience of interacting with the site, so that goods and services are sold successfully. And they are willing to pay good money for UI / UX. This means that specialists in it can count on the fact that they will not have to look for a good job for a long time.

How to become a sought-after web designer

Russian universities do not teach web design. There is a specialty "Graphic design" within the direction of "Design", but it does not cover the specifics of user interaction with the site and does not teach how to create working prototypes of resources.

You can try to master the profession on your own - through books and lectures on YouTube. But without a clear system and without real projects, your path to web design will be long and arduous.

The course "" from the online university Skillbox is an opportunity to master a demanded specialty without spending several years on it. The course teaches:

create convenient and effective websites and applications;
understand the structure of content and its presentation;
design interfaces taking into account UI / UX;
make interactive pages;
work with animation;
interact with customers and developers.

The program includes 100 thematic modules in various courses and practice in three areas of web design, as well as workshops and excursions to the offices of partner companies. You will master Figma for website prototyping and web development, and become a pro in Photoshop, Sketch, and Principle.

The course is taught by practicing teachers who are engaged in the web design of leading Russian commercial portals. They will share their experience and tell you on real cases how to create effective and effective websites.

After just four months of training, you will be able to find the first customers and earn money with a new profession. And your study projects will form the basis of a beautifully designed portfolio. And it will come in handy pretty quickly, because Skillbox guarantees employment. His specialists will help you in creating a resume, organize an interview in partner companies and tell you how to pass it, and draw up a career development plan for you.

And if you were waiting for a sign that it was time to change your profession, here it is: today and until the end of August, you can do it with a 55% discount! Find a course and enter a promo code Lifehacker.