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What a Web Designer Should Know and Be Able to Do

There are multiple jobs in the IT field. However, none of them is as versatile, artistic, and diversified as a web designer. Indeed, a web designer needs to know and do so many things that, at times, it seems impossible for one human to learn all of that. Yet, a web designer is a person who can multitask like no one else. They need to be artistic, talented, technical, and organized. Let’s see all of the skills and fields a web designer needs to know and be able to do. 

 The principles of design

There are many areas of artistic work where knowing the theory is not so important. Well, design is not one of those areas. Good design is not decorative art. It has to meet users’ expectations, deliver the message of a product, and serve certain functions. To achieve all of that, a web designer needs to know the principles of design. For those new to web design, there are many helpful resources on how to create a website for beginners that one can take when creating an effective website from scratch.

Now, often those principles are not so much technical but psychological. You need to understand how the human brain works to deliver the best product. Hence, anyone who wants to create something of their own, unique, functional, and effective, needs to understand the basics of a designer’s work. 

Typography 

Knowing the fonts is what differentiates a good designer from an excellent one. Typography helps us to perceive ideas and messages. Certain specifics of the font can tell us everything about a site or product. The right font communicates with us more than the text itself. 

Not to mention that knowing at least the most commonly used fonts can always help a designer to deliver the message. For example, some fonts are popular in politics and political campaigns. Some fonts are used in social media. Others are prioritized by a professional essay writing service, while some are best suited for new sites. Knowing the differences between those fonts and their role in design can help deliver the best product.  

Design software

A web designer needs to work somewhere, right? And this “somewhere” usually takes the form of special design software like Sketch, Photoshop, Illustrator, and others. Of course, some of the work can be done right in the web browser when many details, like logos, need to be done in special software. 

Overall, each web designer can see for themselves which software will be the go-to program. Still, most of the designers need to master all of the top used design software. They often need to polish their work in two or three software before their product is complete. 

Composition

There is hardly anything as important in design as the right composition. Do it wrong, and all your hard work was for nothing. Composition is responsible for bringing all elements of design together in harmony and order. All your visuals, text, icons, white space, and the rest of the elements must look beautiful and organized. It should catch everyone’s attention and deliver the message behind the design. 

Any student who has ever written a paper will understand the role of composition. It serves a similar function in writing as it does in design. Without the right composition, your whole project looks confusing, ideas misleading, and the thought process is nowhere to be found. This is why so many students end up asking professionals, “Can you write my coursework? I seem to be lost in my way.” Of course, web designers can’t afford such luxury, so they need to master composition before taking any jobs. 

Team-work

As you can see from our list above, the work of a graphic designer includes a lot of skills, techniques, and talents. Quite often, a job must be done not by one designer but by a team of professionals. It means that a group of talented, experienced, creative people need to make decisions together. Such a process doesn't come easy. Team-work is an extremely valuable skill that every web developer needs to work on if they want to succeed in this career. Learn how to collaborate, express your opinions, and disagree in a polite way. 

Communication skills

Last but not least, communication skills are extremely vulnerable for web designers, especially those who work as freelancers. Freelancers often take projects directly from their clients. It means they have to communicate. A lot. You can’t just order a bio at some professional essay writing service and call it a day.  A designer needs to understand what their client wants and how to give it to them. 

Moreover, a designer must talk their clients into ideas that can fit their design best. Hence, they need to communicate what they are doing, why they are doing it, and what makes it work. Overall, without proper communication skills, a web designer would be able to talk to clients and explain to them the nuances of their work.