There is more to a web designer than just being good at programming. Let's take a look at the web designer career path and the characteristics they should have.

A web designer should know more than programming. Of course, programming is the basic knowledge that a web designer should possess. But there are other things that would make a web designer great at what they do. Let’s take a look at the web designer career path. It’s a given that a web designer should have programming and coding knowledge. In fact, it should be an expertise. There is no way a person can create a website without programming and coding education. 

But being a web designer is more complicated than that. To think, programming and coding are complex enough. There’s just more to a web designer than just having a great mind, although, that’s truly a large part of it. 

Web designer career path: characteristics to possess

The design process is always related to creativity. So, of course, a web designer should be creative. Here’s the thing, though, creativity isn’t just about beauty. Creativity also needs to be done the right way. There is a proper way to design a website. While a web designer doesn’t need that knowledge per se, it would truly help if there is awareness especially if the person is working as a freelancer. If the web designer is part of a design agency, at least, there are other experts in the team that could help them with the design process. 

Now, if you are a web designer, know that your career path could take you to a higher level: the user experience designer or UX designer. The web designer primarily designs for a website. The UX designer could do applications and other software components. As a UX designer, there are more opportunities for you. 

How do you get there? You just need higher learning. This means an education, which doesn’t necessarily mean another degree. It’s enough that you learned advanced knowledge on the complicated nature of information architecture. There are short courses for this. 

There are also workshops and training that would warrant a certification that would allow you to be a practicing UX designer. If you already have experience as a web designer, the path toward becoming a UX designer is the same. You basically just need to travel a bit more. 

But it will be worth it. The opportunities available are just massive. For example, the application game itself is a huge market. The thing is, a web designer doesn’t necessarily know how to develop a web application or mobile application. But that’s a huge opportunity right now as companies are already feeling the importance of having a web app or mobile app. These apps allow a customer to buy directly from the company. It makes the relationship between the company and the consumer more direct. 

Web and mobile apps

It’s pretty clear from the COVID-19 pandemic that businesses need web and mobile apps to stay afloat. With so many businesses going under, those with the foresight to have an app with a delivery system mostly survived. There is a change in the buying practices of the people and web designers need to change with that. 

Besides, there is nothing wrong with learning more. That’s actually another important characteristic of a great web designer. They should be willing to learn more. There is always something new to learn. This is particularly true with technology. 

People are always innovating and discovering something new. A web designer has to be adaptable. That goes without saying that learning to do web and mobile applications should be at the top of their learning list. 

Is it safe to say that a mere web designer would find themself without a job soon? Not necessarily. There are still companies that just need the basic website. Such basic websites can always be upgraded sooner or later. 

However, the fact that it should be upgraded should be worrying for web designers. Web design will never be a lost art, but there are just some professionals better at it. There is also no downside to learning more. If you’re worried about the expense of the course, just think of it as an investment. When you learn more, you earn more. It’s going to be worth it. 

Team player

Whether you plan to be a freelancer or you are going to join an agency as a web designer, you have to be a team player. Creating a website is about teamwork. Say you are a freelancer. This means that you don’t have to deal with other people in the actual creation of the website. However, you still need to communicate real well with other people. 

For example, there is the business owner that commissioned you for the job. You need to be able to communicate with them appropriately. It’s not just that. Web designers, because of the technicality of their work, may have the tendency to be proud. It’s not something that they should deny. After all, not a lot of people can do what they do. 

The problem here is that they might not be willing to listen to the business owner anymore. The latter may want something specific for the website. It’s their website after all. The creation of the website should be a product of collaboration. This means that the web designer can’t be just docile either. They also need to speak out when necessary. 

The teamwork doesn’t end there. As a web designer, content creation is not part of the deal. So, you also need to work with the content creators. The important thing here is that every person involved in the website design and development should know their lanes and should know how to collaborate. They should also know when to listen and when to talk. 

Branding

When designing the website, the website designer should study the brand. It’s important that the website will have branding components. That means that the website should match the physical designs of the business. That would mean the store, the stationery, logo, and other company products. 

As a web designer, you should be able to ask intelligent and practical questions. Asking questions isn’t a sign of ignorance. It’s a sign that you want to create the best website possible. If the business has a branding strategist, you should work closely with them. This way, you will be able to incorporate a lot of branding principles in the website. You want the website to be the online personification of the business.