Skills required for web designer?

What are all the skills that a web designer/developer needs to know?

  • I'm looking to become a web designer/developer. I want to know how to create basically everything that goes into building websites. I want to design the interface, code, and set up the backend of the website if needed. I know I need HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery, Ajax, Json, PHP, mySQL,FTP, SEO, Photoshop, Illustrator. Is there anything else I am missing?

  • Answer:

    How to price, and determine what that price includes.

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Design and development, although complementary, are completely different competences. Complementary because a designer has to be aware of the developer's constraints, generally dictated by the set of technologies (languages, frameworks, libraries, etc) chosen for each project. Symmetrically, developers have to be aware of designers' intentions towards the aesthetics of the project. This is especially important if the developer will influence the choices of technologies to be used in the project, as well as be able to conduct the project in a way as not to restrict the designers, when possible. Although it would be ideal to have a single professional with both skill sets, reality, in general, prohibits it. Not to say you can't find such professionals, they are just rare to come about and extremely well paid. You can certainly become one! But each area is so deep in itself that this is probably more of a long run achievement than something you can plan before you even get started. You have a lot of ground to cover in each area. A designer has to consider aspects such as artistic direction, message, style, aesthetics, ergonomy, ease of use, etc. I'm no designer, so these might not even be the right terms. A developer has to worry about implementation (including of the design), performance, stability, maintainability, extendability, reliability, etc. Whichever you are more inclined towards is where you should start.

André Tannús

For the coding and backend portion, problem solving skills and patience are a must. You have to be able to isolate issues, bugs, or other problems and move forward with your development. This will take some time but after a while it becomes second nature. You have to keep breaking things to figure out how to properly fix them. Good luck!

Nathan Arnold

You've got pretty good knowledge for an aspiring web designer. All you need is practice and updated technologies. There are many plugins out there in the market which are served for several purposes, say gallery, validation, scroll, animation plugins etc., which are essential now a days of web designing. You need to follow several web forums available such as http://tympanus.net/codrops/, http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/ , etc. Also responsive designing is at its peak now with the heavy usage of smart phones. For this you ll need to check on several bootstrap apis thatll help to get this. Good Luck

Aditya Polisetti

Aside from knowing all the technical aspects, including coding, using HTML, Photoshop, WordPRess and Joomla you need to learn the basics and the concepts of Internet Marketing. Why? Well all of your design efforts will all for naught without marketing concepts. Aside from basic Internet marketing, it would be of benefit to you to learn how to make your designs SEO or Search Engine Optimization-oriented, as emphasized by jointplan.co.uk. To sum it all up, web design is not all about graphic design - it is about effectively sending a message to the users or your site's visitors.

Jeremy Kopeni

artistic skill, UI layout logic, a sense of what people will appreciate to look at and use basically. Depending on what languages you're using, you'll want to learn accompying languages. CSS3, PHP5, HTML5, Perl, Python, Regex, Java, Javascript. Of course you may want to learn languages that are less open, such as ASP.NET. You may even want to learn to use Flash, though that's really a defunkt technology on it's way out. You'll want to know basics of database construction and connectivity. This is usually SQL of one form or another. Some other possible skills you should know are: Search Engine Optimization, Domain naming/branding, how to set up apache, nginx, microsoft's IIS, how to properly configure DNS services. For mobile, you'll want to consider screen sizes, resolutions. Pretty much all Android stuff is done in java, but there are IDEs out there for mobile development in nearly any language which will create a mobile app from your code. Then you'll want to know marketing. Obviously you don't want to design the prettiest piece of useless art - someone has to be able to use it.  AND FOR THE LOVE OF THE GOATS STAY AWAY FROM FLAT UI! There is absolutely NO REASON to destroy the web with flat ui bulllarky when we have such a beautiful pallet with CSS3 and HTML5 to build outstanding sites that pop and have dimension. Oh, and one other thing: Graphics are great. Don't get me wrong, I love spending hours creating a work of art that is absolutely beautiful. But there's no reason to have a graphics file for every square inch of a website. Use CSS and HTML to create your backgrounds, not bloated graphics files that will only slowdown the website. I know this is a lot of data to ingest at once, but your two questions were quite vauge as to what you wanted to know. I hope this helps, and if anything opens your eyes to the compelxity of successful web design. Keep in mind, as you research some of these points I made, You will realize this is just the surface of a much more complex area of study - in any single point as well as the much broader scope of the subject.  BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY You must posess a vision and a willingness to create the vision!

Jeremy M Denslinger

http://www.printstuff.org/ The list includes information about the skill, where to learn more about it, training resources, and whether it's more useful to a Web designer or a Web developer. 1. HTML HTML is the most important thing a Web designer or Web developer can learn. Even if you plan on using WYSIWYG editors for most of your career, knowing HTML will give you an understanding of how the Web works so that your designs will be more effective. HTML is imperative to both Web designers and Web developers. Even Web designers who don't plan to do much work outside of a WYSIWYG editor should learn HTML so that they know the basis of their Web pages. 2. CSS After HTML, CSS is the most important language Web designers can learn. It is what powers the designs and determines how a page will look. CSS is imperative to Web designers. If you don't know CSS you won't be able to design cutting edge websites. CSS is useful to Web developers, but not as important. Web developers who know CSS will be able to make their applications interact more effectively with the design. 3. Design Sense Having a good sense of design is important for Web designers. There is a lot more to it than simply knowing which colors you like. You should be aware of the elements of design as well as the basic design principles. My Weekly Web Design Class teaches design principles as they relate to Web design. Web designers must know design. Web developers do not need this skill, unless they are working as a freelancer. 4. JavaScript and Ajax JavaScript is the first interactive element of a website and Web developers should be comfortable in JavaScript before they learn any other languages. Once you understand how JavaScript connects with your website, then you can use it to extend applications and create Ajax websites. Web designers don't need to learn JavaScript. Web developers should learn JavaScript. 5. PHP, ASP, Java, Perl, or C++ Programming Web pages starts with the language you use. There are many more options than the ones I list above, but these are some of the most popular and sought after. PHP is easily the leader, and if you choose only one language to learn, it should be PHP. Web designers don't need to learn a programming language. Web developers must learn at least one and the more you know well, the more employable you will be. 6. MySQL Database Learning how to build and maintain a database is essential to most Web applications. MySQL is the most popular database on the Web, but learning Access or SQL or another database will be helpful. Web designers don't need to learn databases. Web developers would find knowing some database administration helpful. 7. Flash Flash brings animation and vector graphics to Web pages. It can be used by both Web designers and Web developers to create interesting sites. Web designers can learn Flash to round out their design and graphics knowledge. Web developers can learn Flash (and ActionScript) to round out their programming knowledge. 8. SEO Search engine optimization, or SEO, is useful for anyone building websites. SEO is affected by the way the HTML is written, the image quality and content as well as many other things. Both Web designers and Web developers will have a more desirable resume if they know SEO. 9. Web Server Administration Knowing at least a little about the Web server your website is running on can help you solve problems and make your sites run better. Most Web designers feel they can ignore the server, but if you know how the server responds to things then you can build a better site. Web designers don't need to know how to administer a server, but could benefit from knowing simple things like shell access. Web developers should learn more about the server so that they can troubleshoot their scripts and programs. 10. Project Management Project management is a critical job skill for nearly anyone. By knowing how to manage a project, you can help keep it on track and that will endear you to every manager you work with

George Mathew

Top 10 Qualities of a Great Designer Artistic Ability: A great designer has a natural artistic talent and is skilled in a variety of art techniques.   Awareness of Audience: A great designer is aware of his or her audience and tailors the work to meet the expectations of that particular audience.   Communication: A great designer has excellent communication skills. They are good listeners and able to garner what a client is expecting. They are able to engage in meaningful conversations with clients to ensure both parties are in agreement of the work that is being done.   Creativity: A great designer is very creative and able to develop new, innovative ideas for projects. They are always thinking of different approaches and techniques.   Eye for Materials: A great designer has an eye for color, texture, fabric, space, and other elements that go into various designs. They are aware of the extensive variety of materials available and understand what works well in particular projects.   Humility: A great designer has a strong sense of humility and recognizes that people have varying tastes. They are not afraid of criticism and can handle recommendations for change.   Problem Solving: A great designer has keen problem solving skills. When snags arise in design, they are able to quickly and calmly develop a solution.   Team Player: A great designer works well with others. Often, designs require the input of other designers, and a great designer must be able to work well with anyone involved in the design process.   Technical Skills: A great designer has a wide variety of technical skills. They are able to use computer programs to aid in the design process, as well different manual design techniques.   Vision: A great designer has an excellent sense of vision and can grasp what it is a client is asking for. A great designer is able to visualize the end result and set a clear goal.

Beulah Angel Mary

Number one skill is knowing the difference between interface design and interface decoration.

Charlie McCulloch

Minimum HTML and CSS. But knowing PHP and other language will helps.

Azizul Yusof

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