What Does it Take to Be a Web Designer?

For those of you who are interested in the skills necessary to become a web designer, this article lays out the key skills you need to have or develop as well as the common pitfalls to watch out for.

Skills Needed
The first thing you need to know is HTML. It is the code that sits behind web pages, so it is paramount. The best way to learn is work with an experienced developer. If you cannot find someone, get a few HTML books and start practicing. Along with HTML you should learn Cascading Style Sheets (CSS as it is known). This is a way to create separate pages in HTML which can control layout and text attributes of your entire web site, from one file. For example, a CSS file for a web site might have the all regular text set at 12 point Times Roman font. If, at a later date, you want to change all text to Arial, just make the change to the CSS file and the text on the whole site will change automatically. It is a powerful technology and more and more web sites are using it. So add it to the list of things to learn.

To accent your web site skills, we recommend learning the basics of graphic manipulation. You can buy software like Adobe PhotoShop or Ulead PhotoImpact, and they will help you create and adjust images and photos you want to include in your site. You really cannot expect to put together a web site without some knowledge of graphics. Well, you CAN, but it wont look as good as it could.

Also you need to understand file transfer protocol (FTP). FTP is the process of transferring files from local computers to and from the servers that are connected to the Internet (where your actual web site sits). It is not a very difficult thing to master, but it is an essential one. There are several inexpensive FTP programs out there, or if you have a recent copy of Macromedia Dreamweaver, an FTP client is included in the software.

Pitfalls to Watch Out for
When starting out as a web designer it is imperative to get experience as quickly as possible. Build a web site free for your church or sports team, or build a site for yourself for your favorite dog breed or video game. Anything to get you building actual sites with working navigation and graphics will help you. You need to get past those early days where you are finding your design sense. For example, if you are using flashing, spinning graphics on your home page, you can be sure you have some design growth ahead of you.

All kidding aside, to get started in web design, get the necessary software (an HTML authoring tool, image manipulation software, and an FTP client), and get creating! And don't worry if your first creations are not too sharp, I had some sites I created years ago that would make you cringe. You have to crawl before you can walk.

- Kaufman Web Design™