If you want to master your web design, you should improve your skill sets on many levels. You should possess both creative skills and technical knowledge to become the master of the profession. Acquire new competencies and implement the design elements that you already know. If you want to become a great web design professional, you should learn a lot many things than just knowing the names of a few design tools. There are some design principles that play a major role in the success of a web design, one of them is Unity. As with many designed elements in the world, unity can make or break a site’s design. There are several Unity tutorials online that provide you more insights in this area. To make your job easier, here are 10 tips to master your website design skills.
- Learn HTML
HTML is the fundamental language, which you must grasp as a designer. You must know about basic HTML, to begin with. As far as HTML is concerned, it is the basic structure for designing web pages. Learn HTML to get a hang about the basic components of a web page. It will help you design a website that is both useful and has a purpose. Knowing HTML will help you design demo sites. It will help you learn about the scope and limitations of your design. Learning HTML will let you know about your strengths and the areas you need to improve while designing web pages for your clients. This way, you stay one-step ahead of the others who just knows how to design a web page and not HTML.
- Learn about the Web Design Process
Web design also means a little knowledge of graphic design. Therefore, as a budding designer, you must walk the extra mile to learn about the graphics used in a web page. Here are some of the basic aspects you must learn:
Proportion and Balance: It means visual symmetry and homeostasis. Learn about balance design to excel in visual stability. Achieve symmetrical and asymmetrical proportion in web design to accentuate the essential page components and enhance the design flow.
Spacing: This is important to maintain some distance or gap between each of the elements of a web page. Ensure that you include enough space for allowing the page components some breathing area. The spacing must be narrow enough to ensure admiration and legibility.
Color and Flow: Use colors to define the theme of a website. For example, if you design a restaurant website, use red and yellow. That is because red is an appetizing color and yellow is associated with the cheerfulness of dining out. Flow means the precise use of colors, shapes, lines, and hierarchy to guide web visitors through a web page. Ensure accurate flow through different tools. Facial directions, arrows, perspective, and spacing are a few to mention.
- Use High-Quality Pictures
If you want to outshine others in web design, use nothing but high-resolution images. Poor-quality and blurry visuals will make your work look amateurish. You will find a plethora of top-quality and brilliant photos from online resources, thus adding an appealing look to your web pages. However, do not choose free or average stock photos that you can see on hundreds of websites. You can appoint a professional photographer to click original images or buy copyrighted images to include in your design. If you know photography, you can click pictures yourself. Make your web design more alluring and personalized with unique, high-quality pictures.
- Learn Troubleshooting
Only a few web designers know to create stellar websites without bugs. Yes, you know how to troubleshoot. You must know which tools to use and which page elements to test. You must learn where to look when something fails to work. Learn to troubleshoot the basic design and coding mistakes that amateur designers make. All these skills come with time and patience. You cannot acquire these abilities overnight.
- Master Copywriting
As a web design professional, you must learn how to write simple, correct, and impeccable English. Outstanding writing skills ensure a lasting and healthy business relationship with your clients. Master your copywriting skills if you are a freelancer and want to start your career as a web designer. Good writing skills will help you to improve your branding. You can sell your services through a well-written design proposal or email.
- Acquire Business Sense
If you want to take web design as a career, you must produce work that pays you handsomely. For this, you must attain a great business sense. Knowing how your client’s business works and is target audience will benefit you as a web designer. You must learn to take decisions fast, when to take them, which decisions matter the most, and what risks to take. Possessing business sense will teach you a lot about advertising, marketing, and effective public relations.
- Use a Sketchbook
This is the best tool that every web designer should use. When you design a web page, it starts with a concept and innovative ideas. Therefore, to organize your ideas and perceptions, take a sketchbook and start creating rough designs. Let your creative juices and inspiration flow. You can also use a tablet that helps you make sketches easily. However, we recommend that you create your design using a sketchbook first. The feel of paper under your pen is irreplaceable. You can master your design using a sketchbook gradually before you implement it on your client’s website. Brainstorm and put your ideas onto paper. This way, the overall design process will be more effective.
- Acquire Good Listening Skills
When you start working with many clients, some of them will like your work. A few may be stubborn and finicky. Then, you need to retain all your clients for money. Therefore, acquire listening skills. You must hear your clients out patiently even if they shout at you. Understand what changes your client wants and implement them.
- Keep Learning
If you want to hone your designing skills, you must be open to learning. If minimalist design is the latest trend, you must squeeze some time out of your busy schedule and start reading. You can go through various online resources such as inspirational sites, tutorials, and books to gather knowledge. Learn about the latest tools, trends, and technologies related to your field of work. When it comes to web design, learning is a continuous process.
- Learn to Collaborate
If you want to design successful websites, learn to collaborate with other designers in the team. Share knowledge and ideas with developers too. Work together and as a team to deliver nothing but the best to your clients. Brainstorm design ideas to create one-off designs.
Conclusion
As a web design professional, you should learn how the web works. Learn about the latest trends as well as the upcoming ones. Therefore, keep reading. Develop creative ideas and implement them into a website.