How to Find a Job in Web Design

If you love the idea of working online and making websites, you might be interested in being a designer. You can expect to work on everything from pitching to clients to planning designs. You’ll create mockups and ultimately create beautiful, responsive sites.

What a Web Designer Does

A designer is not the same thing as a developer. As a designer, you’ll be a creative professional to create the overall plan for a website. This career is not as much about using your coding skills. Instead, you’ll determine the color palette, layout, visual themes, and fonts. Think of the job as being a visual architect. You’ll provide the beauty to an otherwise boring site. Every time you see parts of a visual project online, a web designer most likely played a role. They likely designed navigations, made mockups for multiple types of devices, and managed the overall project.

What Skills Do Web Designers Need?

If this career field seems interesting, you might wonder what you need to learn and how to get there. In terms of hard skills, you need to know about the principles of navigation, typography, HTML, and how to use layout software. The soft skills include communication, time management, and knowledge of digital marketing. To learn these and other professional skills, you’ll likely need at least a bachelor’s degree. Some students choose communications or business. You might also choose computer science to learn tech skills. Many choose to add a minor as well. Although you can expect a good salary after graduation, getting there might be difficult. That’s why it might be a good idea to take out private student loans, if needed. It allows you to gain the skills you need, as well as a degree that can give you an edge in the job market. 

How to Find an Entry-Level Job

If you want to get a professional job after graduation, make the most out of your time in school. Don’t just focus on passing your classes. Instead, work on building your portfolio. It’s unlikely that you will get hired if potential employers don’t know what your work is like. You might already do this in some of your classes. But if you don’t, you’ll need to create mock projects. For example, you could find a brand you like and redesign their site. Consider building an email newsletter for a make-believe campaign. Although you’ll spend more time on it now, it can pay off in the end.

As you approach graduation, it’s time to apply to jobs. You want to find ones that don’t require a huge amount of experience. With many job search sites, you can filter jobs by the level of experience required. Your school may have career resources to help you with your job search. But don’t be afraid to apply to jobs that do require more experience. Even if you don’t completely meet the requirements, you can still show that you’re a proactive learner and the right personality. This is where having a strong portfolio can make the difference between you being hired and them moving on to the next candidate.