Web Design Education

Web Design Education is required for a career in web design and can be lucrative if done right. In practice, most web design is done by people with in-depth graphic design and web development knowledge. A background in graphic arts provides excellent expertise in design elements, so graphic designers can create content that is appealing to the eye and draws people in with the smoothness of a website.

According to the Nielsen Norman media group, responsible for statistics on various forms of media, users visit a website for an average of 59 seconds before clicking away. So, in theory and practice, the better the design and content of a website, the more people will stay there for a more extended period. Search engine optimization is another key to having a good website,

Great design starts with an in-depth education. Search engines like Google and Bing demote a website from the top findings if their visitor bounce rate is high, resulting in even fewer visits. Graphic designers also have training in major media creation programs such as Serif Drawplus, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and many more. They can use these tools to create beautiful and exciting designs that would take longer using a text pad editor.

Colleges and Programs

Colleges around the country provide programs for web design, where students learn different typography, photo editing, and design fundamentals. An associate’s degree offers a base for web design which can then be supplemented with additional study in graphic arts and web development. Having an education in both would be ideal, but in many work environments, web developers work together to create a great design and a well-structured website to back it up.

While one person doing both jobs would be cost-effective, an extensive website would take longer to create and possibly be more prone to errors and bugs. A bachelor’s degree in web design can be more desirable to employers and is a prerequisite for many job positions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the web design and development job market is expected to grow 27 percent by 2024.  On the other side of the spectrum, people have been able to run a marketing agency or do freelance web design. While this does allow for more flexibility and contact with the clients, there isn’t much job security.

Levels of Complexity

Web design has ranging levels of complexity. It can be a basic design created in a text pad editor to an intricate website with multiple page linking and a fluid, bug-free browsing experience. Website design programs like Dreamweaver allow the web designer to create a web page but then give options to link other pages and create interactive elements. On the contrary, tools like Adobe Animate help build more visual presence on websites.

While large interactive websites appeal to the eye, the background work to create web pages that aren’t fragile or full of bugs takes countless hours and lots of trial and error.  Over time website styles change and progress. Specific trends can be graphed with the basic HTML websites from the late ’90s to the sleek modern styles. It is up to the designer to stay updated with the newest trends and provide a good product for their clients.