Many students interested in becoming web designers may be concerned whether they need to be artistic to study web design. The short answer is that it is helpful but not necessary. The following in-depth analysis will help give students and other beginners a clearer picture.
What Web Design Entails
Web designers create websites. They do this through two key areas – the technical aspects and the design aspects. The technical aspects involve writing code using a number of different programming languages so the website will function as intended. The design aspects involve taking pictures, colors, images, and text and arranging them so they represent the message the website is trying to convey. They communicate with clients to determine exactly what they need in a website. Once the site is built, web designers test the site to ensure it is working properly. Many web designers continue to work with the same site over time, occasionally updating or redesigning it.
Types Of Web Designers
There are actually different roles web developers can assume. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these include back-end web developers, front-end web developers and webmasters. Back-end web design involves the parts of the site visitors don’t see – the technical programming and framework that goes into building the site. Front-end designers work on how the website looks. Webmasters take on the role of maintaining the website and keeping it updated. They can be hired by clients on an ongoing contract basis. They may also be called upon to reply to comments and interact with users as well. Another option would be to work for a web design company in a customer service-oriented role. This would incorporate strong knowledge of web design into interactions with clients while largely not needing to perform the creative tasks behind building a website.
The Place Of Artistic Ability
To answer the question of whether beginners need to be artistic to study web design, artistic ability in web designers is beneficial but not strictly necessary. Websites need to be functional first and foremost, though web designers do use photos, color schemes, and typeface to create the design of a website. They may create the images themselves but this is not especially common. Typically, artists and photographers create these images and web designers simply need to incorporate them into the site. Some level of creative ability will be needed to know how to create aesthetically pleasing websites with these tools, but traditional visual art skills such as drawing and painting are very infrequently required.
Other Needed Abilities
Successful web designers exhibit a number of other key traits and skills that are needed to perform well in this occupation. They need to be able to work well with people and display excellent interpersonal communication skills when dealing with clients or other members of a development team. As mentioned above, web designers need to be fluent in many different types of code. They also need to have excellent concentration, attention to detail and other Internet-related technical skills and knowledge. For example, they need to consider cybersecurity when designing websites, especially ecommerce sites, so browsing and transactions are secure.
Web design does require some creative ability but being artistic is not usually necessary. Depending on the role a student wants to perform in the web design process, they may not need to use design skills at all. Students do not need to be artistic to study web design – there are other ways to be successful in this industry.
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