Web Design Courses Found In Degree Programs
- New Media Design
- Graphic Design
- Typography
- Programming Languages
- User Experience
Web design is a profession that is constantly evolving. The more technology advances how people interact and create on the internet, the more it’s becoming easier to use, especially for people who aren’t web designers. But web designers aren’t just taught how to make things look nice on the internet; they are taught how and why things work. For this reason, earning a degree in the field can lead professionals to insights they may not have found on their own. Below is a list of five courses that web designers may find in their curriculums that will help them understand their profession from the inside out.
Related Resource: Top 10 Cheapest Online Associate’s in Web Design
Graphic Design
Graphic design is the heart and soul of web design, and so this is one of the top five courses web designers should take in school. From learning about the psychology of color on the human brain to understanding how graphic design software works, students will learn about the foundations of graphic design from a professional’s standpoint. Keep in mind that this course serves two purposes: to both educate and encourage a professional to understand the subject on their own terms. With graphic design, there are no set rules; all rules have been broken at one point or another. The trick is to learn when to break the rules of graphic design and when to adhere to them on the internet.
Typography
Typography generally is taught in a graphic design course in an introductory manner. But web designers will find that typography can make or break an application or website. This is because typography is what most people will complain about first on a website; if the font is too small or too complicated, it can make any copy on the site difficult to read, leading to a decrease in traffic to that website. More importantly, there is a psychology to typography that is often lost on self-taught web designers; typography often displays a brand’s or public figure’s personality just in how it is presented on the internet. Web designers should pursue at least one course in the field in order to strengthen their skill in this area.
New Media Design
New media design is also known as digital media design or new media. It is a field that incorporates web design with user experience, motion graphics, photography, and sometimes filmmaking, all of which are used extensively on the internet as well as mobile applications. Web designers would benefit from taking this course in their degree program because it will teach them about the relationship between web design and new media; this includes how the two fields work with and inform the other, how a web designer can use their knowledge in new media, and more.
Programming Languages
Web designers are not always taught programming languages, but major players in the field like Creative Bloq are encouraging designers to understand how to code. Even if a professional just learns how to understand the fundamentals of code, this will lead them to better discuss how a project should work with the rest of their team, including their web developer. It also may lead them to find a new interest that will add to their skills that they can demonstrate to their clients.
User Experience
User experience is a field that focuses on how a user interacts with an application or a website. Graphic designers who specialize in user experience are in increasing demand precisely because they know how to build a website that users will spend a lot of time on. Sample things that students will learn in this course include how to use graphics and new media to help users through a website, how to create a search engine within the site to navigate consumers to the content they want, and more.
Conclusion
Web designers need to understand design, the psychology behind design, and what might suit their client’s needs best. This means that they need to have a full set of skills, buoyed by their education and experience, behind them. While there are a variety of other courses available in a web design program, the above five courses should be considered mandatory for any professional who wants to succeed in the field.
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