Before a website can be taken online, its visual elements must be designed. Web designers are responsible for creating websites and pages by putting together various visual design elements, which include everything from photos and text to videos and animations. Web designers can build new websites from scratch or update the layout and design of existing ones.
When creating a website, a web designer must focus on building a visually pleasing design that matches the client’s brand and provides users with positive experiences. While web designers don’t need to know as much coding as developers, they can use programming languages like CSS, JavaScript, and HTML. The graphic design software programs that designers work with include tools like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
If you need to create a website that will help you grow your online presence, you should understand what web design is and the many benefits of hiring an agency. The following guide answers the question “What do web designers do?”
What Is a Web Designer?
A web designer is a professional who specializes in making the visual components of a website. They can design everything from the layout and aesthetics of a web page to the website’s user interface. Web designers are tasked with conceptualizing and developing elements like graphics, typography, color schemes, and images to effectively enhance the user experience.
Web designers typically work closely with their clients to minimize the number of revisions that need to be done before the site is taken online. It’s also common for web designers to collaborate with content creators, web developers, and other professionals to make sure the design pairs well with the content strategy and technical requirements.
What Does a Web Designer Do?
Web designers perform many unique tasks while on the job, which include everything from wireframing to prototyping.
- Understanding Client Requirements: Web designers start projects by meeting directly with clients to gather insight into their objectives, website needs, and target audience. They’ll need to learn more about the client’s products, expected website features, and brand.
- Research and Planning: Before they begin designing the website, a designer must conduct industry and competitor research while developing a project plan. This process involves detailing milestones, identifying deliverables, and outlining the entire design process.
- Conceptualization and Wireframing: Web designers are responsible for conceptualizing the visual elements that will make up the website’s navigation, layout, and structure. During this stage of the process, low-fidelity prototyping and wireframing are done to better visualize the site’s framework as well as the user flow.
- Visual Design: All visual design elements are crafted during this stage, which include the color scheme, graphics, layout, and typography. Design software is used to make high-fidelity prototypes that match the client’s brand image.
- Responsive Design: During this stage of the design process, the designer will ensure compatibility across all devices and screen sizes. The website’s design will need to be tested and refined to maintain responsiveness.
- User Experience (UX) Design: User experience (UX) design focuses on clear calls to action, user-friendly interfaces, and intuitive navigation. These elements should work together to provide the user with a flawless experience.
- Accessibility Considerations: Web designers must implement features for inclusivity and accessibility to comply with industry standards. These features extend to keyboard navigation, alternative text for photos, and color contrast ratios.
- Collaboration and Communication: During the entire design process, web designers must collaborate and communicate with project managers, clients, and developers. Effective communication is necessary to understand the client’s needs and incorporate their feedback.
- Prototyping and Testing: Before the development team receives the design, a web designer will create interactive prototypes to test site functionality. Usability testing is also done to gather useful feedback about how people interact with the design.
- Handoff to Development Team: Web designers are tasked with preparing assets and specifications for developers to ensure the design is properly implemented.
- Quality Assurance: Quality assurance evaluations are performed to make sure the final design is functional and meets the client’s expectations. If the designer finds errors or bugs, they’ll fix them before launch.
- Post-Launch Support: Web designers continue to work on the site after it goes online by providing support and maintenance. They’ll address any issues with the design and deliver updates if needed.
Types of Web Designers
The web design field consists of many specializations, which are detailed below.
E-commerce Designer: An eCommerce designer typically focuses on building websites for online storefronts. They create efficient checkout experiences, fluid navigation, and striking product presentations to boost customer conversions.
Graphic Designer: Graphic designers are responsible for developing visual assets, which include everything from images and icons to logos and illustrations. They know how to use the latest graphic design software to create content that adheres to the client’s brand image.
Interaction Designer: An interaction designer makes the interactive components of an application or website, which include menus, buttons, animations, and forms. Their goal is to ensure these interactions cultivate a positive user experience.
Motion Graphics Designer: A motion graphics designer specializes in developing dynamic effects and animations that enrich the user experience. They’ll use the latest animation software, such as Blender.
Responsive Web Designer: Responsive web designers build adaptable websites that can work across various devices. They use methods like media queries, fluid grids, and flexible images to maintain a consistent experience on smartphones and desktop computers.
User Interface (UI) Designer: A user interface (UI) designer is someone who creates a website’s interactive features and visual elements. They’ll identify the ideal layouts for websites and select the best color schemes.
User Experience (UX) Designer: User experience (UX) designers focus entirely on the experience that users have when they enter the website or application. They’ll perform user research, optimize accessibility, and develop wireframes to improve satisfaction.
What Is the Workplace of a Web Designer Like?
Web designers have a lot of control over their schedules and the type of company they work for.
Office Environment
A designer can work in a variety of different settings. However, many of these professionals are employed by companies that are based out of office buildings. Working in an office environment usually involves collaborating with project managers, clients, and developers to conceptualize and design websites. Designers can work in companies across many different industries.
Freelance Work
If a web designer wants to create websites in their own time, they can do some freelance work. This is independent work that can take place at home or in remote locations. Freelance work offers more schedule flexibility for professional designers.
Design Agencies
Design agencies allow designers to take part in team-based work that involves providing clients with effective design solutions. This type of work environment can be fast-paced and dynamic. Designers will work on projects that vary in complexity and scope.
Tools and Skills for Web Designers
To become experts at their craft, web designers need to use the best tools for the job. They must also develop the skills necessary to create visually appealing websites.
Design Software
Web designers can enhance their work and complete their tasks more efficiently with the right design software. Programs like Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and Sketch provide powerful tools that simplify the process of designing logos, modifying images, and creating prototypes.
Project Management Tools
Program management tools are necessary to help designers keep their projects organized. These tools can help with project planning, team collaboration, resource management, and task management. Some of the more popular project management tools are:
Communication Platforms
Web designers are often asked to collaborate with developers and content creators. Many software apps facilitate smooth communication, which include the following:
Key Skills
The key skills that a web designer should possess are adaptability, creativity, and strong communication. While designing the website, they must update stakeholders with progress reports. If the client asks for the design to be revised, the web designer should know how to respond efficiently.
Characteristics of Effective Web Designers
Effective web designers must have a comprehensive set of skills and characteristics that allow them to anticipate the client’s needs and translate them into a successful design.
Artistic and Creative Qualities
Good web designers have considerable artistic and creative qualities. Since web designers create the visual elements of a website, they need to be able to differentiate between an aesthetically pleasing design and one that’s too cluttered or busy.
Organizational Abilities
Web designers deal with many aspects of a website, which include everything from the site pages to the typography. The best designers know how to keep track of these components while also documenting everything they do. Web designers must also inform the site owner and other stakeholders about potential issues that could delay the project.
Flexibility
A web designer should have the skills necessary to adapt to roadblocks and resolve problems as they occur. Clients often change their minds about features or visual components they want to include. Designers must know how to implement these changes and revisions without scrapping the whole design.
Strong Communication Skills
Experienced web designers can speak to clients in a manner that’s easy to understand and free of technical jargon. If a designer doesn’t foster seamless communication with their client, the business relationship could fall apart.
Openness to Ideas
Clients don’t always have great ideas. However, web designers are responsible for listening to these ideas and considering them while building websites. An experienced designer can convert a middling idea into an appealing design.
Familiarity with Design Tools
Design tools are updated and improved regularly to further refine the web design process. Web designers may have more successful careers if they constantly explore new design tools by taking bootcamp courses or online workshops.
Understanding of User Needs
Web designers won’t be successful if they don’t understand user needs. With this knowledge, it’s much easier to create elements that are visually appealing to the target audience. It’s crucial that web designers understand principles like user experience and color theory.
Why Hire a Web Design Agency?
If you need to develop a website that will provide your business and brand with a larger online presence, consider hiring a web design agency.
Expertise and Experience
The main advantage of hiring a web design agency is that they have the kind of expertise and experience that can help you create an excellent website that appeals to your main audience. You can benefit from their access to specialized tools and knowledge. Your business likely doesn’t have the amount of in-house resources needed to perform all these tasks at the quality level that an agency can maintain.
Comprehensive Services
Web design agencies offer a range of services that extend from design to development and post-launch support. Once they convert your ideas into a functional design, they’ll work on getting the website up and running. Even after you launch the site, they should provide post-launch support that reduces the potential for downtime early on.
Efficiency and Time-Saving
Because of the years of experience that most web design agencies have, their processes and project management techniques are streamlined to save time and design websites more efficiently. Reputable agencies can design websites and make revisions without extensive delays.
Creative and Technical Collaboration
Web design agencies typically consist of many different design and development professionals, which allows you to benefit from diverse perspectives and skills.
Scalability
Web design agencies have the tools and expertise necessary to handle projects of varying scope and complexity. If you want your website to consist of thousands of pages with specific theming, iconography, and types of content, web design agencies can turn your vision into a fully realized website.
Conclusion
When creating a website, designers are tasked with building all the visual elements that the user sees when they access it. While web developers work on the back-end, designers complete front-end tasks that involve everything from the user experience to the typography. Hiring a web design agency to create your website should give you professional results at a reasonable price.
