Business experience: web designer

When you visit a website, the overall image immediately catches your eye. How the text is laid out, what colors you chose for the work, and how they were used. This influences the first impression.website, and it is set by web designers.

What does a web designer's job entail, and how can you get started and establish yourself in the profession? Young professional Sofia Bulycheva explains.

Image by Brita Seifert from Pixabay 

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– Sofia, what got you interested in web design?

I've always been drawn to IT-related fields, but I thought it was impossible to stay in them without a solid foundation in mathematics. It's already clear that anyone can find their niche in IT if they have the desire. I was initially interested in graphic design, but initially lacked drawing skills, so web design was a perfect fit for my personality and skills. It's a place where I can express my imagination and creativity.

– What does a web designer do?

Web design essentially means the visual design of the web, meaning websites, programs, and logos. But if you dig deeper, this profession consists of many segments. The main ones are UI and UX design. The former is responsible for what people see, along with colors and photos, while the latter ensures the user-friendly and understandable arrangement of blocks. So, if the text against the background is unreadable, it's the UI designer's fault, and if you can't find the shopping cart icon in an online store, it's the UX designer's fault. Typically, a web designer learns to be both.

– Where should someone who wants to try their hand at web design start?

The best way I would recommend is to start with courses. That's exactly how I started. When exploring a new field, it's important to have someone who can explain the basics and advise you on how to move forward. Plus, most courses have experienced mentors who review students' first, rather rudimentary projects, point out weaknesses, and recommend literature on unfamiliar topics. However, I do know some professionals in this field who got their start from scratch solely through online broadcasts and YouTube tutorials. This option, however, requires a lot of self-discipline.

– You mentioned acquaintances in the industry. Are these your colleagues from the team?

– Not really. I'm still freelancing.

– Freelancing or working for a company? Which is more convenient?

For me, working for a company is a good idea, but I started freelancing and I don't regret it. Easy work, with flexible volumes and low demands, gives me time to learn all the lessons and make all the mistakes I can so I can come to the company with the necessary experience. Personally, I enjoy working in a team: I can ask more experienced employees for advice or expert opinions when needed. And overall, a friendly team atmosphere contributes to good work.

– Working on visuals requires a creative flair. Is this something you're born with or does it come with practice?

If we were given a set of skills before birth, life would be much easier for us all. Practice, no cheating. Visual taste and visual experience should be developed from the very beginning. Know what's trending, what solutions are catching on. There are many international platforms where designs of everything in various styles are published. I recommend Behance; it has a ton of interesting work for illustrators and designers. Scroll through it in your free time, while riding the bus or standing in line, and screenshot the designs you like. In our courses, we were advised to create something like a notebook: dump various visual solutions into one file that might be useful later. Here, a button is highlighted beautifully, and here, the alignment attracts attention. So that later, when you receive a project for a hair salon website for porcupines, the font with the right association will be saved somewhere.

– How does your work on a project usually proceed?

"First, the client defines in the brief what they're approaching me about, the type of project, and, most importantly, the purpose. At this stage, the most important things are the goal and theme. For example, let's say we sell wedding bouquets. At home, I browse the market for this industry and put together something similarly delicate. After a while, we meet with the client to review the mood board I've proposed. A mood board is a collection of designs that, in my opinion, would be appropriate for this particular project. Here's the layout. And the client responds by saying they envision a website for bouquets that's brighter and more striking, to differentiate themselves from the competition. That's why it's so important at this stage to ensure you and the client are on the same page; otherwise, you could end up redoing the same thing hundreds of times."

And then it’s just a matter of agreeing on the price and doing the technical work.

– Where do you look for clients? How do they find you?

It can be very effective to maintain your portfolio on an international website where employers come to look for the visuals they need. It's important to constantly update your portfolio to show activity. Therefore, once you've completed a commissioned project, it's a good idea to add it to your portfolio. Of course, only with the employer's consent.

– Is it so important to know English for IT?

– As in any industry, it's better to know than not. It's simply easier to find a job and covers a wider range of clients. Plus, there's much more useful material on any IT field in English.

– What advice would you give to future colleagues in web design?

– Constantly learn. Web design and technology are constantly evolving; you either keep up or fall behind. If you feel you're not capable of creating such cool projects or lack the skills, take courses in animation, illustration, or simply master new programs. This is the only way to increase the demand for qualified professionals.