Web Design Training Programs & Courses

Web Design: A Combination of Skills

Web designers are business savvy artists with a knowledge base that includes art history, illustration, painting, photography, typography, interactive media, film and video, and computer design software.

A well-rounded web design training program in art, technology and business is what you'll need to start your career in web design.

Art & Design

Web design is all about the visuals. Enhance your natural artistic sense with formal training in the principles of art and design.

"Having a strong base in general art and design is important," says Julie Gau, a graphic web designer. "Take those standard visual art classes seriously. They provide the strong foundation and the basic rules for any kind of design. A web designer has to understand visual organization and the effects of color and movement. Designing for the web is primarily about sight. There aren't too many chances for other senses to 'save' a bad web page. Learn as much as you can about visual art."

Computer Training

A web designer is an artist who uses keystrokes instead of a pencil. Designing for the web requires basic computer skills, knowledge of image manipulation software and an understanding of web markup languages.

A web designer must have technical expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Photoshop
• Dreamweaver
• Java
• Flash
• HTML
• CSS
• Action Script

Business Savvy

A large part of being a web designer involves working with clients, their marketing department, corporate executives, web developers and other technical staff to put together a website. You'll need good communication skills in order to coordinate and finish projects by deadline.

"Clients sometimes are not very articulate about what they actually want," explains Gau. "It's part of the job to dig information out of people. You might not like what the clients like, whether it's colors, sound, music or just overall style. You have to negotiate with them if you think you have a better idea than they do. Sometimes it's a painstaking process. So, get ready to hone your people skills."

If you are just beginning your career or have never worked for yourself before, you may find it helpful to take a class or two on starting and operating your own business. The web design field is highly competitive. You may, at least initially, have to work as a freelance designer to get work experience and build your portfolio. Taking general classes in business marketing or advertising may also help you design more effective websites for your customers.

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