web designer

What does a web designer do? As a website designer, your job description is likely to have all of these responsibilities:

• providing support and assistance throughout the website design process
• conceptualizing thoughtful ideas about the website to ensure everything comes out as imagined
• coming up with design plans that you can then share with your clients
• ensuring that you only rely on design best practices to build websites that are in line with the industry’s standards and guidelines
• designing sample pages by focusing on fonts, colors, etc., and presenting them to clients for approval
• improving the website design and constantly carrying out tests to create the best possible UX
• incorporating features and functionalities into websites to ensure they perform as expected
• integrating CMS programs and data feeds of clients into websites

In addition, a web designer also carries out the following tasks on a regular basis:

• using wireframes, prototypes, site maps, process flows, and user flows to communicate design ideas
• optimizing websites for maximum speed and scalability
• working with research and marketing teams to incorporate brand elements into the site
• establishing design guidelines, best practices, and standards, potentially in a style guide document
• making sure the website works well on all devices, including tablet, mobile, and desktop
• working with a web development team and back-end developers to ensure web and app logic is integrated properly
• coming up with visual imagery for websites and making sure they meet the client’s branding demands

Despite the above numerous responsibilities, it is still worth noting that the exact duties of a website designer vary from one job to another.

As a web designer, you can work in an office, at home, or in a combination of the two since most of the tools you are bound to use are digital. Ideally, where you work as a website designer depends on the agreement between you and your employer.

Additionally, there are instances where you will have to work onsite, such as when meeting with a back-end web developer or a web development team to integrate web and app logic properly. You can carry out your duties remotely when they do not require that you work with a team.

Since the tasks you do as a web designer require that you work with other personnel, you will find yourself working closely with software engineers, content creators, product managers, and web developers. You need this group of individuals to create eye-catching products that make clients happy.

You are also likely to work with the marketing and sales team, executive-level management, and quality assurance teams. Simply put, web design is a job that requires collaborations with several departments in an organization for its objectives to be met.

The tech industry is ever-changing; hence, there is a lot to learn as a web designer. Besides, it is worth mentioning that the challenges you face are likely to vary and may require different skills to overcome; this means your work schedule may vary, depending on the task you are handling.

For example, in instances where clients or employers have urgent needs, you are likely to work overtime to ensure you do not inconvenience them in any way. Furthermore, as a web designer, you must be ready to work on weekends and holidays for the same aforementioned reasons.

If you work for a particular company, your work schedule is likely to be full-time, which translates to 40 hours a week. The intensity of the projects you are hired for is also likely to impact your work schedule. For instance, comprehensive web design projects for larger organizations are likely to take more hours to accomplish whereas less comprehensive design projects for individuals or smaller companies are likely to take fewer hours.

A report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that the growth projection of website design is 23% from 2021 – 2031. The report goes further to clarify that this growth projection is faster than the average for all occupations, which is unsurprising, considering that the number of websites created every day keeps rising.

Going by this information, it is safe to say that being a web designer is a stable job that will keep getting better. The demand for web designers is likely to keep rising, as companies would like you to carry out the following related job roles:

• build websites that are easy to understand
• adhere to design standards and specifications
• use programming knowledge to improve websites
• work with SEO specialists to improve website performance

Working through Randstad offers you a range of benefits:

• being paid weekly
• flexibility
• always a contact person you can fall back on and ask for help from
• many training opportunities
• a range of jobs in your area

Want a permanent contract? But you wonder why it would be interesting for you to work with a staffing company? A temporary job as a web designer is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!

A web designer may be a lucrative and promising job. However, a four-year bachelor’s degree alone may not be enough if you want to be successful in this job field. That said, it is important to have both technical skills and soft skills, as seen above.

As a web designer, you are likely to be faced with many different challenges, depending on the size and nature of the task. Some of the common challenges you are likely to run into include:

• ensuring the website is easy to access
• balancing functionality and aesthetics
• ensuring the website is easy to navigate
• designing the website such that visitors appreciate using it

As a website designer, you should be familiar with the following tools:

• WordPress
• Squarespace
• InVision Studio
• Photoshop
• Sigma
• Sketch
• ProofHub

The terms “web designers” and “web developers” are often used interchangeably. However, they are completely different based on roles. For instance, a web designer focuses on the look and feel of a website. On the other hand, a web developer uses the code to make a website work.

As a web designer, you are highly unlikely to deal with code; hence, the knowledge of coding may be unnecessary. However, companies have been having higher expectations to the extent that they prefer candidates who understand coding to some extent. It is, therefore, recommended that you take a course that sharpens your skills in coding.

Applying for a web designer job is easy create a Randstad profile and search our web designer jobs for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV. If you do not have a resume, no worries. Just check out our resume builder. This state of the art tool will help you to create your own resume. Need help with your application? Check out all our job-hunting tips!