Web Designer Job Description
What is a web designer? We answer the question, with information about resume requirements, salary, job duties, top cities in demand, and more.
What is a Web Designer?
Web Designers are responsible for creating websites that engage current and potential customers in order to enhance a company’s online presence. They coordinate with other members of their teams, including copywriters and graphic designers, to conceptualize web pages in order to most effectively organize, convey and present both word- and graphic-based content.
A Web Designer is responsible for designing the overall layout and aesthetic for websites. They need to work closely with each customer so they can translate the customer’s thoughts into a visually appealing design. They are also responsible for turning that design into a functional site and uploading it to a web server.
There are three types of Web Designers:
In-House Web Designer:
- Works for a specific company as part of their marketing department
Agency Web Designer:
- Work surrounded by people who think as creatively as you do and design for a wide range of companies and industries
Freelance Web Designer:
- In addition to all of the responsibilities of a web designer, you will also take on all of the responsibilities of a contract employee
Education Requirements
- A degree is not mandatory
- Many companies look for candidates with backgrounds in design
Web Designer Essential Skills
- Strong communication abilities to interact with colleagues and clients
- Excellent eye for design and intimate understanding of design elements
- Proficiency in Adobe Dreamweaver and other web design programs
- Ability to write in a variety of computer languages, such as HTML or Java
- CSS, HTML, PHP and Java coding skills
- Basic database administration skills for MySQL, Access and SQL
- Expert-level understanding of Flash and ActionScript for programming
- Familiarity with SEO principles
- Excellent multimedia content development abilities
Web Designer Roles & Responsibilities
- Code the site’s navigation
- Fix any functionality issues, including the removal of “dead links”
- Update the site
- Maintain the appearance of websites by enforcing content standards
- Work with different content management systems
Day-to-Day Duties
- Create a suitable color scheme or incorporate the client’s color scheme into the design
- Design buttons and other controls for the site
- Create mock-ups of the site for the client’s approval
- Make backup files of the site
- Conceptualize creative ideas with clients
- Design sample pages including colors and fonts