Its reasonable to say that perhaps one of the most broadly interpreted & badly defined definitions within I.T. is the label Web-Designer. If you're thinking of getting into the industry, some details about the different aspects should help to de-mystify things. Web Design involves the technical components of a successful site in addition to the creative aspects. To the average person in the street, a 'web designer' is someone that creates the 'look' & 'feel' of a web-site. Many individuals might consider a web designer a sort of 'artist'. The truth is the modern web-designer's job is an inter-related mix of technical understanding & design-creativity - & the two are becoming very hard to separate. We'll demonstrate this with more clarity if we break web-design down into it's various parts.

Graphic artists come 1st - they design & assemble the icons & images for a web-site. Most often they do this by utilising graphic layout & 'animation' software (such as Adobe 'Flash' & 'Photoshop'), & are generally not actually web-site designers as such. Virtually all graphic artists have been to college or university, with a qualification in art & design. Most importantly, this kind of role demands a strong creative ability.

Then there are the web-designers, who generate the layout & overall 'feel' of a web-site using a design environment like Dreamweaver. Through the use of graphics from the graphic artist, they will put together the 'navigational' composition of the website, working with their clients to be sure the feel is right. A lot of inexperienced web designers put emphasis to start with on the format of the web site, rather than it's 'function'. But, to actually build an effective site, you need to start with a clear understanding of what you require the web site to actually do. This might be a web based inventory of merchandise, or possibly it's an e-commerce web-site which wants to have the ability to sell straight from the site. Maybe you need to show goods by means of video & a largely graphical inter-face, or maybe its mostly an informational website where the requirement is easy access to key text information (such as this web site.) Quite simply the web-site must have the ability to meet it's needs - whatever those needs are. So many sites look brilliant but they are a headache to navigate & get what you'd like - & so people leave and never come back. A good web designer must basically produce a web based experience that is both gratifying and user-friendly for the people coming to the site - that way they will visit again and again.

Web developers are members of the equation, and the most technically apt. As well as being proficient in HTML, XML & 'CSS', web-developers will understand other 'proper' programming-languages such as VB, PHP, Java, C# & 'ASP.Net' etc. And because most modern internet sites of any size 'store' their information using SQL Database technology, they are likely to have a firm grip on this too. Most E-commerce websites are not the result of a sizable crew of web designers who have built 1000s of web pages in a layout form. What commonly occurs is a place-holder 'template' is developed, & the details are dynamically fed from the Database to the web site. So as well as far higher efficiency with the web-site construct, this method also allows for an infinitely more consistent look & feel as well.

The thing you must understand is that absolutely no training course can actually make a web designer out of you. The course will merely cover all the techniques & skills. Put together as many web sites as possible whilst you go through your studies - the process will be invaluable & you'll have a portfolio to show just what you can do. A craft or interest can be a very good place to start, or maybe your favourite dog or cat, or a holiday-resort you particularly enjoyed. Build an interactive web-site, and start building traffic towards it. All this will look much more favourable on your Curriculum Vitae, & in your portfolio, than a certificate from Adobe will!

A lot of free-lance web designers can handle a number of these tasks by themselves; in actual fact we liaise with several who can on a regular basis. It will require time however to build such a range of commercial skillsets. A web design program therefore that can prepare you to enter the work-place must encompass the following - A synopsis of the basics of web design first, then directly into using 'Dreamweaver' to a commercial level & the key nuances of 'Flash' as well. The languages of HTML and CSS need to be covered next, with some e-commerce teaching included here. Some Database & SEO expertise is really important, and a knowledge of the programming language PHP (instead of the more complex ASP.NET) for you to construct dynamic websites. The reason why you need all these aspects is so that you have the technical ability to operate on a variety of web-site builds. Similar to when you were taking driving lessons, you have to first acquire the physical skills, before you essentially push beyond them and achieve a certain amount of 'finesse'. The majority of students can work through a flexible course like this inside a yr - based upon part-time study & practice of close to 400 - 500 hours. As there are numerous things to consider, it's well worth taking a few minutes to look carefully at any training programs you're interested in. Speak to somebody with industry knowledge to help you put things together.

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