Seven Things Web Designers Should be able to do on Autopilot

Web designers should have specific skills to make them stand out from the competition. If you are one or aspiring to be one of the best in the field, you need to understand the essentials of a successful website for website designers, and then acquaint yourself with these seven skills and so you can do them in your sleep. 

1. Edit Photos

In the field of design, you have no choice but to deal with photos. It doesn’t even matter if you are in web design or any other field. You should know how to crop photos and clean them up to make it easier to work with them.

Minor image adjustments should also be part of your skills. Mastering one software is almost always enough since the layout is pretty much similar to other applications.

2. HTML and CSS Coding

Whether you are a developer or designer, coding is one of the basic things you should be able to do. You should be able to troubleshoot basic HTML and learn how to read and understand it.

Even without Googling, you should find a problem with the size, font or color in the HTML code. At the same time, you should be able to substitute styles in CSS. These skills will be helpful to you in the long run, not just in the field of design.

3. Write Headlines

It’s easier when you have an actual headline. This means that you need to have enough skill to string words together to combine it with the visual elements of the website.

While the headline you wrote might not be used in the final version of the website, it could be helpful during the creation process. One good reason is that it allows clients to get a feel of how much space is available for the actual headline.

4. Make Print Designs

Your title may be that of a designer, but there could be cases where you need to create printed applications. Business cards, fliers, and press releases should be print-ready, and you need to consider how all those things will look on paper.

One key difference between website design and print is on how the colors work. Some values like FF0000 will not work for printed material, and you have to stick to the basic cyan, magenta, yellow, and black color mixes.

5. Use Any Device to Navigate a Website 

A designer should be comfortable around phones and devices more than the average person. You need to be able to access the website even with an old device and show someone how to navigate it with ease.

Speaking of devices, here’s a helpful article for designing a mobile-first website.

6. Use Common Framework

When kicking off projects, you might have to use a website design framework, and there is nothing wrong with that. Unless you are a super developer, you should actually do so.

You might want to reinvent the wheel, but this is, in most cases, not the best idea. You need to have a website with a familiar feel, so it’s easier for clients to maintain it even when you are no longer working with them.

7. Know Which Trend to Use

You always need to keep up with the latest in the field and know which ones can be helpful to clients. You are not attracted to shiny new things, but you can suggest updates to improve results and help the client achieve the goal.