Web Design… A Life Beyond the Click | JCruceWeb
It is the intent of this essay to explain who and what a web designer is, what is expected of these manipulators of the web, as well as the rewards to be gained once the status of web developer is attained.
In the book Taking your Talent to the Web, a web designer is defined as “a professional who solves a client’s communication problems and leverages the client’s brand identity in a web-specific way” (Zeldman 135). To put this in terms that can be easily understood, web designers are simply agents between a user of the web and the information that the user seeks. By building websites, web designers are able to provide a way for clients to display their wares. In turn, the same web sites provide a way for consumers to seek out and obtain what they are looking for online. This is an ever-changing process that requires more than a basic understanding of the internet (Zeldman 135).
Web designers should be a multitasking perfectionist. Like the spider who weaves its web in the tall summer grass, professional web designers tend to spend the majority of their time alone. Just like the spider, they must be relentless in their pursuit of finding and correcting any mistakes that occur in their webs. However, unlike the spider, these manipulators of the World Wide Web spend their days getting to use cutting-edge computers and software (Scales pars. 8-18).
To keep up with the always evolving technological advances and to be able to use the newest computers and software to their fullest potential, web designers should consider attaining a formal education. Knowing how to use graphic design software like Dreamweaver, Flash, Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign allows web designers to plan layouts, manipulate images, and create dynamic multimedia web pages. Other skills, such as programming are necessary to web designers, who should be fluent in many programming languages such as Java and JavaScript. These popular programming languages are used to write functional code that follows the current industry conventions. By obtaining a formal education, web designers will also hone their project management, communication, and problem-solving skills. When it is time to venture into the world of e-commerce and to seek employment, these skills will be invaluable (Scales pars. 42-46).
Tracey Greene, a professor of web design at the University of Massachusetts, states in an interview with OnlineWebDesignDegree.com, “Web design is a broad field with many transferable skills. Other industries require specialization that can limit career mobility, but web design allows people to switch into different areas” (Greene par. 8). Due to this fact, web developers should enjoy excellent job opportunities in the future. The better jobs will be awarded to those with more education or work experience. Potential web designers should keep this in mind when planning their education. As web developers may increase their chances of being hired with programming skills, and programmers may do the same with development skills. Armed with the right knowledge and skills, the job outlook for an ambitious web designer looks promising (Scales pars. 1-15).
The United States, Bureau of Labor Statistics, reports that the median pay for information security analysts, web developers, and computer network architects is around $75k a year or roughly $36 an hour. The job prospects for all three occupations look to be favorable. With a projected growth of 30% in this broad field of employment between the years 2010-18, these fields are growing much faster than all other occupations (Scales pars. 28-34).
Having a great job, one that can be performed from any computer that is able to reach the internet is just one of the many rewards a professional web designer can hope to achieve. Receiving a formal education and utilizing the latest computers and software are just a few of the other rewards to be gained in this field. Even being left alone to meticulously perfect one’s art can be considered to be rewarding by some. No matter what the awards, it all amounts to a life beyond the click.
