So you’ve landed your dream assignment: designing a high profile Web site for an important client. Then you find out that this Web site is going to contain large files of sensitive information. The client has asked for a Web site designer who has received advanced multimedia training and who knows the best security applications out there. Imagine how impressed your client will be when you have all the skills to do the job.
In your Web design career, you will need to create sites that protect users and owners from revealing confidential information. With identity theft becoming more common, all Web sites should include security applications. Follow these tips to ensure the Web sites you design are secure:
As the site designer, it’s also a good idea to monitor sites you’ve created regularly and remain in contact with the security specialist for the site.
Whether you are starting or continuing your career is Web design, it is smart to strengthen your training in multimedia security applications. As a Web site designer or developer, you will need to know how to authenticate and restrict user names and passwords. Career training courses that teach about privacy laws, security codes, and validation in coding are also valuable. Web design school is a great place to learn security skills that will serve you in your Web design career.
Caitlin Sanford is a consultant and freelance writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University.
In 2006, there were an estimated 43 million web sites online. With more sites springing up every day, the demand for trained web designers is greater than ever. But choosing a degree program in design school can be mind-boggling—there might as well be as many programs as web sites. By identifying your goals and doing a little research, you can find the design program that’s right for you.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a bachelor’s degree is the best preparation for design positions. Bachelor’s degrees related to web design include multimedia training, art, design, and computer science. Bachelor’s programs are ideal for people who want a broader education, as only about one third of your schedule will be practical design training.
If you don’t want to invest four years in design school to get a bachelor’s degree, an associate’s degree is an excellent option. Associate’s degree programs can be as short as 15 months to two years, and a wide variety of design training programs are available online. In associate’s programs you may exclusively study design and multimedia.
Web design diploma programs are ideal for designers who already have professional experience, or for people who want to learn a specific multimedia or design skill. Your training may include coursework in computer programs like Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Flash Multimedia. Diploma programs, often available online, are a great way to beef up your resume and add impressive work to your portfolio.
Once you’ve selected the right degree program, you may want to look up school rankings online and check the accreditation of your school.
Caitlin Sanford is a consultant and freelance writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. News and World Report
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, graphic designers earned a median salary of about $40,000 per year in 2004. In the same year, graphic designers and Web designers held about 228,000 jobs. About 7 out of 10 Web design professionals worked for companies or firms, and about 3 out of 10 were self-employed. But what exactly were all these designers doing? A Web design degree can take you in many directions.
After Web design schools, many Web and graphic designers score jobs with large advertising, publishing, design, or Internet firms. Many others work on a contract basis as freelance designers or employees of smaller design firms. As you embark on your Web design career and start looking for work, keep in mind the different career paths you can take. For example, you can:
Of course, to be hired for any of these positions you will need a degree from a Web design school. Although many careers require a bachelor’s degree in design, associate’s degrees or diplomas combined with relevant experience can take you far. According to the BLS, graphic designers who have degrees and experience in Web design and animation will be in high demand in the future.
Caitlin Sanford is a consultant and freelance writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University.
From blue hues that evoke corporate class, to neutrals and pastels that enhance personal Web sites, color defines design. But getting the colors right in your Web pages can be challenging. Even if you have a perfect vision for your site, matching the exact colors using HTML codes and color charts requires practice and skill. Mastering color theory will help ensure that your Web design career future is bright.
In a competition held by iNOVA for the best corporate Web sites, nearly all of the winning sites used blue shades. The winning Web sites all used a three-color combination, or triad. To find the perfect color triad, first pick your base color, and then choose two complementary colors. If you’re a career CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) user, you can use CSS code to find harmonious color triads.
A big issue in Web design color theory is synchronization. Synchronization means ensuring that the colors you choose look the same no matter what browser or monitor viewers use. To address synchronization, career professionals came up with the theory of “browser safe” colors, using colors that exist on both Windows and Macintosh machines. Using browser safe colors is a good idea. Keep in mind that if you choose an obscure shade, viewers using other browsers may see a different color.
In Web design school, you will not only get a lot of practice choosing and synchronizing colors, you can also take actual courses in color theory. Mastering color theory means understanding color wheels and HTML and CSS color codes. You will study how to match colors and when to use certain shades. A course in color theory is a worthwhile investment in your career.
Caitlin Sanford is a consultant and freelance writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University.
According to Usability.gov, the U.S. government Web usability site, content is the most important part of a Web site. Increasingly, clients rely on Web designers to write original content in addition to designing layout and graphics.
To nail content, you should master a few key writing techniques and practice your writing in Web design school. Once you’ve conquered content writing, you should have employers beating down your door.
At some point in your Web design career, you will probably be asked to write content for the Web. For many graphic designers and programmers, who may be more fluent in code than in English, this is a terrifying task. But keep in mind that your career options will be multiplied if you are comfortable turning facts into readable content. To start, keep your writing simple, concise, and clear.
Writing for the Web is not the place to pretend you’re Baudelaire or Shakespeare. Web site prose should use a simple, direct style. You should use short sentences with common vocabulary. Here are some essential style tips:
The best way to improve your Web content writing is to practice. Web design school is a great way to get experience writing for Web sites. Furthermore, since your portfolio is often the final factor in career hiring decisions, you want to include examples of original content in your portfolio. Web design school can help you build a portfolio that showcases your writing talent.
Caitlin Sanford is a consultant and freelance writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Usability.gov
“Editorial Style,” Web Style Guide
According to Japanese Economic Monthly, the market for anime content, including character licensing/merchandising, selling rights to use character images on other products, and the sale of character toys is estimated to be worth about two trillion yen.
This staggering figure has opened the eyes of investors across the globe as the moving animation trend continues to explode. Anime has been acclaimed worldwide for its original, Japan-based culture and content. Both in pop culture circles and professional reviewing consortiums, Japanese moving animation titles feature richly detailed characters, deep plot lines, and eye-popping visuals that hypnotize audiences. Features include:
The decidedly adult themes of Japanese moving animation titles also lend a certain amount of credibility and lasting influence to the art form.
Peter Payne, founder of J-list, an e-commerce site specializing in Japanese kitsch, explains the popularity of Asian art forms to Wired Magazine. It comes down to cultural influences. Much like the British influenced early American language and culture, Japan’s linguistic and artistic influences are shaping contemporary America.
The most profound impact can be seen in the moving animation market. The animation industry stands only to benefit from the cultural exchange.
Kelly Richardson covers the local education and technology scenes in major cities across the country. His articles appear in educational journals, periodicals, and e-zines.
The Web design portfolio—a collection of a pages and graphics—is one of the most important aspects of an aspiring webdesigner’s resume. A well-assembled profile can be your ticket to a top design career, while a sloppy portfolio can mean disaster.When building your portfolio, remember to be selective and to invest in presentation.
Your profile should showcase your best Web design work in an organized way. You should include about 10 to 15 Web pages. Don’t be tempted to include everything you’ve designed in your career. Fine tune your best design work and opt for quality over quantity.
Projects should be current, no more than three or four years old. Diversity is good, but be wary of including too much showy flash. Remember, potential clients look for accessibility.
You can choose between a portfolio displayed online, on a DVD or CD, or in print. Which is best? If you’re set on a career in Web design, the bad news is that it’s best to prepare all three.
Some employers prefer online portfolios that are always a click away. Other employers prefer a DVD they can take with them. It is also wise to take color printed pictures of your designs to interviews. Printed pictures should be laminated or displayed on solid backing.
Web design school is a great place to start building your portfolio. In career training programs, teachers and classmates can review your work. It is always a good idea to have someone critique your designs. Design school can connect you with a network of knowledgeable critics. Web design school assignments can double as the portfolio pieces that will help you net that first design job.
Caitlin Sanford is a consultant and freelance writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University.
Because Web design is a broad field, it can sometimes be difficult to focus your training and get the most out of Web design school. The following list of essential web design skills can help you determine which courses will best prepare you for the job market.
Multimedia-from video to podcasts-is everywhere on the web. Design programs in animation, media technology, and multimedia training can help you develop the skills you need to be a multimedia master.
Taking graphics classes at Web design school can give your resume an added boost. Employers often appreciate applicants who can design original graphics. With the right training, you may be able double as a graphic designer, making you a highly qualified candidate.
Most Web designers learn at least one programming language. Web designers who learn AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript in XML), LAMP (Linux technology, Apache, MySQL, and PHP scripting language), or CSS programming in addition to HTML and Java Script often find themselves in excellent career shape.
Successful designers have a good sense of what site visitors are looking for. A beautifully designed Web site does little good it doesn’t effectively convey information. For designers, sensing usability comes with practice, a readily-available asset in design technology training programs.
Many Web design schools offer classes in interface design and navigation techniques. Studying interface and media technology can help teach you to use visual consistency and simple navigation bars to better organize sites with multiple pages.
Web site design is a constantly evolving field. Trying different courses at web design school can help prepare you for anything in the industry.
Caitlin Sanford is a consultant and freelance writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University.
Web 2.0, a term coined to describe a second generation of Web design programs based on interactive network platforms, is revolutionizing the way we use the internet. Getting a web design degree or an online marketing education can give you the tools you need to harness the power of Web 2.0.
After the dot com bust, media groups and web designers got together to reevaluate the future of the internet. Through a series of conferences, the Web 2.0 concept was born. With more than 9.5 million citations in Google, Web 2.0 is still an ambiguous, if powerful, buzzword. Agreed upon characteristics of Web 2.0 sites include:
Companies and organizations are increasingly using Web 2.0 tools to market products online and to interact with target audiences. Companies will need people with web design degrees and online marketing education backgrounds to design interactive multimedia for the Web 2.0 world. Common tools used in Web 2.0 design programs include:
The most important web design skills for using these tools include knowledge of CSS, AJAX, XML, and beta.
Web 2.0 design programs require a rich, interactive, user-friendly interface. A web design degree or online marketing education focusing on Web 2.0 interfaces will emphasize creativity, remixing content, and interactive multimedia design. Knowledge of design techniques for new Web 2.0 trends may help increase your employment prospects after earning your web design degree.
Caitlin Sanford is a consultant and freelance writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University.
“What is Web 2.0,” O’Reilly
Guardian Unlimited Weekend Web 2.0 Edition
“Web 2.0 for Designers,” Digital Web Magazine
A career as a professional Web designer looks good to you. Maybe you know a couple of people who work in the industry, or you’ve checked out library books about Web design. Web design schools can be your best bet to enter an industry that experiences rapid technological changes, and now it’s just a matter of finding a school that meets your needs.
If you’ve looked into Web design programs, you may have noticed that some schools tout regional or national accreditations. Before you go any further in your quest to become a professional Web designer, find out what all the accreditation lingo actually means for your education and future job prospects.
When a school has been accredited, it has passed a quality evaluation performed by a third party. This evaluation provides public confidence in the institution, encourages the institution to continue quality improvements, and ensures accountability.
If you plan on seeking federal or state financial aid, you’re better off enrolling in a program from an accredited school. If you ever plan to transfer your credits, they need to come from an accredited institution. And perhaps most importantly, many employers will require degrees from accredited schools for employment or advancement. In some states, unaccredited degrees can mean you are prohibited from working in civil service jobs.
With some employers, experience is more important than education. But don’t get the wrong idea—you still must provide evidence of your abilities. You need a portfolio, and often, the best way to create that portfolio is through well-tailored Web design programs. While accreditation is very important, some Web design schools that lack accreditation still provide their students with excellent learning opportunities.
Ellen Foster is a freelance writer and teacher. She has worked with students of all ages
The things that make Web design gurus giggle like school girls are the same things that can annoy and repel site visitors. Elaborate graphics, videos, slide shows, audio clips, and animation can help your Web site come to life, but at what cost?
Bandwidth limitations have been a consistent speed bump on the road to awesome multimedia Web pages, but if you work in moderation with stable technologies, you could have the coolest Web design in school.
There are times when excessive eye-candy—flashing, flickering images or streaming video—just isn’t appropriate. If you’re a professional Web designer for a company specializing in products for geriatric adults, videos that require the user to download software or plug-ins probably won’t be appropriate. Your objective is to keep the visitor coming back. If you’re aiming for a more tech-savvy audience, you can ask more of them. For example, you can expect student users on an academic Web site to use specific plug-ins and browser software—these folks will put up with longer download times because they may be more invested in the content you’ve produced.
The ever-expanding market for Web-based information means increased demand for professional Web designers. And while it may have once been enough for budding Web designers to “teach themselves,” in today’s market employers look for Web designers with education and experience in their field. Web design school can help you achieve a solid understanding of the technology and design aspects of Web site construction, and online schools can enable you to learn while you continue to work full-time.
Ellen Foster is a freelance writer and teacher. She has worked with students of all ages.
With more businesses seeing the benefits of online customer transactions, it’s vital that Web designers learn what makes an effective e-commerce site tick. If there’s a venue where all those Web design bells and whistles provide little more than distraction, it’s an e-commerce Website. For starters, think simple, straightforward, and spare.
E-commerce sites built on elaborate digital video and Macromedia Flash presentations have proved less successful than their simpler, smarter counterparts. Consider some of the biggest online retailers—when you hit their sites you tend to notice the technical simplicity of simple tab or text-based navigation systems and the clarity of spare page design. These sites stay smart by employing search engines that can find the desired product even when the visitor enters a search term without an exact match.
Web designers cringe at the notion of losing site visitors during a financial transaction. Thus, hitting the Web design mark during the order process is especially vital. A well-designed order screen should provide crystal-clear information for the site visitor. Generally, this means one screen per topic: credit card info, shipping address, and shipping method might all occupy their own screen, so that scrolling is unnecessary. Yet Web designers don’t want the process to feel tedious or never-ending. They might combat this tedium by providing very clear orientation for the visitor, a kind of “you are here” during the process.
If you don’t have the tools to tackle Web design for e-commerce sites, know that Web design school is a great place to learn industry-current design processes. Many Web design schools can provide students with the business-savvy that results in successful e-commerce Web sites.
Ellen Foster is a freelance writer and teacher. She has worked with students of all ages
Oftentimes Web designers don’t want to think about bandwidth. It can be an ugly term when it implies under-performing technology and sluggish download speeds. A user’s low bandwidth capacity means a Web designer’s cluster of graphics will load at a snail’s pace, and that usually means trouble.
It’s fairly safe to assume that these days most Web users are accessing the Internet from their home or office via an Internet service modem providing 56 kilobits per second (KBps). Since there are eight bits in a byte, this means the download rate runs at seven kilobytes per second (KBps). To a Web designer, this means a simple 54 KB graphic could take more than seven seconds to download. Granted, load times will vary depending on several other factors, but overall, it’s worth it to recognize the glut you could create for your user by indiscriminately populating your Web design with high KB graphics.
Site users are reasonable people. If you’ve wooed them into your Web page with solid design, good information, and shorter load times, they’ll give you some leeway; slip in the larger file on occasion, but warn your user that they’re about to embark on a graphics-heavy page with a longer download time.
If all this talk of kilobits and kilobytes sounds like Greek to you, it’s probably time to consider laying the foundation of your Web design career at Web design school. You can learn the ins and outs of Internet technology from the ground up when you enroll in a Web design program. Many of these programs are offered online—a great place to practice your skills as you hone them.
Ellen Foster is a freelance writer and teacher. She has worked with students of all ages.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), individuals between 18 and 38 change jobs ten times on average. And while the Department of Labor has yet to pin down the average number of times people change careers, experts often throw out numbers that range from three to seven. What does this mean to you? If you feel like you’re stuck in a dead-end job, it means there’s hope for a relatively painless career swap. If you’ve got a passion for Web design, you’ve got to go for it.
Yeah, it’s a little bit scary to embark on a new career path, but if your interest lies in becoming aprofessional Web designer, you can take comfort in the fact that job opportunities are on the rise. If your current industry sector is experiencing a recession, you can’t afford not to follow your dreams. And you can still work full time while you pursue a degree or professional certification in Web design. Many accredited Web design schools offer excellent online learning opportunities: attend virtual classes when and where it’s convenient for you.
If you’ve been in your current job for a number of years, you may be concerned by the prospect of a pay cut when you enter a new field. Because professional Web designers are in demand, it’s possible to earn a decent living even at the entry-level. If that’s not enough, consider freelancing on the side, or even taking a part-time job. It will be worth it if you’re finally able to do what you love.
Ellen Foster is a freelance writer and teacher. She has worked with students of all ages.
Have you been spending so much time updating your Website’s content that you haven’t had a chance to create a “What’s New” page? Or you’ve been so busy answering visitors’ questions that you haven’t compiled them into a FAQ? Think twice about putting off the creation of these pages. Here’s why:
Web design students learn how to effectively design one of the cornerstones of efficient Web sites. The Frequently Asked Questions page seems to be a development unique to the Web and Internet-based media. It’s truly a great institution for web designers—a giant net to catch the majority of a new user’s questions in one fell swoop. Your support staff will be as happy as the questioning site visitors when you put up a comprehensive FAQ page.
It’s all a matter of how quickly content goes stale, so if freshness is a priority, let your visitors know your site’s got it! You can place a “new” graphic beside updated items on your homepage, but that’s not always enough when your Web design is comprised of complex levels of information over many, many pages. In that case, try a “What’s New” page that can inform users of updates throughout the entirety of the website. And don’t forget to post a new revision date each time a page is updated.
If your Web design skills rock off the charts in some areas (graphics, fonts), but that you’re coming up short in others (user interface, informational hierarchy), maybe it’s time for some continuing education. Well-rounded Web designers generally have the most options. Up-to-date skills gleaned in Web design school can put you in good stead.
Ellen Foster is a freelance writer and teacher. She has worked with students of all ages.
“What’s New Page,” Web Style Guide
“FAQ Pages,” Web Style Guide