Becoming a Web Designer

It has always been an interest of mine to listen to the career paths of others, web designers especially, it’s like looking in a mirror (something I have developed quite the skill for). I think what’s most fascinating is the often-erratic paths people take, it’s always a different story. There also seems to be an unusually high percentage of folks that were inspired by the web and taught themselves, a theme which resonates heavily with me, no matter the industry.

How to be inspired

Whether someone decides to take a class or start doing their own research, an initial moment of inspiration is necessary to kick start the process. This post was inspired by an email I woke up to from my sister, essentially saying, “I want to become a web designer.” As her brother, nothing could make me happier.

do I really like this?

I would like to know what inspired her moment. From the outside looking in, I can only guess. Part of it was definitely my influence. In thinking about it closer, her and I are a lot alike in our strengths – if I could be happy and enjoy success in this field, then naturally, she could too. Web design is equal parts aesthetics, organization, and desire. Always learning, always creating. These are strengths and values we share as siblings.

What follows is a rundown of how one can get started in the field. Would love to hear people’s own stories in response.

Step #1 – Owning Your Domain

This may seem like a weird first step to some, but nothing is more thrilling than publishing your first html files to your own site. I think I had three iterations of my first domain, geodigi.com, before I ever did any kind of client work. It’s a person’s first digital sandbox to do whatever they want.

nothing could make me happier.

After receiving the email from my sister, I went and purchased her name domain. Upon presenting this news to her, she thanked me – not knowing what it really meant. In time however, she will come to realize, this is the spot where everything started.

Step #2 – Getting Educated

The field of web design is changing so rapidly, one must stay on it continuously to ever develop a strong knack for providing solutions to people (clients/bosses/friends). It’s all a daunting amount of information at first, but once one gets on top of the pile, it’s just a matter of maintenance.

Coursework

While I praised those who come into the field self-taught, it’s not the only avenue to becoming a web designer – you can take courses. There are pros & cons to doing coursework.

To illustrate my point, my sister decided to enroll in a collegiate level course on the beginnings of HTML & CSS – which in theory, should give her a well-rounded view of the building blocks of the web. Before we sat down and had a screen-sharing session, she was painfully wading through the first few homework assignments. Doubt began creeping into her mind; do I really like this?

We are a passionate bunch

When I finally sat down and looked at what she was doing (she is working on building website for her soon-to-be wedding, college coursework applied to a real life need, smart) she seemed frustrated and kind of bummed out. When I looked at the code, it quickly became obvious the true culprit of her frustrations was the course itself. She was learning late-nineties web development from a lady who obviously doesn’t know what-is-what in the world of web design – this is a common problem in web design courses.

After two short sessions with me showing her how HTML & CSS played together, it clicked. Today she described the process of building her website, “addicting.” How fucking cool is that?

Self-Taught

Google is your friend.

In breaking out self-teaching into its own section, I do it injustice. It really is the catalyst to becoming a professional. If one isn’t willing to put in the hours teaching themselves, then they truly aren’t inspired. You don’t meet a lot of people in the field that gloomily say, “I’m a web designer.” We are a passionate bunch, and in a competitive world, passion is necessary to get ahead. In other words, you should be self-teaching in addition to coursework.

There are so many top ten lists for, “web designer resources,” that one only needs to simply Google it – and oh yea, Google is your friend. “Look it up dear,” is finally the answer to every question.

We are also big fans of Lynda at We the Media.

Step #3 – Get to know your peers

When was the last time you saw a post about, “How to become a shoe designer,” or, “How to become an investment banker?” Ok, there are some out there, but no profession likes to talk about itself like those involved in web design – we are a truly narcissistic industry (I mean that in an endearing way). There is probably a 10-1 ratio of useful web design blogs over just about anything else – it’s our playground, perhaps it’s because we had a head start.

It’s important to find your heroes

As a first step to getting to know your peers, it’s important to seek out those who inspire. Look through some CSS Galleries and identify the designers that really do it for you.

One of the first for me, and I’ve probably mentioned this before, was Jonathan Hicks.  One of his previous sites resonated heavily with me – I pretty much ripped him off on the first version of this site (before I began sort of blogging). It’s important to find your heroes, and with a little bit of internet stalking you can quickly find what they’re into and what they’re not. Follow them on Twitter, subscribe to their blogs, obsessively check their portfolios – do what it takes. Emulate. Emulate. Emulate.

It’s also important to reach out to your local communities – there are always meetups going on, I think here in Portland we are averaging three events a night or something. I wish I could attend more, but sometimes the work gets in the way – you tend to do a lot of what you love.

Conclusion

True criticism is what you should seek.

Becoming a web designer is a path full of triumphs and frustrations - the most important thing to remember is to keep plugging away, solutions always present themselves. Don’t plan on becoming a web designer overnight, it’s a long process. I didn’t start calling myself a web designer till a good web designer stopped beginning critiques with, “you’re straddling the line between mediocre and really really awful.” True criticism is what you should seek.

Please share your stories – I would love to hear them.

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