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Top 10 Web Designer Skills You Must Know in 2019

As 2019 is already at our doorsteps, we need to pull ourselves together and reflect on our performance, knowledge, skills, and plans for the new year.

Regardless of the stage of your career, you should pay close attention to the marketplace’s trends in order not to get swept aside by history. Indeed, adaptability is a key asset of any web designing professional and not only!

As we can clearly notice, the role of the average web designer is quickly changing, adapting to the client’s needs. No matter which niche you are working in, e.g., it could be a business like bestessays.com or any other one, a web designer should always pay attention to trends.

Of course, these needs are influenced by the industry’s trends and generally by your clients’ competitors. Therefore, as a web designing expert, you need to approach an open-minded perspective when it comes to your self-growth.

“A successful web designer has the ability to adapt and constantly grow under the pressure of a fast-changing industry. Nowadays, the most successful web designers have already become “full stack designers”, which is the equivalent of multi-purposed designers that can deal with the back-end development and the UX improvement” – John Terry, CEO at Careers Booster.

In today’s post, we’re discussing the top 10 web designing skills you must consider developing or improving.

 

1. Visual Design

A web designer will often thrive if his visual designing skills are advanced. Visual design is the art of choosing the proper design principles to improve the look and enhance the feel of the site. It’s closely linked to user experience, only that it’s more related to the kinesthetic elements.

The most common tools used in visual designing are grid systems, typography, color psychology, web fonts, type hierarchy, and color palettes.

 

2. UX

The UX of a website is the feeling a visitor has when browsing that website. UX stands for user experience, and it is one of the most influential factors that define a website’s success in today’s times.

A web designer who understands UX practices will approach his designs from a user-first perspective. Simply put, the right question is “How can I make the user feel absolutely great while he spends time on the site? “

Many factors can be improved, such as the navigation, the content, the colors, the CTAs, and so on. The better you are at UX the more appreciated as a multi-purpose web designer.

 

3. Print Design Skills

Nowadays, the digital environment is definitely the most effective way to improve your website’s traffic. However, some companies and clients are looking for web designers that are able to design offline marketing campaigns.

Despite the rise of the digital era, print media is an essential factor in the design industry, so acknowledging the importance of print designing skills is something essential for a web designer in 2019.

 

4. Resourcefulness

Kobe Johnson, an expert web designer at Superior Papers, notes that “The resourcefulness of any web professional will directly influence its results and career. As a web designer, you can skyrocket your work’s quality by leveraging various creative designing tools that come with diverse uses. “

Here are the software & skills that will offer you a competitive advantage in 2019 in the web designing industry:

• Photoshop (most popular and used image processing tool by Adobe)
• Adobe Illustrator (vector graphics processing tool by Adobe)
• Adobe After Effects (graphic video processing tool by Adobe)
• Adobe Animate (animation software)

Also, check out pixpa.com‘s list of top animation software.

To use these tools, you’ll need to study and practice on them consistently.

 

5. CSS

CSS or Cascading Style Sheets is a specific code that informs web browsers how to format and style the HTML components of a page.

As a simplified definition, CSS helps you improve the kinesthetic appeal of your text and other content. Using this coding language, you can change the fonts, adjust the colors, add/remove backgrounds, and a lot more.

 

6. HTML

Most web designers believe that coding is something they’ll never deal with. Well, the existence of HTML (HyperText Markup Language) makes that idea impossible.

This is one of the most expected coding language skills expected from web designers, and there’s no wonder why.

HTML helps you place and optimize your content on the web, giving it the necessary structure and form. Simplified: the way you turn words into paragraphs, headlines, and footers, and also the way in which you get other types of content on a site (videos, graphics, photos, etc.)

 

7. Communication Skills

Communication skills are an asset that every professional (regardless of its field) should strive to develop. As a web designer, you must be able to effectively convey your technical information into clear language, so you and your client can discuss, work, and be on the same page.

 

8. Time-Management Skills

Obviously, managing your time and work is critical as a web designer, as you’ll often have to respect deadlines and communicate regular reports that can’t be delayed.

As a manager at Assignment Masters, I’ve learned that the reputation of a true professional is defined by time-management and self-discipline skills. These two assets are going to define the standards of our professional careers faster than any others.

 

9. Proactivity and Creativity

As an employer or client, you’ll always want your designer to contribute with his own ideas and solutions. Proactive and creative web designers can take away a lot of responsibility from the project manager, and that is exactly why they’re so appreciated.

As a professional web designer, you should understand the project’s purpose and standards, acknowledge your client’s expectations, and constantly come up with constructive and out-of-the-box optimization ideas.

 

10. Digital Marketing / SEO / Social Media Skills

Lastly yet very importantly, digital marketing skills are a great asset of a web designer. The digital marketing industry is extremely advanced in 2019, and it will continue to advance.

Web designers are a vital component of a digital marketing strategy, and if their knowledge and aptitudes are also adapted to the marketplace’s trends, they’re likely to become essential assets of the project or company.

Improve your SEO and social media marketing skills and you’ll be able to contribute to the marketing side of the project!

 

Great Web Designers Never Stop Learning

A great web designer knows that he can always be overshadowed by its competitors. The ways, the strategies, and the resources he uses to deliver quality results are the elements that define him as a professional, as well as the willpower and commitment to learn and adapt to the marketplace’s dance.

You can become that great designer in 2019, only if you get out of your comfort zone and take your skills to the next level. Start improving your work by improving your own knowledge.