Path to become a successful graphic designer
Apart from making an eye-catching web design and balancing a huge amount of information, the challenge that web designers face involves effectively managing their professional careers.
The job of a web designer does not end at building websites that look good; you also have to manage all of the things that combine to form a successful business. From planning and execution to marketing and communication, a web designer has to be astute as well as professional at every step taken.
1. Profile yourself from the start
Web designing demands a sharp eye to cater the clients’ demands. And even if you are learning to design for your own website, great care should be taken to reach the final design. The aesthetics are what matters the most when it comes to web designing.
A good designer will always stick to the best web design practices that will leave a worry or two to the designers regarding the subject’s content. Relevancy is another aspect that a designer will need to take care of. And this will have you getting the understanding of alt tags (for pictures), crafting subheads and integrate the element of SEO in designing as well.
2. Communicate, communicate, communicate
Effective communication is one of those skills that can make or break you in any field, but it's especially important in web design where communicating with a client, art director, or developer can dictate the success of a project.
It is quite understandable that creative souls are not intuitively chatty in nature; However, when it comes to presenting yourself and selling your work, one has to be bold and clear in his communication with the client.
You need to be able to speak intelligently about your design choices – why you chose them and how your design choice is the right one for their business. Also, a lot of small disputes can be resolved easily if you are good at communicating. So, communicate and communicate well, in order to survive and be successful.
3. Contracts are your friends
Always backup your commissions with a contract. This is easier than ever to do today with many websites and apps providing contracts ready to fill in, send, sign and store at your fingertips. You can find many examples of essential contract templates for freelancers online, and there are also sites providing PDF . There is no excuse to not to use a contract, but there are plenty of risks you take by not doing so.
4. Organization is crucial
While many designers approach projects with a "wait for inspiration to happen" kind of attitude, but the fact is that just a little bit of planning can help that inspiration come a lot more quickly. As such, it's important to plan and research well before going into the web designing process. Planning can be further divided into three parts:
- Researching about the client’s company
- Asking the client what he wants and expects from the web
- Pondering upon what his competitors are doing and the related industry trends
Make a sketch of the website in your mind and then put it on the paper (if possible). Although planning is a hectic and less interesting process (and so many designers are inclined to skip it), pre-design planning saves your time, money and resources the best
5. Provide excellent customer service
While the words “hierarchy,” “typeface,” and “anchor point” are part of a designer’s day-to-day vocabulary, they aren’t often in the day-to-day vocabulary of a design client.
It’s important to remember that clients are often coming to you for design work because they know very little about design themselves. So in order for them to understand your design decisions, it’s crucial that you educate them.
This can take several different forms. You can (and should):
- Educate them about your design process to help set and manage expectations
- Explain your decision-making to demonstrate the purpose and thought that went into a concept
- Speak in simple terms and teach clients the definitions of common design terms
- And always ask for questions to keep the doors of communication open
Overall, educating your clients will qualify your design expertise which in turn builds trust and results in a better working relationship.
6. Show Your Designs Proudly to the World
Show your work, whether it is on social media, design blogs, or industry forums. If they shred them, that gives you the opportunity to evolve.
Web designing is a challenging field. Success in the field actually requires patience and determination to cope with every situation that presents itself, and never to be discouraged whenever things do not go exactly as expected.
What you will need in order to make a success of your career in web design is persistence and a ‘never give up’ attitude. Many of you must already be practicing one or many of these tips in your professional life well; However, my aim is to guide the ones who are unaware of these success factors as yet, and to remind those who already know them well.
