The term 'Web Designer' is possibly one of the more over used & mis-interpreted titles within the I.T. industry. For anyone thinking of getting in the market, an explanation about the different aspects should help to make things clear. Web Design involves the technical elements of a website and also the creative elements. Lots of people think that a 'web designer' is someone who is in charge of the visual areas of the website. Which means a web designer is fundamentally an artist who has had some 'technical' training. But in fact, in modern web design it's turning out to be increasingly difficult to split up the technical part from the creative aspect, as both are so inter-twined. It will become much more apparent just how things sit together if we break the job up into it's component parts.

To start with, we have graphic artists, who design and assemble the graphic icons & pictures which you see on a website. Strictly speaking, graphic-artists usually aren't really web site designers. More commonly they're multimedia artists that use software such as Adobe Photoshop & 'Flash' to generate their finished results. Normally, they will have come from an artistic background, & may possibly have undertaken studies at university or college level. This particular role is much more about a creative artistic expertise than anything else.

Web site designers are next - these people utilise design software like Adobe 'Dreamweaver' to plan and design the look and 'feel' of the website. They utilise the images that are provided by the graphic-artist, and work with their clients to initially develop the 'feel' and 'navigational' structure of the web site. Many amateur web-designers concentrate first of all on the 'format' of the web site, rather than it's 'function'. But, you must actually begin with an understanding of the 'functions' its required to perform to develop a truly successful web site. Is it largely an E-commerce web site, that wants to have the capacity to take payments securely, or is it perhaps a web-based product or service catalogue listing? Or potentially it'll include a lot of video & graphics. On the other hand it may be principally an informational site, where it's important to supply straightforward entry to appropriate web pages of text. Regardless of what you need from a website, it must - at it's most basic level - fulfil the 'function' for which it's intended. Most people will leave a web site & not return if it's too complicated to navigate - however great it appears at first glance. A professional web-designer must effectively create an on-line experience that is both gratifying and user-friendly for the people visiting the web-site - then they'll visit again and again.

Web developers are members of the equation, and they are the most technically-minded. Together with being proficient in HTML, 'XML' & CSS, web-developers will understand other highly regarded programming languages like VB, 'PHP', Java, 'C#' & ASP.net for instance. And since most contemporary web-sites of any size 'store' their information using SQL database-technology, they are likely to have got a firm grip on this also. Most E-commerce websites aren't the result of a big group of designers who've constructed 1000s of web-pages in a lay-out form. More usually, following the creation of a place holder 'template', the contents will be taken from a Database & 'dynamically' inserted. So as well as much higher efficiency with the website build, this process also allows for a much more consistent look & feel as well.

Lots of independent web-designers can carry out several of these roles by themselves; certainly we come into contact with several who are able to regularly. But that level of knowledge takes a little while to master. You have to be trained in a number of things on a commercially feasible web design training package: First of all, an introductory tutorial to basic web-design, followed on by teaching in Adobe Dreamweaver & a synopsis of the primary elements of Adobe 'Flash'. Next you must understand the coding languages 'HTML' & CSS, and then be trained in a synopsis of how E-commerce works. Some Database and 'SEO' knowledge is really important, and an understanding of the programming language PHP (rather than the more complex ASP.NET) so that you can create dynamic web sites. Grasping these skills will provide you with a chance to begin working on a good cross-section of web sites. Similar to when you were taking driving lessons, you first have to develop the physical skillsets, before you can ultimately progress beyond them and achieve a degree of 'finesse'. Most trainees can work through a flexible program such as this inside a year - supposing part time study and practice of about 400-500 hours. An industry advisor will be able to assist you to plan your way through this quagmire of professional training, & we strongly recommend that you plan your path with care before you begin your training program.

The most important factor to stress is that the training alone won't make you a web designer; it will simply coach you on the methods. Throughout your study & training, you have to apply yourself to constructing and developing as many web sites as possible, to prepare and assemble your own portfolio. A pastime or other interest might be an effective starting point, or perhaps your favourite family pet, or a holiday-resort you particularly loved. Start to build interactive websites and create 'traffic' to them. This will all appear more constructive on your Curriculum Vitae, and in your portfolio, than a document from Adobe will!

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