Web designers use a combination of programming techniques and design software to build new sites or enhance existing ones. A good web designer must be able to picture how a site will look (at the 'front end'), and understand how it will work (at the 'back end'). In other words, they need to be creatively minded and technically proficient.

At the start of a project, a web designer will meet the client to find out exactly who their site is aimed at and what they want their site to do. This could be anything from an interactive educational resource to an online shopping site. They also discuss design features and functions that the client wants to have on the site. This will include:

• how to organise the site's information and navigation
• the size and style of text
• colours, colour combinations and page backgrounds
• the style, size and positioning of command buttons and hyperlinks
• sound, pictures, animation and video features
• order forms, search facilities, site surveys and security measures.

A web designer will build a draft working version of the site using both general and specialised web design software. As they develop the design, they continually test and refine it until the client is satisfied.

When the designer finishes the site, they carry out checks to make sure it is working properly and meets all of the client's requirements. The designer will then upload it to a server for publication online. Some web designers continue to maintain a client's website once it is up and running.

Hours and Environment

As a web designer, you normally work 37 to 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday. You may have to work some evenings and/or weekends to meet deadlines or when problems occur on the site. Self-employed designers work the hours necessary to complete jobs on time.

As a web designer, you work indoors in an office or home-office environment. You may have to spend some of your time travelling to meet clients.

Skills and Interests

As a web designer, you need:

• some understanding of internet programming and scripting languages
• a working knowledge of the main web design software packages 
• strong creative skills
• good problem-solving skills, together with a logical approach to work
• the capability to explain technical matters to people who may have little knowledge of IT
• an ability to work to deadlines
• an understanding of national and international guidelines for website accessibility
• a commitment to keep up to date with changes in technology and software
• a working knowledge of peripherals such as scanners, and digital photo, video and audio equipment.

Self-employed designers will need good business management and negotiating skills.

Entry

You do not need any formal entry requirements to become a web designer, but most designers have experience in other design fields or have taken training in web design software, either through college or by self-teaching.

Most employers will want to see evidence of your experience as well as any qualifications - this could be paid or voluntary. You will need a portfolio of work to demonstrate your creative and technical ability, usually in the form of a CD, DVD or 'live' website.

There are many web design courses, and any of these will give you a good grounding in design basics:

• BTEC Certificate/Diploma in Multimedia
• OCR Certificate for IT Users – Level 2 (CLAiT Plus) and Level 3 (CLAiT Advanced)
• OCR iMedia Users levels 2 and 3
• City & Guilds E-Quals IT Users awards (7266) – Level 2 (Diploma) and Level 3 (Advanced Diploma).

You can also enter this field after completing a foundation degree, BTEC HNC/HND/SQA higher award or degree in a design or multimedia subject. Subjects include:

• web design and development
• multimedia design
• digital media development
• interactive computing.

These courses are widely available. Please check with colleges or universities for exact entry requirements. For information about foundation degrees see Foundation Degree Forward.  To search for colleges and universities offering foundation degrees, HNDs and degrees see Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

If you have a non-design/multimedia degree, you can take a postgraduate web design qualification.

E-skills UK and the British Computer Society have information on their websites about careers in web design. The World Wide Web Consortium has details about web accessibility standards. See Further Information for their contact details.

Training

Once you are working as a web designer, it is important to keep your skills up to date. You will find it useful to have a good working knowledge of at least one or two of the following design packages:

• Dreamweaver
• Photoshop
• Flash
• Fireworks
• GoLive
• FrontPage (for PCs).

You may also need experience on both Apple Mac and PC platforms. Local colleges offer courses covering these packages and there are many online training sites, which are often free to use.

If you want more flexibility and control over your designs, some understanding of coding, scripting and programming is helpful. This includes:

• HTML, DHTML and XML
• JavaScript
• Active Server Pages (ASP)
• PHP (PHP:Hypertext Preprocessor also known as Personal Home Page).

Knowledge of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is essential, particularly if you want efficient control over formatting and style across multiple web pages.

The Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) Designer course certifies that skills for both new entrants and existing IT professionals. Adobe also offers various certification levels for their own web design products. For more details, check the CIW  and Adobe websites in Further Information.

The UK Web Design Association is a free membership organisation for web professionals. Its website contains numerous links to online training resources, web-related issues and job searches. Non-members can also access these links. See Further Information.

Opportunities

You can find work with web publishing companies; within the IT departments of large public and private organisations; or you can work as a freelance designer. There is a lot of competition for contracts but prospects for skilled web designers are very good.

As a web designer working for an organisation, you can progress by moving into design team management, or expand your skills and become a web content manager, responsible for all aspects of website business and development. See the separate profiles for Web Developer, Web Content Manager and Web Editor.

With the right skills and experience, you can set up your own company.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Salaries for new web designers are between £15,000 and £20,000 a year.
Experienced designers can earn up to £30,000.
Senior designers and those with specialist skills, for example Flash, may earn up to £40,000.

Self-employed web designers negotiate their own rates.

Further information

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