» Student Questions: What Should I Study to Become a Web Designer?

Web design is still new in terms of education, and it can be extremely difficult to figure out what type of program you should follow in order to get the most out of your education. I am constantly running into posts on forums about the subject, and talking to high school students who want to know what type of program to enter. There is no short answer however I do have my experience and advice to share, which I feel could be helpful. Also I have compiled a list of some of the most common misconceptions about becoming a web design which is located at the bottom of this post.

Determining what it is you actually want to do
When I was in high school I thought that I wanted to be a web designer, however I had no idea what design actually was. I was obsessed with using Photoshop to make what I thought was cool graphics to use in my web layouts. I also studied programming because I thought that web designers were programmers as well. Luckily I learned that this was not the case, and the majority of web professionals choose one or the other.

Programming V.S. Design
Determining what type of program you should enter basically means that you need to decide whether you enjoy coding or design. If you enjoy the process of creating layouts then you should most likely seek out a well regarded Graphic Design program. If you enjoy coding, then a computer science degree should lead you in the right direction. A good graphic design program may not be specifically tailored for the web, however you will have a great understand of design, typography, and conceptualizing. These are skills that will take you much farther than learning the latest software tricks. The same situation applies to a computer science program which may be more tailored towards traditional software development, however you obtain a solid understanding of programming in general.

What about interactive programs?
In my opinion these programs should be avoided because they try to teach you a little bit about everything that has to do with the web in a really short amount of time. I actually entered into one of these programs only to realize that I was already far more skilled than any of the other students and not learning anything very specific or in depth. Luckily for me my school also offered a Graphic Design program which I ended up focusing on in order to obtain the education I needed. While these programs can be good, I am wary of any program that skips over fundamentals and theory in order to fit in as much general knowledge as is possible. This leaves the student as a jack of all trades and a master of none.

Education outside the classroom
Ultimately no matter what type of program you enter, you will have to learn a lot of your skills outside the classroom. I am yet to hear of a program that can teach you how to develop standards compliant websites with CSS (something both a programmer and designer should know). Ultimately you should apply fundamentals you learn in the classroom to the web design projects you would like to complete. Using the free time you have available as a student to create some personal projects is a great way to apply these skills (read my article on the benefits of personal projects).

The Conclusion
Any way that you look at it, the educational system has not been able to keep up with the rapidly changing skill set that web professionals need. Because of this you will need to study the timeless fundamentals and use them as a foundation for additional outside experimentation and study.

Common misconceptions students have about becoming a web designer
As a sort of bonus, here are some common misconceptions that I hear from high school (and some college) students.

I need to know programming to be a web designer. I made this same misconception. In reality you should have an understanding of programming, however being a master of programming and design is something that only the most talented super geniuses realistically achieve.
I need to be an amazing artist to enter a graphic design program. While being a talented artist or illustrator can be helpful, it is not necessary. Design is about solving problems and finding creativity within constraints (budget, client requests, printing limitations, etc.) personal expression is only a small part of this.
I need to learn every technology there is to get a job. While learning flash, ajax, php, CSS, and everything else under the sun sounds good in theory, it rarely works in practice. In reality you should focus on creating a solid portfolio while in school. You can focus on additional skills on your own after school.
Getting a degree will guarantee me a job. Unfortunately this just isn’t the case. Obtaining a couple of internships and outside skills will go a long way in distinguishing you from the other recent grads.
I need to go to an art / portfolio school to be a good designer. This just is not the case, there are a number of great colleges out there with amazing design programs. Also be wary of any school that focuses on the technology or learning software over theory.
Knowing the software is all that really matters. Anyone can learn how to use software, what separates designers from Joe Schmo with a copy of creative suite is their understanding of design history and theory. Additionally software changes and new programs are developed, learning software is something you will have to keep up on for the rest of your career.
I won’t ever have to cut my hair or wear a suit because being a designer is creative. This is the one that really bugs me the most. Yes, I get to wear jeans and tees to work, however I also have to meet with clients from time to time and this means I need to look respectable too.

These are all that I can think of right now, however please feel free to share yours in the comments below!

03/28

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14 Responses to “Student Questions: What Should I Study to Become a Web Designer?”

rudrali
March 29th, 2008 at 2:05 am

Great information its very helpful to fresher.
Keep it up i have bookmark this blog
Adrian P
March 29th, 2008 at 9:13 am

Wow, really great information. You really covered a lot on a relatively short article.
As a graphic design student about to graduate I’ve found out that a lot of college programs don’t offer a lot in the field of web design, and the classes that I’ve taken are pretty basic. I think that at the end of the day you become kind of responsible about how far you want to take what you’ve learned and apply it in something functional. I realized this not too long ago and I really wished I had this perspective when i was starting school.
I think that its somewhat hard to have competent teachers in this field since it changes kind of fast.
I do not have a lot of experience in web design and but most of the knowledge i do have was from experimenting on my own and trying to decipher code in order to make work how I want.
I think I’ve written enough but i think you make a lot of very good points, especially in your conclusion, with very important points that i hope more high school student understand.
Once again thanks for this awesome article.
casey
March 29th, 2008 at 11:41 am

very insightful article! As an employer who sees requests for employment on an almost daily basis, I’d love to stress a few points you made here.

1.) learn theory (balance, composition, color, type, etc.) inside and out, it’s what separates you from everyone else.

2.) fantastic print designers who’ve never created a website, more often than not, have trouble designing for the web. It’s a different animal. Not only are you creating a visually pleasing and effective solution to a problem… You must design for interactivity, usability, accessbility, and efficient production/programming when it comes time to slice it all up.

3.) create a personal website! There’s nothing that shows enthusiasm and drive more than having your own personal playground to show potential employers.

Good luck to you!
Evan Meagher
March 29th, 2008 at 2:03 pm

Great post. As a student designer, I appreciate the tips and advice.

I’m aiming for a degree in computer engineering and I’ve been thinking a bit lately about how it will go with my history in design. A lot of my peers are of the programming-since-birth crowd, while I’m left learning Java for the first time. I like to think that my experience working with clients and collaborating with others will help me gain an edge on anyone more technically skilled.

Thanks for posting!
Ivan
March 29th, 2008 at 2:49 pm

Great article indeed.

I myself am a student of information science in one college in Croatia. It’s great to have study place with something that you understand and love, you can learn great new stuff, meet people with same interest, but if you want to be very, very good in business of web & graphic design, development, programming, … you must rely on your own knowledge almost every time. Things are changing very fast and we must keep with them constantly.
Zinni
March 29th, 2008 at 3:30 pm

I am glad that everyone found this article helpful or beneficial. I was inspired to write this article after reviewing some of the resumes / portfolios that we have received lately for the internship position at work. The review process reminded me of some of my own experiences in school and with my education that I thought could be helpful to others. I am very glad to see that it has.

Thank you all for your great posts!
SCE
March 30th, 2008 at 1:49 am

Very useful information I see there are realy good tips. I am going to use some of them
AAUStudent
April 6th, 2008 at 3:36 pm

I am a student of the Academy of Arts University in San Francisco in the New Media Department. I really wish I had read something like this 3 years ago.

Our department gives us very little design history or theory. While we are able to drive all the latest software, our abilities as designers is very low.

I would suggest to anyone seeking to become a web designer to pursue graphic design. You can sign up to lynda dot com for 25 dollars a month to learn software.
Zinni
April 6th, 2008 at 5:16 pm

AAUStudent,

I am sorry to hear that you are going through a similar experience as I had, but I want to thank you for sharing. If you believe that you are not learning what you need to then I would suggest that you fix the problem as soon as you can so you don’t regret it later. I too had to make the same decision and I am so glad that I chose to pursue design in the end.

If you are unable to make a switch in your educational path for any reason then I suggest that you look outside the program for education. Luckily there are a number of great resources out there. Good luck and I hope you the best!
Shabith
April 6th, 2008 at 10:02 pm

nice article and hope it will help the students to think that getting a design degree is just not enough.