Professional Web Design
June 7, 2011
One of my main motivations is to teach you web design skills that are practical, marketable and in the end, will make you more money. We want to teach you how to make a living with those skills.
… Yes, web design for cash is a good thing – in fact, it’s the goal for many of us!
How to beat the competition:
Though the Web is growing faster than ever before, you still have a lot of competition out there when it comes to web design jobs. In fact, there are many more web designers today than ever before. Fortunately, we have a couple of big things going for us:
- The Web is many times bigger than it was in the 1990’s.
- Like the 1990’s, the key to getting ahead of the competition is not all that hard because (as always) we have one thing on our side: laziness! Yes, people are lazy.
The more you learn, the more you earn:
The key to getting ahead is found in learning. The more you know, the easier it will be to find work, to land that contract and to charge more for your time. It is important that you as a web professional continue to develop your skills and to look to what is coming around the bend – those who jump onto the next web technology trend, will be able to monetize that upside.
… Since most people are lazy and will only learn new techniques when they absolutely have to, all you need to do to get ahead, is to continue to the learn.
So, what are the web skills for today and tomorrow?
- HTML 5 and CSS 3.
- Tablets and smart phones: iPad, iPhone, Android.
- CMS development: WordPress, Drupal.
More later,
Stefan Mischook
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December 30, 2010
Hi,
One of the early lessons in my business life was that to make money, you had to figure out the trends going forward.
… You can’t be looking at what was popular last year and you shouldn’t pay too much attention to what might happen 5 years from now – you need to figure out what will be the in thing within the next 12-18 months.
Web Design Trends of 2011
My predictions are as follows:
- Android development – this means HTML5 and CSS3
- iOS development – this means HTML5 , CSS3 and for programmers: objective C.
- Small business website development – this means PHP or Ruby, Javascript/Jquery and learn a blog program like WordPress or a CMS like Drupal. Of course these days, WordPress is pretty much a CMS too.
So there you have it. Concentrate on learning one of these and you should do well this coming year.
Stefan Mischook
killervideostore.com
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November 14, 2010
Here’s a recent question put to me:
I would like your advice … I have NO experience at all in web design … not very artistic or good at math!! Do I need these talents to become a web designer?
Teresa
Hi Teresa,
I have good news for you:
1. You don’t need to be artistic to be a great web designer.
2. You don’t need to be good at math to be web designer.
You need to learn to be organized and persistent thought.
Shameless self promotion:
If you want to save money and get extra stuff not found elsewhere, then the Complete Web Designer is the best deal … by far:
http://www.killervideostore.com/video-courses/complete-web-designer.php
I hope that helps,
Stefan
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August 9, 2010
Hi,
Some of my best posts (at least IMHO) are derived from questions put to me by students and visitors to one of our ‘killer’ sites.
😉
So, this time around, I have a great question from an old school Oracle developer who wants to get into the web game:
Hi Stefan,
Speaking for myself, I’m a former Oracle application and database developer (10 yrs exp) who’s looking to transition to freelance web design/development, and will likely become a subscriber to KillerSites University in short order.
My question for you is this: would I need to shell out for Dreamweaver in order to derive maximum benefit from the site’s video tutorials (HTML/CSS/JavaScript/PHP/mySQL)? Or, could I get by using a combination of free tools, such as Amaya w/TopStyle Lite?
Also, how crucial is the graphics component of web design for someone who wishes to become a web developer (ultimate emphasis on the programming side)? My artistic and spatial skills are rather limited, to put it mildly (thought modality is decidedly more verbal than visual)?
Thank you for your help.
Nick
The answer:
Hi Nick,
Dreamweaver is just an option. We use Dreamweaver to teach web design software, because it is the most widely used commercial package out there … and besides, the concepts carry forward to most other web design programs.
… But keep in mind and as you are probably aware, many web designers will use a simple text editor for much of their work.
🙂
How about designer/graphics skills?
Graphics are not necessarily important because you can leverage the many templates that are out there. Besides, if you follow a few basic design principles, you can make a simple page look good.
The truth of the matter is that still today, it is the coder/programmer who makes the big money and gets many more jobs than the average designer. The exception of course, is if you are a talented designer – then you’ll do very well too.
These two training packages are probably what you are looking for:
Complete Web Designer.
Complete Web Programmer.
This recent blog post might be interesting for you as well:
starting-a-web-design-business-two-questions
PS: do you mind if I use part of your email in a blog post? The questions are good ..
Thanks,
Stefan
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August 4, 2010
Hi,
I recently got an email from someone asking about the skills needed to start a web design business:
1. Is it essential to know how to build DATABASE DRIVEN WEB PAGES to become a web designer?
2. Can I start my own simple web designing business without it?
My answer:
Hi,
You can build a web design business without web programming skills … but it will be harder. That said, learning basic PHP and Javascript will make building your business much easier. Think about it, just about every website out there needs some Javascript and PHP functionality.
Also take into consideration that knowing how to program will allow you to get more jobs and charge more for your time.
Some links to look at:
– Web Designers must Learn Programming
– How much do web designers earn?
– The WordPress Web Design Strategy.
Finally, if you want to be a web programmer, check out my video tutorial package on web programming.
I hope that helps.
Stefan
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June 8, 2010
Once again, an article derived from a question put to me:
What do you offer unemployed 75-years old geezers doing a Flash self-learning approach, to maintain my sanity knowing no company, at my age, will ever offer me gainful income employment ???
Respectfully,
Marvin G
Translation: Can old geezers make a living in web design?
Short answer: yes.
… If you train properly.
The best thing about the web design field is that it is very open and not hindered by regulation and formality that we see in many other professions.
In fact, the professional web world is one of the few meritocracies left on this planet – imagine that, skill and talent count!
… It never fails to baffle me why economists and professional stock pickers still have jobs!? Oh yea, they don’t need to produce results!
Anyway …
Flash though, may not be the best route because it is a marginalized aspect of web design and I think with the added pressure from Apple and HTML5 (that supplants some important aspects of Flash) … it will fade even more so. I am NOT saying Flash will disappear, but I think it will be used that much less.
So what is the solution?
First thing, you may want to consider being self employed web designer, start taking on web design jobs. It much more fun anyway! And 2nd, you need to learn the skills of a modern web designer … skills that are used everyday:
– HTML
– CSS
– PHP
– Javascript
The last two on my list may scare you (programming for web designers?), but in fact, it is the key to you getting more jobs and earning more money than the next guy.
Conclusion:
I believe that the open nature of the web design profession and the growing demand for websites, combined with some strategic web design training … and yes, geezers will not just make some extra cash, they can make a good living and on their schedule. Remember, with web design, you don’t need to go work for a company.
Thanks for reading,
Stefan Mischook
killersites.com
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June 1, 2010
Preface:
In this article I listed some hourly rates you could charge depending on your skills, experience and talents. I wanted to point out that these numbers are not written in stone because of a few other factors:
– Where you live.
– How the economy is doing.
– Where technology is going.
So for example, someone living in Bangkok Thailand will probably get paid a lot less than someone living in New York city because everything is much cheaper in Thailand. For instance, an apartment that would cost you $500 in Bangkok will cost you $3000 in New York. So keep this in mind when reading.
–
Hi,
I get a lot of web design and web programming related questions thrown at me and from time to time I use them as the basis of a blog post:
Tell me if you will. How much can a person expect to earn as a website developer?
Thanks again. I am hoping to make this a new career for me.
My answer:
How much can a person expect to earn as a website developer?
Depends on where you live, your skills, talent and experience. So let’s say you’re Mr. average, pretty good at what you do, but not one of those rare ultra-nerds or ultra-designers.
Once you have basic web design skills in place:
– html
– css
– basic design skills
.. You can make the lower end of a middle class living. So of many places, that’s about $15-25 hr – depending on your talents.
Once you add these skills:
– PHP (able to do simple things and modify scripts in simple ways)
– Javascript – same level as PHP
… Then you can at another $5-10hr to that base. Again, depends on your depth of knowledge and talent.
Finally, if you can add to that:
– An understanding of web architecture.
– SEO
– Usablility
– More advanced PHP/ Javascript skills.
– Some experience under your belt.
… Then you can start finding yourself making much more. Experience and talent do play a major role in this.
In my heyday as a Java web programmer, I was billing out at $200 hr.
I hope that helps.
Stefan Mischook
killersites.com
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May 8, 2010
In the last couple of years, a new type of web designer has emerged: the WordPress web designer.
What is a WordPress web designer?
In a nutshell: smart, forward thinking web designers that base most if not all of their web design work off of WordPress. That means the entire web site is built using WordPress.
Why build all your sites using WordPress?
For the very same reason you don’t go the woods to kill a turkey for Thanksgiving (you go to the grocery store) … is why WordPress web designers don’t build static HTML websites – why would you not take advantages of all the things that WordPress does for you for free!
… Some nerd details:
When basing your web site off of WordPress, you get all this functionality for free:
- Advanced templating for easy site wide updates.
- Built-in SEO
- Automatic search and categorizing of your content.
- Built-in image upload and insertion.
- Built-in text editor and the ability for non-nerds to add, edit delete pages.
… And that is just scratching the surface!
The economic advantages of using WordPress
If you haven’t guessed it already, using WordPress in your day-to-day web work WILL have major economic advantages – in a nutshell, you will be able to provide a lot more for your clients for a lot less work! This will lead to you landing more web design contracts and making more cash because the extra WordPress skills will allow you to charge more for your time.
I’m such a big believer, I’ve even created a few video courses on WordPress.
Until next time nerds!
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
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May 3, 2010
Maybe I’m beating a dead horse, or maybe I can’t overstate how important it is these days, that web designers should learn (at least) a little web programming. For me, that means Javascript and PHP.
The modern website demands a little behavior!
When you look at creating a website, you can break it down to three basic tasks:
- Adding Structure – the HTML
- Adding Style – the CSS
- Adding Behavior – Javascript/DOM scripting
All web designers recognize #1 and #2 and so they learn HTML and CSS. But few want to admit that the third element in the trinity, is staring them right in the face.
… Boy, web designers can really fear learning Javascript or PHP! The problem is, that if they don’t learn how to program, they will find themselves at a great disadvantage.
Modern websites …
Modern websites almost always require some behavior – functionality that only web programming can provide. Think about it, how many websites these day, DON’T have some dynamic behavior, whether it be a simple contact form, the use of ‘includes’ to make updating the site easier, a shopping cart, a blog, a forum, a CMS, form validation, RSS feeds and on and on …
Does that mean that I have to become a full-fledged web-nerd programmer?
No. But you should be comfortable reading Javascript and PHP code and you should feel comfortable editing script. This way, adding pre-packaged PHP and Javascript will be relatively easy. Installing and modifying a blog, CMS or shopping cart will not be an impossible task.
For all these reasons I’ve created beginners video courses on Javascript and PHP specifically targeting web designers – I’ve designed the courses to ‘speak to’ designers rather than programmers.
Departing words from a libertarian nerd …
Do what thou wilt … but the wise nerd knows, that the more you learn, the more you earn.
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
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April 15, 2010
Hi,
I am starting to hear that all too familiar nerd-buzz of premature excitement – this time it’s about HTML 5 and all it’s cool new capabilities.
Yes, HTML 5 does have a lot of cool things it can do, and so it’s tempting to jump in and start learning. But that would largely be a waste of time … at least for now.
What?! Isn’t HTML 5 the future?
It sure is. In fact, I’ve been telling people for years that XHTML was a pipe dream (because IE would not support it) and I advised people to stick to good old HTML … even when it was heresy to say so! Here’s the problem (now) with HTML 5 – most of the browsers being used today don’t support it AND it will take a few years before the majority of people out there will have HTML 5 equipped browsers.
… Man, reality does bite!
Hard-core nerds tend to ignore reality
A time long, long ago, in an Internet that is now far, far away … back in the mid to late 1990’s, CSS was invented and naive nerds such as myself started playing with it, investing precious time that could have been spent playing video games, only to find that most of the browsers being used did not support it … so using CSS was basically useless.
… It took several years before CSS enabled browsers had penetrated enough to use CSS in a serious way. Using CSS prior to wide adoption, only ended with wasted time and disappointment, since you could not actually use it live. The same will be true for much of HTML 5 – unless you start hacking and browser sniffing and all kinds of other nonsense.
Let me conclude by quoting Coder’s Code #36:
The wise web designer shall not waste precious time on learning cutting edge technology … if said nerd wishes to earn a living.
Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com
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