A web designer is responsible for creating the design and layout of a website page that includes text, sound, video clips, pictures, and graphics. They could be working on a brand new website or update an existing one.
After a thorough discussion with the client on expectations, a web designer begins by building models, writing code, and establishing pathways to develop a platform that is efficient. In today’s digital-first world, it’s not only important to have a web presence but it’s also crucial to have a great one and a web designer can help you with that.
This article highlights the roles and responsibilities of a good web designer and gives you a template that you can use to make your next hire.
Role and responsibilities of a web designer
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Work with clients to understand their company brand image, requirements from the web page, end-customer traits, and develop a strategy that includes visual concepts, formatting details, and more for building website components.
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Be well-versed with tools and software such as Photoshop, Sketch, InvisionApp, UXPin, or equivalent application(s).
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Work with programmers to write code using languages such as HTML or XML.
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Review the code to ensure that everything is aligned with industry standards and can be used on different browsers and devices.
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Work with a specialist to ensure the website is SEO-friendly.
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Determine the right site architecture, and other technical modifications, and make relevant recommendations to clients.
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Ensure website security and implement firewalls and message encryption for better control over customer information.
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Test the website functionality to find potential glitches, broken links, and other bugs before launching the website.
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Perform routine maintenance checks, updates, and upgrades to ensure the website is functional and up to date with the latest tech improvements.
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Work with the SEO specialist to monitor website traffic and suggest adjustments to help the client rank on the first page of the search results.
Skills needed to be a web designer
Web design is a popular and in-demand profession. Most businesses rely on their online storefront to attract and engage with new and existing customers. Here are 10 skills that can help you become a great web designer and attractive to employers.
User Experience (UX) - This involves organizing the web page in a way that makes it easier to navigate for the customer.
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User Interface (UI) - While UX focuses on the overall navigation, UI handles the specific aspects of how users interact with the site. This usually includes the buttons and menus that make up the navigation.
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Graphic Design - Having design knowledge will help you work with the graphic designers and build a website that not just works but also looks beautiful.
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Communication Skill - Knowing how to communicate effectively is one of the best soft skills to not just be good at your job but help you build long-term relationships with your clients.
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Taking Feedback - Creating a website means making constant feedback and revisions to fine-tune all the components. A good web designer knows how to take and implement feedback.
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Project Management - Professional websites take time to plan and complete. They require constant testing, revisions, and team collaboration. Project management is crucial to all this.
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Critical Thinking - What makes a website attractive and relevant to users? Having this knowledge and critical thinking of what might work can give an extra edge to a web designer.
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Interpersonal Skills - Web design is almost never a single-person job. You might have to interact and work with people who aren’t designers themselves and explain your vision of the project so that it translates into something great.
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Online marketing - Most websites are about spreading awareness and making sales, so there’s merit in finding someone who has some online marketing experience. Being able to get the message across in a succinct way will help to inform and engage potential customers.
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HTML, CSS & JavaScript - Even if you use a Content Management System (CMS), knowledge of HTML allows you to control your workflow and work outside of these editors whenever necessary. CSS will help you define the visual appearance of the website and make it look attractive and pleasing to the customers and JavaScript (an advanced programming language) will complement the interactive components of the website.
Web Designer Job Description Template
Here’s a template of a web designer job description that can be used as a reference.
Company introduction
[In this section write a short but relevant paragraph about your company. Talk about who you are and what values define your organization. Give information about the company culture, perks, and benefits that employees get. You could also share some information about the person who’ll be your direct report. Include additional information such as office hours, remote flexibility, office retreats, and any other perk or detail that makes your company stand out and come across as a great place to work at.]
Brief of the job
We’re looking for a qualified and experienced web designer to join our incredibly talented team. You’ll be working with our designers, web developers, and project managers to build web pages and maintain high-quality and functional websites for our clients.
If you’re excited about different web platforms and programming languages and know how to use code to build user-friendly websites, then we’d love to meet you. As a web designer, you’ll be actively working with internal teams to design and develop beautiful and functional websites for our clients, while working in a comfortable and employee-friendly environment.
At the core, you should be passionate about web designing and want to do work that’s meaningful and impactful.
Requirements for the role
While we do appreciate formal academic qualifications, they’re not a necessity. We understand that it’s common for web designers to be self-taught or have completed on-the-job training to develop and hone their skills. That said, feel free to share any formal qualifications that you may have in the following fields:
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Web Design
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Graphic Design
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Digital Media
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Information Technology
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Science or Computer Science
That aside, it’s crucial for potential candidates to be proficient in certain software and programs. A minimum of three years experience is preferred in the following:
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HTML
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CSS
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jQuery
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JavaScript
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Adobe Suite – Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
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API web integration
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Experience in User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI)
Compensation
We believe in compensating fairly for the role and the kind of roles and responsibilities it demands. The company offers competitive salaries that are aligned to the latest industry standards and also compliments the candidates’ experience and qualifications. The compensation for this role will depend on the candidates
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Level of work experience
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Quality of work portfolio
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Proficiency in modern coding languages
Hiring a talented and qualified web designer
A web designer uses their design and programming language skills to strategize, build, test, manage, and maintain functional websites that give its users a great experience. A great web designer knows how to work with more than one programming language and brings strong project and time management skills.
When hiring a web designer, the job titles may change depending on the organization’s hierarchy but the role primarily revolves around strategizing, planning, designing, and creating a website that meets the project’s needs and fulfills the client’s requirements.