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- CommentAuthorVoodoochilli
- CommentTimeJun 14th 2008 edited
Top 5 tips for new web designers (Just Starting Out)
[pointless and sarcastic introduction removed by me]
Anyway, my top 5 tips/pointers are as follows:
1.Define a and agree your terms and get a signed contract. Nearly all arguments are caused by lack of proper communication. This is so obvious it shouldn't even be in here.
2.The customer is not always right (This is a secret point, the client is not meant to know this). Unlike retail, and most other work and conventional business the client has hired you because he doesn't know anything about what you do.
3.Demand a deposit and instill the fact that just because your work is virtual doesn't mean its worthless.
4.Content collection is not your job. Demand it promptly. This will best serve everyone.
5.Try to get feedback at all stages of a project. (Unless it causes content changes!)
I would be fascinated to know what other people would say. Given the fact that you can state no more than five things, what would you say to someone just starting out - your ultimate top 5 tips?? -
1. Don't start a business or go freelance right away. Seriously .. why would you do that? You don't know web design AND you don't know business .. make things easy on yourself. Get a job, learn your trade and then - perhaps - a few years down the line you may want to go freelance.
2. Have at least 1 personal project where the intention is to earn money .. such as an online shop. Firstly, you'll learn to see things from the client's point of view and realize how important a return on investment is .. secondly it gives you something that's all yours .. and allows you to let go on client projects.
3. Allow time and money for personal development. Read blogs. Buy books. Attend conferences. Experiment and learn new techniques and technology. I once heard an estimate that a web designer relearns everything they know every 3 years .. so if you stop learning you're out of a job.
4. Be a jack of all trades AND a master of one. Having several skills makes you more employable .. being great at one thing pushes your rate up.
5. Learn SEO. Experiment and get some sites to do well in Google. If you know SEO it's sooooo easy to sell your services to clients. Why should you hire us over another company? We'll make you more money. -
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CommentAuthorpaulrandall
- CommentTimeJun 15th 2008
1. Subscribe to a few key RSS feeds (Smashing Magazine, A List Apart...) This will allow you to keep mostly up to date with new things.
2.Set yourself web goals. Don't stagnate, just because you have learnt some PHP. Look into technologies and ways of doing things.
3. Make sure you make websites degrade gracefully. Perfect example is using JS for certain portions of a website. Code it, then turn off JS and make sure you can still do it.
4. Read Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug. It is a great book, well recommended, and will make sure you don't forget the basics.
5. Make sure you work/talk to people who are better than you. It helps you push your game, bounce creative ideas off each other.
*Hard to think of 5, but I hope some points were helpful* -
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- CommentAuthorVoodoochilli
- CommentTimeJun 15th 2008 edited
3. Allow time and money for personal development. Read blogs. Buy books. Attend conferences. Experiment and learn new techniques and technology. I once heard an estimate that a web designer relearns everything they know every 3 years .. so if you stop learning you're out of a job.
I think this is particularly important. There is that 80/20 rule, spend 80% of your time doing your job and earning money, spend the other 20% of your time learning new things and finding new ways of earning money. Not always easy to follow through on mind when you have several urgent deadlines, but I like the idea. -
Okay here is my contribution...
1. Know a little bit about everything but also establish your core strengths - Its important to know enough about most web related subjects in order to ascertain whether it is worth you learning more. However, at the end of the day you cannot do everything. For example I have long since given up on Flash. Not because I think it is bad, but because I cannot learn everything.
2. Know HTML, CSS and Javascipt back to front - I don't care if you are a developer, designer, information architect or anything else you need to know the core technologies that underpin the web back to front. Everything is ultimately built on these three.
3. Read Don't make me think - Somebody has already said this but it is worth saying again. Even if you are a server side developer read this book. It will change your perspective on design.
4. Develop with latest best practice - Ensure you separate content, design and behaviour. Make sure everything you build uses progressive enhancement.
5. Be aware of the broader web community - Go to meetups, and conferences. Read RSS feeds and listen to podcasts. Our industry moves too fast to live in isolation. -
I'm a young designer myself, but in the 2 years I've really been in the industry full-time, this is what I have learnt.
1. Surround yourself with designers. Whether these are colleagues, real-world contacts, online contacts, forums, podcasts, it doesn't matter. The more you talk about design, the more you learn about design. You've already obviously started off on the right foot if you are a new designer reading this.
2. Learn to take criticism well. On one hand, you will unfortunately receive snide comments from clients and others who just don't understand design. Get over it. On the other hand, you will also receive criticism from fellow designers, or other people who DO have some idea of what they are talking about. Take these criticisms into consideration and revise your design if necessary, rather than getting defensive. Think about what it is you did that has been given a big red humiliating cross. Why did you do it that way in the first place? If you can't come up with a good answer to that question, rethink and revise.
3. Don't get tricked into believing that university or college is necessary to get a well-paying job. I know too many people who have spent 3 or 4 years at university studying design/media here in Australia, and have come out with plenty of theoretical knowledge... but not much else. Don't get me wrong, the right college can improve your skills astronomically (if you can afford it), however it is not critical. There is more than enough quality information on the web to teach yourself, and you can get real-world experience by working at the same time.
4. Hate IE, but tolerate it. Learn how to get around IE6's bugs now, because it is going to cause you a lot of inevitable grief in the future. Sure IE6's market share is dropping every month, but it is still between 25-30%. That's is a very large number, so it's certainly not something you can ignore.
5. Use a Mac. Trust me.
Bonus tip: 6. Love your job. Don't ever forget what a wonderful industry web design is to be in. Yeah, sometimes you will stay up all night pulling your hair out over an unclosed div or an IE6 float bug. We are the unappreciated sound guys behind the stage of the rock concert that is the internet. We are the internet's inflamed sense of rejection. We are Jack's raging bile duct. ha.. what was I saying? Web designing definitely beats being hit over the head with a shovel for the rest of eternity. Put it that way. Naturally, the more enthused about your job you are, the more you will learn. Poke your nose into everything. -
I heard about this thread from the Podcast this morning and thought I had to put my two pence in. I agree with all the points above, but here are a few others. I think most of these are applicable to the IT business as a whole rather then just web design.
1. Realise that there is always some one who knows more about a subject than you. Hard to admit when you've been programming and building websites for over ten years, but true. If some one comes up with a different way of doing something, even something that you've been doing for years, they're way might be better.
1 a. Accept that everything you have learned today may well be useless in two years time. If you can't cope with this, the world of technology is not for you.
2. Try to understand the whole project lifecycle. A project doesn't just start when it lands on your desk, in your email inbox or you get a phone call from a client. A project may have been going for a long time before you hear about it and will live on after you have finished.
3. Care about a project when your working on it, but don't let it get to personal. Clients are paying your for your experience and skills, and if sensible, will take your suggestions to heart. However, not all clients are sensible and will insist you do things you think is a really bad idea. Do it and move on, don't let it get to you.
4. (Sorry Jayphen) Use a PC, not a Mac. PC's may not be as nice to use as a Mac, but more people use them and you need to be able to test IE (and yes it is the spawn of the devil).
5. Enjoy what your job. If you don't love building web sites and understanding the web, try something else. Life is to short to waste doing something you don't enjoy. -
1. Learn to be patient:
This applies 100-fold if you're a freelancer. It is by no means rare to have clients who don't have a clue and you will have to hold their hand through the entire process. Also, they are going to ask you to do things that either aren't possible or aren't practical at least 10 times throughout the process. Learn to expect this, pre-empt it where possible, and otherwise deflect it.
2. Remember where your loyalty should be:
One of my teachers once said to me, "You are loyal to the project first, your users second, the client third and yourself never." the more you work as a web designer the more you'll see this is nothing short of gospel.
3. Read tech. and industry magazines:
I highly recommend Net magazine. Computer Arts is good too but they are less web and more just digital art and illustration. These are great because it gives you inspiration, new techniques and you usually get some goodies like apps or stock photos. Always useful to have these.
4. Don't test every browser, just the right ones:
I used to browser-test every browser I could find. I eventually realised this was, in many cases, highly redundant and where it wasn't it was just useless. Testing in IE6, IE7, Firefox and Safari for Mac and PC gets you to around the 95% or more mark for users.
5. Don't trust a thing Microsoft says:
This may be the cynical part of me, or it might be the Mac part. But I like to think it's the realist part. You will be hard-pressed to find anyone who develops for the web coming out in defence of Microsoft. These people do exist but they are few and far between. There is a very specific reason for this: Microsoft is bad for the web. They have a habit of releasing shoddy proprietary technology that usually isn't anything new but just is a Microsoft-controlled version of something already successful. The worst part is if they do get superiority in a field they let it flounder, IE for example. -
4. (Sorry Jayphen) Use a PC, not a Mac. PC's may not be as nice to use as a Mac, but more people use them and you need to be able to test IE (and yes it is the spawn of the devil).
Fair call. Though if you're lucky enough to have access to Parallels or a PC with IE6, I still think a Mac is the way to go. Of course I would never advise not thoroughly testing a design in IE before putting it live! -
- CommentAuthorEmpireOfLight
- CommentTimeJun 20th 2008 edited
Frustration when something isn't working is the killer. It can eat hours or days of your time. Establish yourself with a go-to person or forum where you can get answers.
Can't think of 4 more at the moment, but I'll add them as I do! -
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CommentAuthorticklefish
- CommentTimeJun 22nd 2008
I'm not sure if anyone has said this point but it's one that has helped me a load, and also I have gained some good friends from it.
"Email other Web Designers"
I now have friends on MSN, Twitter, Facebook and some forums that I can turn for help and advice when ever I need to.
I have found the whole Web Design community to be very helpful.
Just make sure that any email you send are sincere and honest, Just be yourself. -
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CommentAuthorJamieKnight
- CommentTimeJun 24th 2008
hiya,
1: The client is not the enemy (IE is)
Its easy to get annoyed with clients who dont seem to understand, but this is never going to get you anywhere. If you consider the client as on your side it helps hugely. The same goes for other people helping on the site.
2: Contracts.
Get an agreement, even for a little site. Get it signed of on, and then start the work. This is gospel for all projects and will save a ton of grief in the future.
3: Use a Mac.
I cannot stress how much easier my life has been since i got my mac. I have VMware and can test on ANY (x86) OS. Yeah its a fair amount of cash, but i would consider a mac as worth every penny. I have been a happy mac user now for about 18months, i have also noticed a trend in my clients to start moving towards mac.
4: Have personal projects, make crap stuff.
Always have something going on in the background, wether its your own journal / blog, or something more substantial. Maybe that silly idea you had one day. Maybe its giving your plushie (soft toy) friend a website of their own. Go for it, and see what happens.
5: Avoid insulting a clients current site.
Be very careful when talking about a clients current site... you never know it may have been the last thing their son did before he was killed or something. If you need to criticize be professional. you can be rude about the site on boagworld later :)
^licks^
Jamie & Lion -
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- CommentAuthorhekimboard
- CommentTimeJul 19th 2008
hekimboard
thanks a lot friends.. -
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CommentAuthorandykinsey
- CommentTimeJul 23rd 2008
1: The client is not the enemy (IE is)
Sorry i refute this, recent stats show IE as having over 90% of the market share, it is not the enemy.
You must learn to love IE, for all its worth.
Seriously you should program for IE6 and 7, doing this almost ensures it will work in the other browsers such as firefox and safari.2: Contracts.
I agree!3: Use a Mac.
Just because you love mac doesnt mean we (my own opinion) do, i certainly do not. And as for moving your clients this is a dumb move i think. if your client uses windows (so the theory goes) so will most other clients, think about it, its logical.
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sorry if thats narky -
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Seriously you should program for IE6 and 7, doing this almost ensures it will work in the other browsers such as firefox and safari.
This is somewhat true with IE7. Somewhat, but mostly not. IE treats a lot of CSS wrong, especially since it has no support for the Inherit property. Not to mention it's JavaScript support is appalling (not my opinion, it's that of Thomas Fuchs, creator of the Script.aculo.us JavaScript library).
Notice how it's common practice to develop in something like Firefox and then browser test and hunt down all the bugs in IE? Something doesn't get such a bad reputation simply because designers and developers have chosen to hate it. IE's bad rep is very, very well earned.
As for the bit about 90%, that's actually very wrong and hasn't been true for a few years now. At best IE hits the 50-70% market. In some places (read: Europe) It's very common for Firefox to be the most common browser. Also, in the mobile market, Safari is king. Besides, major firms are starting to phase out support for IE6. I'm starting to do so as well except for cases where it's a necessity.
You have to think of your market. If you're doing medical or education, or internal corporate, IE6 is going to be common. However, move into home users and it drops drastically. Likewise anyone in the creative industries are likely to be on Firefox or Safari, not IE.Just because you love mac doesnt mean we (my own opinion) do, i certainly do not. And as for moving your clients this is a dumb move i think. if your client uses windows (so the theory goes) so will most other clients, think about it, its logical.
The reason we all keep saying, "Use a Mac" isn't just because we like them better. There are actual, tangible benefits for using a Mac even beyond the fact that it allows you to easily run Windows and OS X on one machine. Add to that the fact that Adobe says Creative Suite runs best on a Mac... Plus all the other abilities Macs have that Windows don't (I won't go into detail, but I use Macs and PCs constantly, it's a very tangible difference) for people who like the OS there's no reason not to have one. -
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CommentAuthorandykinsey
- CommentTimeJul 23rd 2008
what i meant by mac is that most business operate windows or some free version of linux, cheap and easy, id ont llike suggesting for no good reason.
and yeh i geuss your right my audience is captured in IE6/7 however i conqour in hindsight, firefox the bug fix. though its nice to not bug fix hahaha -
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Indeed, not having to bug fix is a blessing. Though that's one of the reasons I have moved to making sure my designs are 100% standards compliant whenever possible and why I'm slowly moving away from supporting IE6. Right now I think that is a bit of a dangerous move, but I think we as designers need to start because otherwise we won't move forward.
Though, I still don't agree with your take on Mac. Lots of companies are switching because of the benefits.
Anyway, this is all a bit off topic, even though we're debating people's tips. So, yeah, food for thought for those who stumble upon this thread. -
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CommentAuthorandykinsey
- CommentTimeJul 23rd 2008
Right now I think that is a bit of a dangerous move, but I think we as designers need to start because otherwise we won't move forward.
i agree but im stuck in a lapse as some of the schools i work with cant roll out ie7 on thier network without a full new image on each computer which isnt so easy with almost 1000 pc's in some places(with all the other networking stuff and a small team its not easy). Though i did convince one school that the new building should have xp not 98 and to use ie7 and FF where possible -
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CommentAuthorLondonStone
- CommentTimeAug 21st 2008
Some excellent tips here, here are my contributions:
1. Find yourself a niche. When starting off, it can be hard finding clients willing to work with someone with little experience and no portfolio. Don't brag and make stuff up, that just makes you look silly when you can't deliver, and putting someone else's work on your portfolio is not only illegal, it's a heinously low and shameful thing to do. Just start off nice and cheap, and offer your services in a similar industry or area. Soon you will gain a good reputation in that circle, and have an endless supply of clients chasing you for custom.
2. Start from the ground up. Don't start with an e-commerce site, or bash out some corporate brochure sites on mambo or wordpress, or worse still a website wizzard! Anyone can do that. Learn HTML and CSS. That is your foundation that will build your career on.
3. Don't use a mac. And don't use a PC. Use your head. Before you commit anything, think it through. Be that a design idea, a bit of html code for a nav menu, or an email to a client. Think ahead. Change your shoes, not literally, but put yourself in the place of the recipient / user / average guy down the pub. Not everyone thinks like you do! It's a shame they don't, 'cos we'd all fit in so well in Geek-World, but in the real world people have very differing needs and requirements. Considering them, and not your own is key.
4. Follow standards, but don't be ruled by them. And I don't just mean web standards. Punctuation and grammar standards are even more important in my mind. If these aren't your strong points, then brush up on them, or get someone who is good to lend a hand. Advise your clients if you spot errors in their content. They will appreciate it, and you will benefit from having a more polished site on your books. Knowing how to write clean, concise copy, from a clients garbled content is worth it's weight in gold.
5. Set realistic deadlines. When setting deadlines, add 50% just in case you hit a brick wall, then add another 50%, because you know the client will be slow, then triple the result and you have a realistic time-scale for your project. If it finishes earlier, how impressed will the client be. It's not a race. And a longer project time will make your charges seem cheaper to the client when we works them out per day/hour. -
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OK, I'm not sure if this is the proper place, but hear me out.
I am a new "web designer want to be" and i've search about in vain to find a single dependable location where I can learn all what I need to know. I have decided that my priority is HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript or AJAX, then Flash (Please tell me if this is a good progression).
Can someone please point me in the direction of some great resources where I can sort of start from scratch and work my way up to "guru" status?
thanks a lot -
Not quite the right place, do a quick search for resources and you'll find loads of great places. Here are a few I found rather quick:
- Book recommendations.
- Flash recommendations
- Beginner's resources.
- More beginner's resources.
- Design book recommendations.
This is but a snow flake on the tip of the iceberg. Run a search and do some browsing. A lot of it's in the Design section or the Tech talk section.
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Thanks lot
Much appreciated -
www.w3schools.com is an absolutely amazing web-design resource.
Start with HTML and work your way up. -
- CommentAuthorhappywebdiva
- CommentTimeOct 25th 2008
1. Learn as much as you can, and plan on keeping that up for the rest of your professional life. You can learn in whatever way suits you best Me? That means books for new skills and RSS feeds for staying on top of the latest. But some like online tutorials, others classes, and still others prefer trial-and-error.
2. Speaking of staying on top of the latest, devote time almost every day to following web design technologies and trends.
3. Have at least a basic understanding of the main skills involved in creating an excellent website and how they overlap. The primary skills for almost all sites are content creation, standards-based coding, design, and keeping the site current. For larger sites, they expand to project management, programming and information architecture.
4.For those skills (in #3), know your strength in each. In areas you are weak, either work with someone else who has those skills or develop them in yourself.
5. Follow your passion. There are many ways to grow within web design, so once you have basic mastery in the broad range of skills (within your abilities, of course), develop yourself in the areas that interest you most. -
1. Get a mac. Most of the best web design tools are found on the mac (coda, Transmit, yummy ftp, modelbaker...)
2. Get to know many tools used in the trade and master your favorites.
3. Subscribe to Web Application Development Podcasts and RSS feeds (like Boagworld, WebDesign TV, Layers TV, etc..) to stay fresh in the game almost all the time
4. Get a 'GetSignOff' account and a basecamp account for proper project management
5. Get yourself a mentor..(definitely a veteran designer like Paul Boag) -
FOR MARKETING AND DESIGN
1. Do a little extra, giving your customer more than they paid for, is always a good idea (though not always easy). This can be anything, not just design related. Make your clients feel special.
2. Know your market! Making a website with bad demographic design is terrible. Don't make a website with a dark design (black) for a wedding planner. Use the right colors, pictures, and layout. Even if you think it looks nice and fuzzy does not mean it fits. Understand your customer's customer!
3. Be knowledgeable: know what you are talking about and have examples on hand when a client wants to know more or does not understand what you are trying to share. However, you don't want to over educate. Let them know what is going on but not everything (speak their language).
4. Its all about who knows you, not who you know. Promotion is key in making a sell, though nothing beats word of mouth. Make yourself known. Also knowing what others are doing is important. Blogs, Forums, RSS, podcasts, and conferences are excellent places to learn from others and make yourself known.
5. Be organized. Add comments to your work. This takes extra time but you never know when you will need to know what id="mkhover" really means. Good folder structure, especially with images, is never a bad idea. the list goes on and on.
6. Just doing a little extra, ;-) Understand what your client wants done. There is no greater shame than having your client tell you're fired! While your clients views are very important be sure you help them make the right choices. (One hit to doing this is making sure you ask good and clear questions) -
1. Don't start a business or go freelance right away. Seriously .. why would you do that? You don't know web design AND you don't know business .. make things easy on yourself. Get a job, learn your trade and then - perhaps - a few years down the line you may want to go freelance.
I agree to some extent on this however i set up straight out of uni so then I don't. Knowing what I know now it wasn't the best thing but at the time is was the right thing and I'm glad I did set up as I learnt more being thrown into the deep end and have become more valuable to my clients.1. Do a little extra, giving your customer more than they paid for, is always a good idea (though not always easy). This can be anything, not just design related. Make your clients feel special.
I agree I call this under promise over deliver we do it a lot in my company clients then always feel appreciated. We factor in the over promise so we already know what we're giving the client when the contract is signed.
Just my two pennies on the subject -
Although this post my long dead, I have to add one more thing to this list.
* Network!
Try finding like minded designers with different skills sets that compliment your own. You never know when a job comes along that perhaps you might have trouble with, but partnering with another designer on the project might make it even more profitable if you had struggled through it alone.
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