Is it possible to learn web design yourself? Web design lessons from scratch

HTML is the framework or structure of almost any modern website. What about CSS? CSS actually imparts some style to this structure. Without CSS, websites look terrible. To truly understand and learn web design, you need to know these two simple languages.

The main thing in learning a language is to understand its logic, and then you can easily understand how a website is built using it.

Also, don't worry, this has nothing to do with real programming languages ​​like PHP, Javascript or C++. These are completely different universes. Learning HTML and CSS compared to these languages ​​is like learning to ride a bike compared to flying an airplane. You know how to ride a bike, right? Then most likely you will master HTML and CSS!

There are two ways: online course or tutorials. We'll talk about books in the next article. Now we’ll talk about some courses on learning programming. On the Internet you can find a huge number of online courses on studying web design in general and code in particular. Some of them will be useful, and some will leave a not very pleasant impression. Here are a few resources to consider:

• positions itself as “a university for the preparation and additional training of specialists in the field of Internet marketing, project management, design, interface design and web development.”
• In addition, if you have proficiency in English at the user level, you can pay attention to the school

After you understand HTML and CSS, you need to move on to actually learning the basics of web design. Namely, to study the programs with which the design of websites takes place. There are several software packages used for this. The main one is Adobe Photoshop.

There are many courses on the Internet to study it. Both paid and free. With due effort and diligence, understanding of working with this program will come quickly.

And now the moment has come when you seem to have figured out both HTML and Photoshop, what to do next? The most effective way to learn web design at first is to constantly familiarize yourself with the work of professional web designers and try to repeat what you see in every detail.

Don't be afraid to copy other people's work. This way, you will quickly understand and determine what is most important in web design and what “tricks” you can use in your work. This will help you get better at this matter. At first, you need to work on your portfolio. And so with each new job you will learn more and more, and after a while you will develop your own style in web design.

Having decided to start learning web design, you should know that web design is a separate huge branch of knowledge with its own rules and laws. Studying design, like any other profession, requires perseverance and a desire to achieve your goals.

Hello, dear reader! In this article we will tell you how to become a web designer yourself.

The path to professional level is not easy, but the result is worth it. We advise you to be patient and hardworking, because we have a lot to learn.

First, let's decide whether it's worth your effort? After all, if you are driven by the goal of earning money, then this will not be enough; what is important is the desire to enjoy the process of learning and fulfilling orders. Then employers will value you, since the true motive is the work of your whole life.

Many beginners in this field get lost in tons of information, books, articles, video courses. Let's structure all the information and outline specific steps.

Do you agree?

• Learn to work with graphic editors.

To begin with, a good level of knowledge of Adobe Photoshop will be enough. This program surprises with its capabilities, the development of which will require time and effort. Experiment with colors, brushes, effects. It is not necessary to immediately draw a website; it is important to develop a sense of taste and technical skills when using Photoshop.

It will also be useful to understand the following:

But the learning doesn’t end there, it’s just beginning.

• Draw all your free time.

Especially if you have no experience, it is important to redraw the work of other designers, famous brands and their websites.

• Create your own blog on which you will publish your first works and tricks that you have learned.

Ask experienced web designers to comment on your work. It’s useful for you, and for other beginners too.

• Develop your artistic taste.

A web designer cannot do without creative ideas and taste. If nature has deprived you of this, then you need to cultivate it in yourself. Go to the cinema, take photographs, pay attention to advertising, visit exhibitions, take an interest in new paintings, buy books, take time to travel to beautiful places. Do whatever inspires you to be creative!

• Don't get hung up on one thing.

Try and find exactly what you like. To decide, you need to try a lot, for example, designing websites or creating landing pages. You can be good at many things, but it’s better to be a professional in one thing.

• Analyze.

No, not myself, but the works of other designers, for example, Andrei Gorokhov or Vasily Pirogov. Study not only domestic representatives of this profession, but also foreign ones. This way you will quickly find your style, get inspired and get a dose of motivation.

• Create a quality portfolio.

Read more about this in the instructions - how to make a portfolio for a web designer (link will come later).

• They offer it - take it.

Take on any job. Let it be simple banners and logos, it doesn’t matter. After all, if you start from scratch, then you need any work for your portfolio. And this is the most important experience that can only be gained by doing, and nothing else. Take action! Try yourself, look for your own customers. Just don’t inflate your prices if you are not yet very confident in your abilities.

• If you are just starting to take orders on exchanges, then do not forget to take care and create electronic wallets, for example, WebMoney and Yandex Money.
• Learn to communicate with the customer.

For this it is better to use Skype. This is necessary in order to better understand a person’s desires. It is important to find out what exactly the employer wants to see as a result. Ask the customer to show sites that he likes, and also ask about what should not be there. Carefully study the terms of reference (TOR) and, if something is unclear, be sure to clarify it. Discuss deadlines.

You can become a good web designer only by learning how to do compelling work. In pursuit of ideals, it is important not to go to extremes, so let's talk to you about what it takes to create a good website? What is he like?

• He is intuitive and clear.

Over the years of using the Internet, users have become accustomed to approximate website standards. This is a simple registration, information about the created project. But since everyone strives for uniqueness, an inexperienced designer can get carried away and create a unique, but inconvenient resource from a simple, understandable one. Therefore, innovation is encouraged - the finished project should be bright, unique, but nevertheless close to the standards.

• It's simple.

Have you ever wondered why Google is so popular and in demand? It's all about their simplicity; they speak the user's language as much as possible. Your site should be interesting, but a bunch of incomprehensible buttons and options will clearly be unnecessary.

• It respects the user's time.

Have you noticed this: you go to one site and all the pages load quickly, but on another it takes so long that you don’t even want to waste time. Content must be optimized. If you make a little less graphic elements, such as videos or animations, this will not only speed up the loading process, but also increase the likelihood that a user will be interested in your site.

• It has feedback.

The so-called feedback is always loved by site visitors. This tool will help you analyze the demand and also help you find out opinions about your product. This information will be needed in the future if the owner of this site wants to improve the content or the service itself that it provides to clients.

• It is filled with interesting content.

The most important thing is the content. People come to the site to solve this or that problem, and in addition to quality information, you need to take care of readability. These include appropriate pictures, font, color, text structure, its completeness and usefulness.

• Learn.

Take various trainings and courses on web design. They are not always expensive, and sometimes they are even free. But this is always a wonderful opportunity to practice under the guidance of experienced masters in a circle of like-minded people.

• Read books.

Specialized literature will be your faithful assistant on the path to professional excellence.

• The question of where to study should not be difficult. After all, the Internet is full of different things.
• Learn a little about web design terminology.

For example, what is a modular grid or typography. With each new word, your professional vocabulary will grow, and soon it will be much easier to understand employers and their requirements.

• When you acquire the necessary knowledge on using certain programs, then it will be extremely useful for you, as a beginner, to complete the following task:

you need to find any site you like on the Internet. Next, download Photoshop and copy the site layout, at least one page. If you do this exercise regularly, you will very quickly break down the whole process into small steps. This will take the fear away when you embark on your first DIY projects.

• Practice is good, but we can’t do without theory and “chewing” information. Therefore, we recommend studying various video tutorials and articles.

For example, you can look at this website: egraphic.ru.

• You can also do it much simpler. Namely, download the PSD of another experienced designer and create a layout yourself following the example. This way you'll get up to speed pretty quickly.

• If you have enough enthusiasm, you can find an already experienced web designer and ask him to train you. Or at least schedule a mini-consultation on issues that you cannot figure out on your own.

• Use various online programs.

For example, bannerovich.ru is suitable for creating banners, logos, etc.

We have discussed some steps that will bring you closer to mastering web design. Time for self-study from scratch usually takes 5 - 6 months. This is all purely individual and depends on the capabilities and abilities of the person himself.

Therefore, do not forget that there is also professional training, with the help of which excellent results can be achieved in a month or two.

We wish you successful endeavors! All the best!

From the author: the path of a web designer is thorny and complicated. You can achieve success here only through perseverance and hard work. Before setting out on this path, most beginners have a lot of questions: what knowledge do they need to have, will self-learning web design help and how long will it take, where to acquire professional skills, what programs need to be mastered, etc. These and I will try to answer other pressing questions in this article.

It is difficult, but not impossible, to master web design from the basics, and the knowledge you gain will be useful to you in many areas of your life and career. Web designers are always in demand, there is a shortage of good specialists, so web design is not only an opportunity for self-realization, but also a way to increase your level of earnings.

Modern web design is not just about creating the appearance of a website, but also about its layout using CSS and HTML. The finished website layout must not only meet certain requirements, but also be processed correctly by all known browsers.

Literally translated, web-design means “network design.” The website creation process includes both creative and technical components:

the stage of technical development, which determines the purpose of the site’s existence, its functions, etc.;

creating a logical structure and choosing forms through which information will be presented to the user;

graphic design - layout of a website using a graphic editor;

site layout - converting the graphical component of the site into code, taking into account the correct display of the site in different browsers;

webmastering - the site is hosted, optimized for search engines and promoted across the network.

If you are planning to become a web designer yourself, training can be carried out using:

independent repetition of lessons and video tutorials from thematic sites;

reading literature on web design (books, magazines, blogs);

developing a sense of taste by analyzing beautiful, functional, talentedly designed websites;

increasing professional level and speed of work through regular practice;

developing communication skills with potential customers and employers.

I can confidently say that everyone can master web design, and so can you. To do this, it is enough to have a strong desire, put in a certain amount of effort and devote most of the time to self-study.

If you are still looking for an effective formula on how to learn web design on your own, here is a ready-made sequence of actions.

Learn to work with graphic editors to an intermediate level. Moreover, we are talking about both vector and raster graphics. The most common graphics programs are Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Corel DRAW. This does not mean that you have to know absolutely all the instruments by heart. This means being able to complete the tasks facing you as a web designer in the shortest possible time.

Understand the basic concepts of web design: balance, composition, site layout, color palette, contrast, modular grid, texture, typography, etc. In general, you understand everything that goes into creating a decent website design.

Find a studio and go work there, or register on a freelance exchange and start practicing, first completing all orders in a row, just to gain experience and reputation. Working on real jobs is a great way to teach yourself web design.

Don't forget to study, study and study again. At first, your level will be at the level of drawing scribbles in Photoshop (some “would-be designers” remain at this level), then you will have regular customers and good earnings, then you can become, for example, the director of an art studio and so on - this path of self-improvement is endless.

To take a reliable position in the “high caste” of web designers, you need to work long and hard, practice, take a critical approach to your design skills, be inspired and learn from your “colleagues”, receive additional education in offline and online courses, with the help of web design tutorials.

After you gain basic skills in creating a website design, gradually expand your technical and artistic arsenal. Follow all the innovations and trends in the industry, introduce new features into your work, learn new programs, techniques and tools, improve your communication skills with clients.

This will make you and your designs more relevant, original and competitive, and will also contribute to your professional growth.

I recently saw the following message on the forum:

Now do you understand why there are still not enough good specialists among the crowds of self-proclaimed web designers? Web design is not just a beautiful picture or the ability to perform a step-by-step video tutorial with high quality.

I’ll tell you a secret: a real designer should behave like an engineer, for whom the effectiveness of the site comes first, not its beauty. Each element on the page must fulfill its assigned role and correspond to the main purpose of the site. What purpose do you think most websites serve? That's right, making money and making a profit!

Therefore, if after a couple of months of trying to learn web design on your own and practicing Photoshop, you have the thought: “That’s it, I’m a web designer and can make websites,” mark it in the most merciless way. Look with a magnifying glass at the sites of famous designers or just sites you like. Did you want to give up everything and go work as a loader? That's the same!

Your task as a web designer is to create an image that will evoke certain emotions in a site visitor and encourage him to take action, for example, register, subscribe to a newsletter, buy a certain product, etc. And for this you need to study not only Photoshop, but and marketing techniques, branding and positioning, basics of layout, HTML and CSS, principles of usability, copywriting and information architecture.

This is where I will end my lesson. Finally, I would like to note: if you are looking for an easy way to become a web designer yourself, then you should not wait for mountains of gold. If you are hardworking, responsible, love what you do, and believe in your own strength, then everything will definitely work out for you.

Good luck and good mood to everyone! Subscribe to our updates and be the first to receive the latest articles about web design!

Before starting a career as a designer, almost every beginner has a lot of questions that have no answers due to lack of experience. What knowledge should a web designer have, what programs should he master, how much time should he devote to training, how to acquire professional skills, where and how to look for a customer, how to submit finished work - I tried to answer these and some other pressing questions in this article.

1. What knowledge does a web designer need?
In general, to begin with, I would advise reading some sensible book. To begin with, you just need to scroll through it diagonally, stopping at those points that are clear. At the initial stage, it is important to understand “what is on which shelf”, what is the general theoretical structure. And then gradually turn to her for more detailed explanations on a specific issue with a deeper elaboration and understanding of the material. That is, in essence, it should be a working textbook that should always be at hand.

In particular, basic knowledge of web design is required. Special attention should be paid to such a concept as a “website”, it and the principles of existence on the Internet. By the way, on my website you will find a lot of theoretical material that will help you gain the necessary initial knowledge.

Another area you need to be aware of is . Even if you are not going to do the layout yourself, you still need to understand how the site is laid out. This will help you avoid making mistakes at the creation stage. Basic programming is optional. And it would also be good to understand, since it is on this platform that most sites operate.

2. What programs need to be mastered
In this matter I adhere to minimalism. I sincerely believe that in order to make a normal design, it is enough to know . However, this program should not be mastered at the beginner level. And therefore you will have to spend time studying it. All other programs are optional. For layout, a standard Notepad is sufficient.

3. How much time to devote to studying
In general, in this matter everything is very individual. For me it was in two stages. First, I learned to use Photoshop and I began to get advanced ones. In terms of time, it took, well, maybe three or four months. After that, the thought appeared that that’s it, now I’m a designer and I can make websites. I tried to design a website and it didn’t work out at all. Everything looked very mediocre and clumsy.

Then I gave up trying to do anything and just started studying the work of other designers. I literally looked with a magnifying glass at how the sites I liked were made, taking them apart piece by piece. Along the way, I continued to study through the tutorials, but without really straining myself. And after a month of looking at it, I really had a qualitative leap and I somehow easily made two simple websites, one of which was immediately bought.

So, we can say that after about 4-5 months of training, fairly strong design skills and an adequate understanding of the design process itself appear. But of course, provided that during this entire time you really engage in self-education, train, study theory, and try.

4. How best to acquire practical skills
I definitely recommend starting with copying the sites you like. But only as a training! Don't reinvent the wheel. Just try to do the same. I assure you, it will turn out completely differently, not like the original. And the next step, I would advise you to take some high-quality free theme or template and thoroughly understand the code. In order to try to control design elements. This parsed code can then be used as a basis for future designs.

5. What you need to take care of in advance
You should definitely take care of two things. Firstly, you should definitely get an online account to accept funds for payment for your services. Now this is not a problem - there are a lot of online wallets and accounts. And secondly, you should definitely place your . Well, accordingly. If there are no ready-made works, make one for yourself and put it in your portfolio.

6. How to decide on prices
My advice to you is to be sure to decide on your prices before communicating with customers. There is nothing worse when a customer knocks on your door, and you are forced to answer something vague when asked how much it costs. Better yet, have a page with prices for your various services. Convenient for both you and the customer. And also, never inflate your prices, at least at first. While you are a beginner, it is better for the price to be ten percent lower than similar generally accepted prices.

7. How to look for a customer
To begin with, you should not neglect the traditional methods of customer search. You can register in all sorts of popular freelance exchanges and create your own page there with a description of services and examples of work. In principle, there is a chance that you will find a customer there. Although, it seems to me that we can wait a long time. Because they turn to top freelancers first. But I won’t say so.

But there are, it seems to me, more effective ways. Pay attention to SEO forums. They are mobile guys and they always need some kind of landing pages, slogs or PPS feeds. Therefore, they are quite interested in design services. Almost every major forum has a “Design” section. Study this section carefully, see what works are sold there and at what prices. Make something similar and put it up for sale there. I did just that at the time.

In principle, if you work hard and show imagination, then looking for a customer is not so difficult. For example, at one time I had the idea of ​​​​doing redesigns of working sites on the Internet that had a completely useless design. And then offer the owners to buy the new design, if they like it, of course. The main thing is not to sit and wait for a line of customers to line up for you. At first, you will have to work hard in the search yourself.

8. How to communicate with the customer
And finally, you have a potential customer who is interested in your services. At this stage, try to find out in as much detail as possible what the customer wants to see as a result. I always ask the customer to show sites on the Internet that he likes. And also ask about what he definitely would not like to see. And also, never underestimate the deadlines for completing an order, no matter how much you want to! It’s better to throw in a couple of days for insurance and hand over the work earlier than to irritate the customer by stretching out the deadline.

9. What is the order fulfillment mechanism?
My interaction with customers happened as follows. First, I receive technical specifications (TOR) from the customer. Then, over the course of some time (usually three days or more, depending on the complexity), I complete the work and provide the customer with a website layout in jpeg. Typically these are the home page, post page and sub page. Sometimes the main page is enough, but this must be agreed upon with the client in advance.

If the client has approved the layout, then I start layout. At this stage you can take an advance payment, but I usually don’t do this. I prefer that the work be paid upon delivery. If only because it really encourages you to complete the order. After the site is designed and tested, I give the client an archive of the finished site with installation instructions (if it is WordPress). After this, the client pays for the work performed.

Sometimes they ask whether you need to somehow insure yourself against being cheated out of money. In principle, no one is immune from this. Therefore, first, look at the history of your client’s existence on the Internet. What websites does he have, where does he live, what is his reputation, how accessible is he? If the client is dubious, then refuse and do not take risks. If you do get cheated out of money, try to take it easier. At least you only got the cost of one order, but now you know for sure that you will no longer work with this client.

10. How to keep yourself in good shape
Once you have the basic skills in creating designs, try to gradually expand your technical arsenal. Try to follow all the innovations in the web design industry and quickly implement new features into your designs. Nowadays there are a lot of manuals and tutorials, with the help of which it is very easy to master all the innovations. This, firstly, contributes to your professional growth, and secondly, it will make your designs modern and more competitive.

His goals and objectives, I received a lot of feedback and even more questions - how to become a web designer? How long will this take? What is better – face-to-face offline classes, or using online resources?

To clarify the situation for you, today I would like to talk about how you can master this profession and how to get trained in web design from scratch to become a strong professional.

Paths to becoming a designer can be divided into three main categories:

• offline studies at institutes, universities,
• independent studies using free resources and specialized literature,
• study online through paid courses, trainings, seminars.

Each of these directions has its pros and cons. How to correctly determine where to study web design from scratch and how to choose the right training program?

The first option is the most familiar and obvious. Various educational institutions now have design departments. There are courses with shorter deadlines - from several months to a year.

Traditional methods have their advantages, but at the same time they have rather strict limits. This method is more suitable for those who want to have a higher education diploma in the field of design, have enough time or prefer live contact with a teacher.

For those who simply want to expand their capabilities or change their type of activity, it is wiser to pay attention to more modern methods of mastering web design, based on free graphics.

You can learn web design on your own and use for this not only books and textbooks, but also a lot of free videos, presentations, and lessons posted online. There are modules developed by fans of their craft, which include a whole series of training materials. This option is good because it does not require special financial investments; the money will only be spent on paying for traffic.

However, this method has a number of significant disadvantages

Despite some difficulties, such training is accessible and used by many people, at least initially. The ability to study at a convenient time makes this method attractive for those who are busy with their main job or study.

However, I use such a free approach only as an additional one: to patch up holes in my professional activities, to understand some nuance. It is much more effective to receive comprehensive training from specialists.

The second option is paid online courses taught by professional web designers online.

Today you can find enough such offers on the Internet. The learning process is based on the following principles:

• lessons are held immediately for a group of students,
• you can watch the lesson in real time or recorded at a time convenient for you,
• you complete your homework and receive feedback afterwards,
• the teacher answers all your questions and conducts individual consultations,
• As a result, you have a ready-made portfolio of your first works.

The advantage of this method is that you not only have direct contact with the teacher, but also are constantly in touch with your classmates. In addition, online training makes such training convenient for you in terms of time: it can be completed without interruption from work.

You can share examples of work, ask your own questions and answer questions from others. The productivity of group classes is always higher, and new acquaintances and connections among future colleagues can always be useful later.

It is quite difficult to select the best offers on the educational market for web design. A large number of trainings presented on the Internet today offer various programs for different levels of training - from classes “from scratch”, starting with mastering the basics of Photoshop, to an advanced level, where various nuances of the profession are mastered.

As soon as you start looking for a course, you will come across a lot of offers on the Internet, the quality of which will not always be easy to understand. Whether it is worth taking online web design courses is a controversial question and does not depend at all on the method of training.

To avoid making a mistake in your choice, you should evaluate the options according to several criteria:

• cost - cheap is never good. A competent, carefully thought out product that takes a lot of time and effort to create cannot cost $20,
• deadline - they won’t make you a web designer in a month, especially if you are also busy with your main job or study. Mastering such a profession takes time. Although, you can easily get the basics on which you can already work remotely
• the number of students in the group - the smaller the better (this applies to full-time education). If the group is larger than 10-15 people, the teacher will not be able to devote the necessary time to each student. In the case of training through personal accounts, the number of students does not play any role at all