June 6, 200818 yr hi, i have recently finished a university certificate in web design using Front page at college and do want to go back to attend another course on Dreamweaver, now i want to pursue a career obviously in web design and being new to it and not having much experience in the area it is difficult to find a job that i can apply for. I wondering if anyone can tell me whether it is possible to get job as a trainee for companies or maybe anyone who works for themselves and willing to take someone under the wing a teach. iam desperate to get my foot in the door you see and i really enjoy the designing of web sites, iam nearly 25 and i know that can be off putting to companies because of the payrate but iam always willing to except a wage that may apply to a trainee or apprentice. i do have some knowledge of Photoshop which i learnt through self teaching and tutorials on the internet and recently been teachng myself the basics of html. Also i do have some templates i have been working on if anyone wants to have a look and see what you think to see whether iam worthy to be a webdesigner........lol So if anyone can help and point in the right direction and give me some advice that would be brilliant. thankyou for taking the time to read this.
June 6, 200818 yr Start designing sites to fill your portfolio. They don't have to be real companies - anything you can show to demonstrate your ideas will be of benefit. If you feel up to it, you could also come up with redesigns for existing high profile sites (eg, Tesco, Amazon, etc) and put together a brief report on why you felt it needed work and what you've done to improve it. With a few examples to show, get in touch with local design agencies (on the phone, not email) to see if they've got any trainee positions available and whether they can spare half an hour to see you. Emails will just get glanced over (if you're lucky) and then deleted, plus actually speaking to someone demonstrates you've actually got a bit of motivation to chase the job. Courses on software only really teach you how to use the software, not industry best practices, current fashions, etc.
June 6, 200818 yr Author thank you for the advice, i have started a portfolio with designs in but not for any particular company or person there just miscallaneous web designs i did to get a bit a of feedback as to where im going wrong and what i should change. Again thankyou for the advice ill carry on working on my designs
June 6, 200818 yr When you get sort of good start participating in competitions on http://99designs.com/ then you can improve, build your portfolio and mabe make some money at the same time.
June 6, 200818 yr Author IMG]http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk149/luke1_05/temp1copy.jpg[/img] these are a few i did just to see what i can do and to see what people thought of them, but they are not complete
June 6, 200818 yr hi, i have recently finished a university certificate in web design using Front page at college and do want to go back to attend another course on Dreamweaver, now i want to pursue a career obviously in web design and being new to it and not having much experience in the area it is difficult to find a job that i can apply for. I wondering if anyone can tell me whether it is possible to get job as a trainee for companies or maybe anyone who works for themselves and willing to take someone under the wing a teach. iam desperate to get my foot in the door you see and i really enjoy the designing of web sites, iam nearly 25 and i know that can be off putting to companies because of the payrate but iam always willing to except a wage that may apply to a trainee or apprentice. i do have some knowledge of Photoshop which i learnt through self teaching and tutorials on the internet and recently been teachng myself the basics of html. Also i do have some templates i have been working on if anyone wants to have a look and see what you think to see whether iam worthy to be a webdesigner........lol So if anyone can help and point in the right direction and give me some advice that would be brilliant. thankyou for taking the time to read this. hi luke, first off id say dont worry about your age, so long as youre motivated to work hard and learn, then u can build a portfolio fairly quickly, and that should defineitly be your first port of call. Prospective employers all want to see one! And thats the tool that sells you so make sure you nail it good Then id pimp up your cv and get onto online job boards such as reed and monster and apply like crazy, ive always found them to be very good. For junior/trainee roles it might be harder as theres a lot of competition out there and salaries i find are getting lower unless youre senior but hey, u have to try in order to succeed. Failing that u could always try go freelance. Let us know how u get on... good luck!
June 6, 200818 yr Author hi luke, first off id say dont worry about your age, so long as youre motivated to work hard and learn, then u can build a portfolio fairly quickly, and that should defineitly be your first port of call. Prospective employers all want to see one! And thats the tool that sells you so make sure you nail it good Then id pimp up your cv and get onto online job boards such as reed and monster and apply like crazy, ive always found them to be very good. For junior/trainee roles it might be harder as theres a lot of competition out there and salaries i find are getting lower unless youre senior but hey, u have to try in order to succeed. Failing that u could always try go freelance. Let us know how u get on... good luck! Thankyou for the advice question.... how much do i need to know before i go freelance in regards to webdesign? do i need to know html, things like that, as i dont know that much im trying to teach myself it at the min. i would rather go freelance but my knowledge i think may let me down
June 6, 200818 yr The problem with webdesign is that you dont need to know anything to set up your own business doing it. But your much better off getting some professional expecience before you start up on your own. I think you would be better working for a design company first as it would give you a better idea of how your company should be ran. I started off doing websites for people I knew until I had built up a portfolio. Then I started to get work outsourced to me by web design companies, then I did a few 3 month placements to get some experience and finally I got a job where I am now and I've been here 2 years now. Eventually, I'll start up on my own.
June 6, 200818 yr Also, I wouldn't worry about "finishing" the designs you've done. All you really need to do is demonstrate an understanding of what would work as a web page, how you would use different colours, etc. What you've got so far is a really good start.
June 6, 200818 yr The problem with webdesign is that you dont need to know anything to set up your own business doing it. But your much better off getting some professional expecience before you start up on your own. I think you would be better working for a design company first as it would give you a better idea of how your company should be ran. I started off doing websites for people I knew until I had built up a portfolio. Then I started to get work outsourced to me by web design companies, then I did a few 3 month placements to get some experience and finally I got a job where I am now and I've been here 2 years now. Eventually, I'll start up on my own. I totally agree, I graduated from university in 2005 and considered becoming a freelance web designer. I decided though to get a job as a web designer instead, I'm still there now and I've found the experience very valuable. I'm doing a fair bit of freelancing in my spare time and hoping eventually to make the move to 100% freelance - just gotta be careful though as the consistent money from a salary can't be underestimated, especially when you've got a mortgage! Good luck
June 6, 200818 yr Author The problem with webdesign is that you dont need to know anything to set up your own business doing it. But your much better off getting some professional expecience before you start up on your own. I think you would be better working for a design company first as it would give you a better idea of how your company should be ran. I started off doing websites for people I knew until I had built up a portfolio. Then I started to get work outsourced to me by web design companies, then I did a few 3 month placements to get some experience and finally I got a job where I am now and I've been here 2 years now. Eventually, I'll start up on my own. When you designed the websites for them people how far did you go into it? did you just design the basic layout or did you go into the coding side of it, because i can design a layout if you put an idea in front or a design people want their website to look i could design the layout for them but unfortunatly thats as far as i can go at the min. Would i need to go into the code side of it? Sorry if it doesnt make sense i know what i want to say but its difficult putting it in writing..............lol
June 6, 200818 yr Author I totally agree, I graduated from university in 2005 and considered becoming a freelance web designer. I decided though to get a job as a web designer instead, I'm still there now and I've found the experience very valuable. I'm doing a fair bit of freelancing in my spare time and hoping eventually to make the move to 100% freelance - just gotta be careful though as the consistent money from a salary can't be underestimated, especially when you've got a mortgage! Good luck If you dont mind me asking whats the rough ball park wage for a web designer You dont have to answer that if you feel you dont want too just curious
June 6, 200818 yr question.... how much do i need to know before i go freelance in regards to webdesign? do i need to know html, things like that, as i dont know that much im trying to teach myself it at the min. Freelancing involves a lot more than simply designing web sites, unlike working for a company/business you are on your own and the buck stops with you. Key skills like how to deal with customers/people, managing your time, problem solving and working long hours all come into play. Add to that you will need to be able to assist your customers with web related things like hosting, email, content management and probably marketing/optmisation and the rest of it - your customer will call you because their site has gone down or their email doesn't work and if you can help them or guide them it's all brownie points for you. Then, of course your web development skills come in. The better your HTML/CSS skills the better quality product you can offer, if you can program as well (PHP/ASP etc) then your earning potential improves, there's a huge demand for PHP/ASP at the moment. Also learning how to integrate Content Management Systems, Shopping carts etc is a must nowadays, if you can't do these sort of things you can't quote for jobs. My advice is... Learn HTML and CSS inside out so you can do it with your eyes shut (ditch FP and DW until you have learnt) Learn about accessibility, usability and semantic coding Basic Javascript is useful PHP or ASP is a bonus Top end graphic skills are not essential, though the more you can do the better - you can always outsource graphics work if needed Finally get your own portfolio site together, do some free site for local charities, anything to show off your skills. Any potential emplyer will want to see samples of your work, no portfolio= no job.
June 6, 200818 yr Author Freelancing involves a lot more than simply designing web sites, unlike working for a company/business you are on your own and the buck stops with you. Key skills like how to deal with customers/people, managing your time, problem solving and working long hours all come into play. Add to that you will need to be able to assist your customers with web related things like hosting, email, content management and probably marketing/optmisation and the rest of it - your customer will call you because their site has gone down or their email doesn't work and if you can help them or guide them it's all brownie points for you. Then, of course your web development skills come in. The better your HTML/CSS skills the better quality product you can offer, if you can program as well (PHP/ASP etc) then your earning potential improves, there's a huge demand for PHP/ASP at the moment. Also learning how to integrate Content Management Systems, Shopping carts etc is a must nowadays, if you can't do these sort of things you can't quote for jobs. My advice is... Learn HTML and CSS inside out so you can do it with your eyes shut (ditch FP and DW until you have learnt) Learn about accessibility, usability and semantic coding Basic Javascript is useful PHP or ASP is a bonus Top end graphic skills are not essential, though the more you can do the better - you can always outsource graphics work if needed Finally get your own portfolio site together, do some free site for local charities, anything to show off your skills. Any potential emplyer will want to see samples of your work, no portfolio= no job. Thankyou Id better get learning then do you know of any good tutorials sites or ways of learning these areas
June 6, 200818 yr Freelancing involves a lot more than simply designing web sites, unlike working for a company/business you are on your own and the buck stops with you. Key skills like how to deal with customers/people, managing your time, problem solving and working long hours all come into play. Add to that you will need to be able to assist your customers with web related things like hosting, email, content management and probably marketing/optmisation and the rest of it - your customer will call you because their site has gone down or their email doesn't work and if you can help them or guide them it's all brownie points for you. Then, of course your web development skills come in. The better your HTML/CSS skills the better quality product you can offer, if you can program as well (PHP/ASP etc) then your earning potential improves, there's a huge demand for PHP/ASP at the moment. Also learning how to integrate Content Management Systems, Shopping carts etc is a must nowadays, if you can't do these sort of things you can't quote for jobs. My advice is... Learn HTML and CSS inside out so you can do it with your eyes shut (ditch FP and DW until you have learnt) Learn about accessibility, usability and semantic coding Basic Javascript is useful PHP or ASP is a bonus Top end graphic skills are not essential, though the more you can do the better - you can always outsource graphics work if needed Finally get your own portfolio site together, do some free site for local charities, anything to show off your skills. Any potential emplyer will want to see samples of your work, no portfolio= no job. That's great advice -thanks for that
June 6, 200818 yr Author Sorry for the questions guys but im just really desperate to get started, just want to as much as i can
June 6, 200818 yr Sorry for the questions guys but im just really desperate to get started, just want to as much as i can I'll try to dig some good links out for you later but for now have a look at www.w3schools.com - it's good for some basics
June 6, 200818 yr Author I'll try to dig some good links out for you later but for now have a look at www.w3schools.com - it's good for some basics yeah thats the one that i have been using for the html it is good for the basics
June 6, 200818 yr W3Schools is great for a wide range of web technologies but don't be afraid to ask on good forums (like this!) when you get stuck on something. Often you can spend hours searching in Google but because you don't know the correct terminology, you'll never hit the right keyword. There are many design agencies out there that employ pure designers that have no or very little knowledge of what goes on in a page source, then use a front end developer to turn a PSD into CSS, XHTML and sometimes incorporate PHP/ASP, a database, etc. The more you have an awareness of the better!
June 6, 200818 yr Author W3Schools is great for a wide range of web technologies but don't be afraid to ask on good forums (like this!) when you get stuck on something. Often you can spend hours searching in Google but because you don't know the correct terminology, you'll never hit the right keyword. There are many design agencies out there that employ pure designers that have no or very little knowledge of what goes on in a page source, then use a front end developer to turn a PSD into CSS, XHTML and sometimes incorporate PHP/ASP, a database, etc. The more you have an awareness of the better! Thankyou do you know any names of the agencies Sorry to be such a pain with all the questions
June 6, 200818 yr Here's a few links... http://www.yourhtmlsource.com/ http://www.htmlgoodies.com/ http://www.html.net/tutorials/css/introduction.asp http://www.cssbasics.com/ http://csseasy.com/
June 7, 200818 yr Luke, I think you've got a good eye - those designs are really good for someone with almost no experience. Well done! In terms of wages, (outside london) you're probably looking at around £16-£18k for a real no-experience junior role, about £20k for a competant junior web designer role, and senior designers are generally on £30-40k
June 7, 200818 yr Author Luke, I think you've got a good eye - those designs are really good for someone with almost no experience. Well done! In terms of wages, (outside london) you're probably looking at around £16-£18k for a real no-experience junior role, about £20k for a competant junior web designer role, and senior designers are generally on £30-40k Thankyou very much thats good to hear
June 8, 200818 yr can some please give me a job...........................................lol Let's see your portfolio then. See how that works?!
June 8, 200818 yr Author Let's see your portfolio then. See how that works?! lol im just finding it hard to get a job, obviously because of my lack of experience but i have been given a lot of good advice and hopefully that will that will get me some where.
June 8, 200818 yr Luke, you need to get a good 6-8 sites under your belt before even thinking about applying for a job, you'll learn more and more with each site you do
June 8, 200818 yr Author Luke, you need to get a good 6-8 sites under your belt before even thinking about applying for a job, you'll learn more and more with each site you do Thanks The sites you create for a portfolio is it better to have done them for somebody or a company or can they be ones you have designed for your own knowledge like im doing at the min.
June 8, 200818 yr I'd offer someone you know a site for free. That's how I started my freelance business a year ago, and the word of mouth recommendations alone meant that I haven't had a free week since. I've never advertised, and I've never approached anyone for a job, I'm booked 2 months in advance and I've gotten to the point now where I actually have to turn down work quite regularly. And I'm not even particularly good!
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