It's fair to state that one of the more widely interpreted & improperly perceived definitions in IT is the label 'Web-Designer'. For anybody considering getting in the market, an explanation about the distinct facets might help to make things clear. There are essentially 2 elements to web design - the 'technical' process and the creative 'design' part. Many people believe a web-designer is somebody that is in charge of the visible areas of the website. Many people may consider a web designer a type of 'artist'. But in reality, within modern-day web design its becoming more and more difficult to split up the 'technical' side from the 'creative' aspect, as both of them are so inter-twined. When you break web design down into its different roles, then it will become much more obvious how each thing sits together.

People who design & put together the pictures & graphic-icons to go on a website are called graphic artists. They're not really site designers as such, and in many cases are multimedia artists making use of graphic layout and animation software, (like Adobe 'Photoshop' and Adobe Flash.) Generally, they will have an artistic background, and may well have studied at college or university level. Obviously, this particular role involves a good artistic bias.

Second, we have the web designers, that use design-environments such as Adobe 'Dreamweaver' to set-up the lay-out and feel of the web-site. Using visuals from the artist, they will create the navigational framework of the web-site, working together with the client to ensure the 'feel' meets their needs. A web-designer with fairly limited understanding would most likely begin with the 'form' rather than the 'function' of a website. And yet, you should really begin with an understanding of the 'functions' it's required to do to create a truly effective site. Is it predominantly an e-commerce web-site, that would need to be able to take payments safely and securely, or is it perhaps an online product catalogue listing? Or potentially it will incorporate a lot of video and graphics. Then again it could be predominantly an information site, where its essential to provide easy access to specific web-pages of textual content. Regardless of what you want from a site, it must - at its most basic level - carry out the 'function' for which it is intended. There's little point making a visually interesting site that is impossible for individuals to get to where they want! The aim of any professional web-designer is to first and foremost come up with an event that people enjoy & are comfortable with - so that they return again and again.

The most technically trained website professionals are often the web developers. They won't simply understand HTML, CSS and 'XML', but will have trained in more official programming-languages such as 'PHP', ASP.net, Visual Basic, C#, 'Java' etc. They'll generally also have a solid understanding of 'SQL' Database technology, since this is one way the majority of big websites store their information. The majority of E-commerce sites aren't the result of a sizable team of web designers who have constructed countless web pages in a lay-out format. What normally happens is a place-holder 'template' is developed, & the details are automatically inserted from the database to the website. Apart from being hugely easier to construct, manage & update, it also aids in the 'feel' of the web site staying consistent.

Several of these roles can & certainly do cross-over needless to say, we work with various free-lance website designers who all can handle most of the previously mentioned functions. It will require time though to acquire such a range of commercial competencies. A web-design training course therefore that can prepare you to get into the market must contain the following - First of all, an introduction to basic web-design, followed on by teaching in Adobe Dreamweaver & a summary of the main elements of Adobe 'Flash'. The languages of HTML & 'CSS' need to be covered next, with a level of E-commerce instruction incorporated here. Some database & SEO knowledge is vital, and a knowledge of the programming-language PHP (rather than the more complicated ASP.NET) in order to construct 'dynamic' websites. Accomplishing these skillsets will provide you with the ability to begin working on a good cross section of web sites. The actual physical competencies have to develop first, before you fine tune them to a more natural and flowing style - a lot like when you were learning to drive your first car. Most trainees can work through a variable course such as this inside a yr - based upon part-time study & practice of around 400 to 500 hrs. As there are lots of areas to consider, it's worth taking a few minutes to look carefully at any training programs you're interested in. Talk to a person with industry knowledge to help you sort things out.

The key point to stress is the fact that training program alone won't make you a web-designer; it will simply provide you with the methods. Put together as many web sites as you possibly can whilst you go through your training course - the process will be invaluable & you'll have something to show what you can do. Your own web sites should be about anything - your local music scene, horses, an author you enjoy or motor bikes. Create an interactive web site, & begin building 'traffic' towards it. Adobe qualifications are useful, but how you can implement what you've learned says a lot more about you as a web-designer!