Day in the Life of a Website Designer
If you're interested in becoming a website designer, this information may help you make a decision.
Characteristics Needed:
- Creative Flair
- Meticulous Eye for Detail
- Flexibility
- Knowledge of HTML coding,
- Graphic Program expert proficiency (i.e. PhotoShop, ImageReady, Flash, Illustrator)
Schedule:
Note: Not written hourly because the time that tasks require vary daily (it could be a 6 hour day or a 12 hour day depending upon the immediate project)
- Have coffee
- Check/respond to e-mail and voicemail (usually client-related)
- Meet with creative directors and project teams
- Determine priorities for the day (based on client requests)
- Print/production work (design the look and architecture of sites)
- Have lunch
- Spend a few hours working on a specific project (the large project of the day), which is usually site development or an upgrade; but this can also mean reworking rough designs, creating the completed graphics, coding content, etc (this always involves uploading files for the client to proof of comment on)
- Work on the typical 3-4 other requests from other clients (30+ client base), which requires minor modifications, additions, or questions about the sites
- Troubleshoot computer problems
Pros
- Working on projects that, once uploaded to the web, are active and accessible by anyone, anywhere in the world
- Being in a field that is ever evolving
- Getting clients interested in the web and creating websites for the first time
Cons
- Working with limited budgets
- Explaining the limits of the web to clients
- Not being able to control it, like you can with print
