As the web design industry is constantly evolving, many people who would love to start a web design career wonder if it is still a wise choice. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the uprise of DIY website creation platforms and artificial intelligence systems that will inevitably reduce the need for some of the currently existing jobs. But are web designers in demand, and what are the benefits of starting a career in this industry in 2023?
After years of experience helping clients achieve their web presence goals, experts from our web design agency in Chicago decided to share their opinion regarding the web designer job outlook.
Table of Contents
- Is Web Design A Good Career Choice in 2023?
- What Do Web Developers and Web Designers do?
- 10 Benefits of a Web Designer Career
- Are you ready to Become a Web Designer?
Is Web Design A Good Career Choice in 2023?
If you are planning to start a web design career in 2023, one of the first questions that might come to your mind is whether web designers are in demand or not. The answer is simple – there is still an increased demand for people who provide professional web design, web development, and graphic design services, and it will only grow in the following years as we are just entering the digital era. Bureau Labor statistics suggest that the demand for both web developers and web designers will increase by up to 13 percent by the end of the decade, which is a higher rate than with most other jobs.
The average web designer’s salary is currently around $60,000 per year and is also expected to grow continuously during the 2020s. That’s because many companies are shifting their focus to opening online shops, and an increased number of people find it more convenient to order products and services online. To increase their chances of standing in front of the competition, businesses hire professional web designers and web developers to build websites for them.
What Do Web Developers and Web Designers do?
Many young people struggle to decide when choosing between tech jobs. For those who enjoy building websites for clients, the dilemma usually falls to picking either web design or web development. However, before starting a web design career, it is crucial to understand all the differences between web development and web design jobs.
A web developer is responsible for writing the code that makes a website work, while a web designers work on enhancing the look and feel of a website. It means that a web developer might also help with the design of a website but is not typically responsible for its layout or design. A web designer might create the entire layout of a website or just a part of it. Web design job includes providing graphic design services to clients and creating high-quality visuals for their websites.
Please note that people often confuse front-end development with web design. The best way to understand the difference between those two jobs is to imagine a button on a website:
Web Designers
Web designers work on enhancing the visual aspects of that button; they need to ensure that it looks good and the target audience will want to click on it. Of course, web designer jobs are much more complex than providing graphic design services, as web designers also need to design the whole logic behind the website and its structure. Web designers also need to communicate with clients to learn about their web presence goals and adjust web design to build trust with customers who arrive on their websites.
Front-end web developers
Front-end web developers are responsible for the functionality of that button; they need to make sure that it is clickable, that the animation is working, and that it takes users to the desired place. They enable visitors to interact with a website.
Besides front-end development, there is also back-end development. Web developers’ job is also to maintain the website and protect it from cyber-attacks. However, it would help if you also understood the differences between an iOS developer vs. web developer job before starting a career. All in all, to step into a web development world, you usually need to learn at least some of the following programming languages:
- JavaScript
- Java
- HTML
- PHP
- Ruby
- Python
- Angular
To successfully start a web design career, aim to develop your web design skills in the following software and markup languages:
- Adobe InDesign
- Illustrator
- XD
- Photoshop
- Figma
- JavaScript basics
- HTML and CSS basics
While some believe that web development is more challenging to learn than web design, mastering any skill will take a lot of time and effort. That’s why you should choose a career path that suits your preferences. If money is one of the key motivators for you when choosing between tech jobs, keep in mind that a software developer’s salary is usually higher than the average salary web designers get. However, you can make a solid living with your web design work, especially after a few years in the industry, since the web designer job outlook remains positive.
Benefits of Web Designer Career
Besides getting an answer to the question of whether web designers are in demand or not, it is also essential to understand the benefits web designer jobs provide. There are many benefits to pursuing a career in web design, including the opportunity to work in a creative field, have flexible hours, and make a good living. So let’s dive deeper into this subject and find out what you can expect when you start a web design career:
Web designers can work remotely
Most web design agencies allow their employees to work from anywhere in the world. That is possible because web developers and web designers work on computers, and with modern technology, they can easily stay in touch with the rest of the team. Hiring remote workers allows a web design agency to expand its business operations more quickly, and it also opens opportunities for people who prefer working from the comfort of their homes. Remote workers often report higher satisfaction levels with their jobs than those who work in an office. Here are just some of the reasons why this might be the case:
Better work-life balance
If you have family or personal obligations that prevent you from being available during traditional work hours, you will be able to achieve a healthy work-life balance by choosing a web design career. Working 8 hours shifts away from home can drastically reduce the time you get to spend with your family, especially when we count on the time lost in lengthy commutes.
Higher productivity
At the office, you can expect your productivity to drop from time to time due to lengthy conversations with colleagues and other distractions that can easily move your focus away from web design work. Research suggests that 77% of workers reported increased productivity when working from home. Higher productivity will allow you to enhance the quality of your graphic design services even more.
Cost savings
Working from home can save you commuting costs as you won’t have to pay for public transportation services or car maintenance if you are going to work with your own vehicle. It can also save money you’d have to invest in buying ‘business’ clothes. Of course, you’ll still need fresh clothes for other occasions; we’re just suggesting that adequately dressing up for an office can be expensive.
Flexibility
Remote web design work opens opportunities for a lot of flexibility. You can go to a local coffee shop, beach, and from any country in the world as long as you have internet access. If their employers agree, people can even do web design jobs outside of traditional work hours.
However, keep in mind that when starting a remote job, it is the best practice to remove any distractions that might reduce your productivity. For best results, web developers and web designers need to create their own workspace at home and set boundaries with household members.
You Don’t Need to Go to School to Become a Web Designer
While a bachelor’s degree in computer science or other relative fields, such as graphic design or marketing, will give you a leg up in the industry, you don’t necessarily need to go to college to start a web design career. In fact, there are many successful associate degree web design workers who are in high demand because of their web design skills.
Once you get a good grasp on UX typography, Adobe Illustrator basic shapes, and design composition, and you manage to put web design theory into practice, you should be able to land a web design job without much trouble. We recommend completing certificate courses or similar education learning programs crafted specifically for web designers, as those will help you upgrade your web design skills much faster than learning everything on your own.
Web Design allows you to be creative
You might also be wondering, are web designers in demand during the era of DIY website building platforms and artificial intelligence systems uprise? To successfully provide eCommerce web design services, besides technical skills, you also need a high dose of creativity that will allow you to come up with the right solutions for each client.
To become successful, web designers and web developers need to have a vision of how the website will look and function from start to finish. They have to think outside the box and come up with unique ideas that will make a website stand out when compared to the competition. Agencies highly value web designers who can shine on the creative side of web projects.
Chance to work with advanced technology
From graphic design services to advanced WordPress custom web design, web designers work with advanced software to deliver satisfying client results. If you are a tech enthusiast, you will enjoy doing a web design job. While some professionals fear that artificial intelligence systems might reduce the demand for professional web designers, it is likely that AI will actually help web developers improve the quality of their work and allow them to focus on the creative side of web projects.
Plenty of opportunities in a growing web industry
Once you polish your web design skills and build a name for yourself in the industry, you will have plenty of opportunities at your disposal. You will be able to choose between working for a web design agency or working as a freelancer. Both agency and freelance career paths have their own pros and cons – but for beginners, we recommend getting an agency job, as it will allow you to improve your design skills faster by observing more experienced colleagues.
It is also worth noting that the average salary web developers and web designers get is expected to grow during this decade, which means you will experience an improvement in your life standard as you progress in a web design career. Bureau Labor Statistics show that we can expect about 22,000 web designer job openings each year until 2031. That suggests that there will be a lot of opportunities for getting hired in a growing web design industry.
You get to help client’s businesses grow
If you are still wondering whether web designers are in demand or not, remind yourself of the number of businesses that are struggling to grow their business in the digital environment. As a web designer, you will work closely with a team of web developers to turn website ideas into reality. There is always a special thrill in helping a small restaurant owner or a small clinic achieve a successful online presence and grow their businesses.
Ready to Become a Web Designer?
So are web designers in demand? We can assure you that passionate web designers and web developers with well-crafted skill sets are always welcome at Alpha Efficiency!
Join our team and discover new career web design opportunities that are waiting for you. We offer fully remote work and plenty of chances to achieve personal growth while working on exciting web projects. So are you ready to become a web designer?
