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Why Web Designers Love Their Jobs

By Clare Kaufman
Learning & Life Columnist
August 24, 2007

"You're on the front end of a wave, working with a new medium, helping to carve it out," says Keith Robinson, explaining the attraction of Web design. Our world is going virtual, and Web designers are at the forefront, shaping the experience.

Web designers are the artists and architects of the World Wide Web. They create the virtual environments in which we meet, interact, shop, conduct business, spark romances, get our college education, and much more. Web designers draw on their artistic sensibilities, technical expertise, and business sense to build Web sites that are both visually compelling and easy to use. With the Internet still in its formative stages--its "adolescent phase," according to TrendSearch--Web designers face a booming job market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks Web design among the fastest-growing careers through 2014; Monster.com tracked 26% job growth in 2006 alone. Web designers average $52,000 per year, but salaries can top $100,000 with the right technical qualifications and experience.

The Right Stuff for Web Design

Web designers draw on both sides of the brain to build sites that blend form and function. Creativity and design training help them generate a compelling visual presence online. Analytical skills and technical expertise allow them to produce a 'smart' site, intuitive and easy to navigate. Commercial Web designers build on business skills to drive online sales or marketing efforts.

Web designers work with marketing professionals, project managers, programmers, and information architects to strategize and build a company's Web presence. They may take a position in the marketing department, work with a design firm or advertising agency, or set up shop as an independent contractor.

Besides design skills, Web designers rely on technical expertise and business communications training. A bachelor's degree in Web design combines elements of graphic design, visual communications, and computer science. Some programs include a special business emphasis.

The rise of the Internet has put artists at the forefront of a media revolution. Take up the creative challenge with an online degree in Web design and help determine the shape of things to come.

Sources

• Fast Company, "10 Hot Jobs for 2007"
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Computer Scientists & Database Administrators"

About the Author
Clare Kaufman is a freelance writer who covers education and career-related topics. She has a graduate degree in English.

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