Discover the Best Web Design Classes Online
As more and more aspects of our daily lives have moved online, it has become significantly more important for companies and institutions to place a premium on the look and feel of their online presence. This means hiring skilled Web Designers who can create webpages that are visually appealing, user-friendly and functional. While many web design classes will teach students how to write computer code, many also emphasize the importance of having strong visual design skills. No matter where you live, online classes give you the opportunity to study design and development skills in real-time, and students who enroll in online classes won’t need to worry about the quality of their instruction.
Best Web Design Classes & Schools
CourseHorse has gathered together some of the finest web design courses that students can enroll in online. These classes range from immersive certificate programs designed with career-seekers in mind to introductory courses for students looking to learn the basics of web design principles. Students can find classes that emphasize coding, or they can find classes that pay more attention to visual design principles. No matter what kind of class you are looking for, there is an option available that will suit your needs.
Noble Desktop offers an immersive Web Design Certificate program aimed at providing students with the practical career training they need to find work as professional Web Designers. The course teaches students how to use Figma to design and structure working prototypes of web applications and how to create these prototypes with an eye for visual design (ensuring that the finished product looks and feels good). Then, students will learn how to program a web application using HTML/CSS and JavaScript, giving them the tools they need to turn their prototype designs into real, working web applications. Students will also work with WordPress, the most popular content management system on the market, which is utilized in the infrastructure of nearly 40% of all active webpages. As a career-focused program, students enrolled will work on building a professional design portfolio, and they will receive one-on-one career mentorship.
NYC Career Centers’ Web Development with HTML and CSS is an introductory coding course for students looking to learn the basics of programming webpages using the two most essential languages for modern internet infrastructure. Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is used to instruct a computer on how to visually distinguish different elements of a web page (it is telling your computer to present this article in multiple paragraphs), and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) provides the visual display information (it is the language telling your computer what size and font to use for this text, for example). Learning these languages is vital for anyone looking to work in the field of web design, and NYC Career Center’s introductory course is an excellent place to start training.
Future Media Concepts offers a similar introductory course in its Web Design Fundamentals program. In this course, students will learn the basics of writing HTML/CSS code and the process of creating complex, interlinking webpages. Students will receive guided instruction on the process of building advanced features into a web application, including CSS-driven forms, downloadable PDF files and other common website features. As with most HTML/CSS classes, students will need additional training in order to design webpages that feel modern, but this is a foundational set of skills that all programmers will need to learn.
Students looking to study web design without an emphasis on coding can enroll in a class like Computer Training Solutions, Inc.’s WordPress Level 1. In this course, students will receive hands-on training using the most popular content management system available. WordPress is popular because it makes designing complex, interactive webpages incredibly easy, and the baseline templates offer a range of complex functionalities. WordPress can even be used to build ecommerce platforms and company webpages. While not an essential part of this course, students who later learn HTML/CSS and JavaScript will still benefit from WordPress training as they will be able to build their own widgets and templates.
Industries That Use Web Design
Owing to the importance of having an online presence, virtually every industry, from manufacturing to healthcare, employs Web Designers. This is especially true for industries and institutions that have elements of public outreach or marketing since the internet is where many individuals consume the most information and content. Web design is also essential in nonprofit and public service sectors since governments, advocacy groups, lobbying organizations and educational institutions need to communicate with the public, and this often starts with a strong web presence.
Importantly, many Web Designers work as freelancers or as part of a design studio, which means that they will often have the luxury of working from home. This means that changing careers is significantly easier for web design professionals since they are less likely to need to move to a new state or city. In addition, web design is a field that rewards freelancers, making it a useful skill to learn if you want to work for yourself.
Web Design Jobs & Salaries
Most trained web design professionals will find work as either Web Designers or, eventually, Design Directors. Titles vary from position to position, but the general requirements of each job remains consistent.
Web Designers work on individual design projects, often as part of a team working together to complete a complex, multi-page website. They will need to know how to collaborate with others, how to design webpages using tools like Figma and how to respond to feedback and work with clients to create a functional finished product. They may need to know how to code webpages but this will vary depending on the job opening. In the US, Web Designers earn an average salary of $50,000.
Design Directors are responsible for overseeing and managing the teams of designers working on complex projects. They are not only tasked with the management of individual elements of the design process but also with ensuring that the finished product is a cohesive, consistent web application that meets the needs of the stakeholders. Design Directors will need to know design principles and theories and they will need training in interpersonal management. Often, they are promoted from within the company and begin their tenure as Web Designers. In the US, a Design Director earns an average annual salary of $121,000.
What Will I Need to Learn Web Design?
Web design is far from the most technologically intensive skills that you can learn and almost all you need to start learning is a working knowledge of computers. Students will need to download a code editing application, but there are numerous free options available for new programmers. Almost all programming languages are free and open-source and while there are a wide range of tools designed to make the process of programming easier, they are not necessary for beginners (and many of them, like Git, are also free).
If you are planning to learn web design through an online course, you will need to make sure that your computer is prepared to run a code editor alongside the virtual classroom (likely hosted over a Zoom call). This isn’t the most intensive use of processing power, particularly for students looking to learn basic programming skills with HTML/CSS, but it is still a consideration. Students will also need to consider the time and effort that it takes to regularly attend an online course, since some of the certificate programs can be fairly expensive and require students to attend multiple classes a week.
Is it Difficult to Learn Web Design?
Web design can be as challenging or as simple to learn as you want to make it. Students who want to learn the very basics of working with Figma and WordPress can pick up the required skills in only a few classes. Students who want to learn to code intricate web applications in JavaScript will need significantly more training. Thankfully, there is a wide range of courses for students looking to learn basic or advanced web design skills. Students can explore the various options available on CourseHorse and mix and match different classes to ensure that they get the training they need to achieve their web design goals.
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