Web Design Crash Course: Everything You Need to Know

Choose the Basics 

While this seems like an obvious one, choosing a basic template to start with is not a given. With so much excitement to create powerful aesthetics, imagination starts to push basic out of the picture. It’s crucial to start with the standard (and simple) and gradually work your way towards the more complicated. 

For your first project, stay away from developing an eCommerce site, and start with something more manageable like a blog. A blog website will likely include a few service pages, some graphics, and other relevant content. It becomes more difficult to design websites that require product pages and descriptions, which should come along as a challenge later on. 

Find Inspiration from Relevant Designers 

The best way to get inspiration for your website is by looking at other designers’ work. Many sites are willing to showcase compelling visuals and websites created by artistic designers that may spark your curiosity and help you get started. 

You can view different design showcases on Webflow, where you’ll be spoiled with book covers, illustrations, posters, and blogs to gain inspiration. Pinterest is also another common platform to browse and save some of your favorite design pieces to begin with. 

Another great way to find ideas is to look outside the web framework. Web design can ultimately be found everywhere, including graphic novels, digital kiosks, magazines, and even brochures at your local grocery store. Learn to develop an attentive eye and build these habits early on to help create new strategic outlooks. 

Have Content Ready Before You Begin 

Putting content as your top priority means having it ready before you even begin designing your first website. Remember, you’re learning to design, not write, so the content doesn't have to be perfect. You can always edit the information and optimize for high rankings later on, but more importantly, have a rough draft that will fit into the elements on the website.

For example, if you’re starting out with a basic blog site, have content on every service page, and make sure that the content is relevant to every layout and element. When it comes to creating eCommerce sites later on, you don’t need to have all the content for every product, but have some general content pieces to test the layout and avoid empty spaces. 

As a general rule, designing your website with real content gives you a better visualization of how the website will look and function. It will also allow you to make changes earlier in the design process versus waiting until the end to make the final touches. 

Understand UX and UI

A website is a whole lot more than just some text and elements wandering around. The colors, layout, images, and typography all come together and should harmonize to create an emotional impact. UX, also known as user experience, concentrates on actually understanding your audience. What are they looking for? How will the design make it easier for them? Will they feel any emotional attraction to the visuals? 

When designing your first website, make things simple, communicate effectively, and make sure to meet your audience’s needs by prioritizing the relevant content and layout. Learning about your target audience and their challenges and needs will help you tailor a more successful site. 

On the other hand, you will also need to consider UI, which is user interface. Where UX focuses more on the user’s overall feel of the design, UI gets more specific. For example, if you were in a room, the UI would be the size and arrangement of the light buttons while UX would focus more on the colors, and design choices within the space. 

Learning the difference between UX and UI and what elements go into each category is crucial for a designer’s mindset. By studying web design, you’ll need to learn everything from the very basics of creating a template and moving elements to the more challenging aspects of analyzing your audience and focusing on what their experience should look like. 

If you’re ready to take on this exciting journey, Noble Desktop’s Web Design Certificate is the perfect start. Learn to create websites, emails, and web graphics all in one comprehensive bootcamp. Learn more about our web design classes today.