The design, layout, and the graphics of a website are the creations of web designers. If you work for one of the website design jobs from home, your primary role is to make a website look and feel according to what a client or company requires.
You could create wireframes, icons and images for websites. You may code your websites using languages such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript; or make use of applications and content management systems such as Drupal, Joomla, and WordPress.
You will perform all these and more not from a standard office, but from your home.
What Does A Website Designer Do
Website design is now one of the online jobs, which professionals could do from their home. To perform your tasks from home, you need proper equipment and tools. You need a working computer and a reliable internet service.
There are software applications you need to use in web designing so make sure that your computer has enough resources to accommodate necessary installations.
Some companies or employers will have a specific computer system and internet speed requirements while others do not.
Website Designer Vs Graphic Designer
Some website designers used to work as graphic designers and this could lead you to believe that the two careers are the same. They only share some similarities.
Graphic designers work on graphics, graphs, typography and images for the communication of an idea.
Their works involve digital and print projects. They deal with graphics in websites and prints. They do not concern themselves with programming.
Website designers also work on graphics, graphs, typography and images for the communication of an idea, the same with graphic designers.
However, their works are mainly websites and not print projects. A web designer should make a website that not only looks good but also loads efficiently.
There are restrictions (image resolution, file size, etc.) website designers deal with which graphic designers need not bother themselves with. Programming is another facet of the job that could differentiate a website designer from a graphic designer.
Thus, if you initially work as a graphic designer and are thinking of a career change to website designing, make sure you first learn all about coding and programming.
Website Design and Web Development
Website design is all about giving websites an aesthetic look and appeal while website development is all about the coding that makes sure this aesthetic look works well.
Today, a website designer has many designing tools to use, so some individuals think they can work as a web designer while disregarding coding.
Maybe they can but, to achieve perfect results for website creation, a website designer should have some understanding about coding. This will help in achieving better collaboration and teamwork between the web designer and the web developer.
Thus, you could say that a web designer has a bit of knowledge on programming while a web developer has an in-depth understanding of coding.
It is common to find website design job openings that not only calls for web designing talents but also website development skills.
Thus, if you wish to have better jobs and higher salaries, include learning how to code in your list of career improvement goals.
Duties and Responsibilities
A website designer is a visual architect who handles the layout, the buttons, the icons, the fonts and the colors of a website to make a website appeal to the internet users.
A website designer may design individual web pages or an entire website. The designing task also encompasses site navigation.
These days, people browse the web not only through computers and laptops but also through mobile phones and gadgets.
Thus, part of a web designer’s job is to mock up responsive websites that will look good on all devices, regardless of the screen size.
Since web designers who can program or code are now in demand, part of the job is to code websites and web pages in HTML or CSS. See Figure 1, for example.
Figure 1
This job opening for graphic web designer requires you to design and develop the company’s website, blog design and also its social media visuals. Note the HTML and CSS along with the Adobe programs in the bulleted list of qualifications that the company looks for in an applicant. This should tell you
Skills And Attributes
Website designers need to have creativity to come up with the website’s aesthetics. Yet, this creativity needs to go together with programming skills. You need to have an understanding about user experience so you can create a website that's good to look at, is easy to understand and navigate, and adheres to web design specifications and standards. You need to stay abreast on the latest website design trends.
The skills required in performing website design tasks are describable as technical since these skills include layout/navigation principles, color/typography, responsive web design, wire framing/prototyping, coding languages and design software knowledge.
The important attributes of a website designer include time and project management skills, communications or client relations skills and digital marketing skills. The digital marketing skills are not telemarketing per se where you need to make sales. Instead, these digital marketing may refer to the necessity to attract internet viewers to the website.
Patience is another key attribute of a web designer. If there are some errors or links that a web tester finds when checking the website, you patiently need to make necessary corrections.
Since the job is home-based, employers will expect you to have the discipline and capacity to work efficiently even when you are working on your own. Some employers will require you to stay logged on to Skype as you work to ensure proper communication.
Each job opening has a particular set of skills that a company or employer looks for. Look at Figure 2.
Figure 2
This website designer and developer job ad is looking for a person with high proficiency in HTML coding. He should have an excellent portfolio of his graphic, and web design works. He needs to communicate well in written English. He should have great organizational and time management skills and communication/presentation skills. Since this is remote job, it also requires high self discipline. You should keep your Skype account online so you can respond quickly.
Education and Qualifications
This online job requires college graduates, particularly those who have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, graphic arts (specializing in web design) and web programming.
Since these jobs are technical, employers are very particular with the qualifications they look for in applicants. Many job ads you will find prefer people with significant work experience. It is possible to find entry-level positions for website designing, but you need to first organize a professional portfolio. As you have read from Figure 2, an employer will want to look at your previous works to see how qualified you are. You need to read more about how you can build an impressive portfolio.
How To Apply
To apply to website design jobs you can do from home, start searching online for active work offers. You could find these job ads on different online job portals. You can apply using the application button and procedures of that job listing website where you found the advertisement or follow the application instructions in the ad.
Figure 3
From the figure above, you'll see an example of a job ad that contains specific instructions to follow if you want to apply.
Watch this video below to learn about a few companies that pay web designers to work from home.
When looking for website designer jobs, you might not read the title “web designer” on a job ad. Instead, you will find job advertisements with other names like “front-end developer, UI developer or UX developer”.
Look at Figure 4.
Figure 4
Figure 4 shows a list of job offers with UI or UX in the job title. Reading each job ad will lead you to find a job that suits your skills and qualifications as a web designer.
Potential Income
The salary of a remote website designer varies on many factors like experience, location and company. On Payscale, you'll know that the average hourly rate of a website designer in the Philippines is Php181.73 (monthly salary is Php29, 076.8 = 181.73 x 8 hours x 20 days), at least as of writing this post. You may use this as a basis or reference, but know this is only an approximate amount.
Figure 1 shows that the salary for the successful candidate is Php40,000 to 52,000. The job offer from Figure 3 is for web designers in the US, and the starting salary rate is higher at $40,000 annually.
Work Schedule
The work schedule of a website designer who works from home varies. An employer will most likely set the time of work. Others may offer a flexible work schedule. Figure 2, for example, shows that the company requires you to work from Monday to Friday on a flexible schedule, as long as you put in at least 165 hours in a month. Pay attention to the time zone they require you to work. Look at Figure 5 for another example.
Figure 5
In this example, the given work hours are 10 AM to 2 PM EST. This could mean that they require you to work on a fixed 40-hour schedule from Monday to Friday and the company provides you with a flexible schedule for your remaining 4 hours of work. If you apply to this job, discuss and confirm the work schedule with the employer to avoid confusion.
Benefits / Bonus/ Increase/ Training Provided
The benefits, perks, and training of a web designer who works from home vary per job position and company. Some companies are more generous, possibly because of their size and profits.
Figure 3, for instance, shows that the successful candidate will get medical/dental insurance, a company-matched retirement plan, and paid vacation leaves.
From Figure 5, the successful applicant will have 12 regular holidays after the probation period along with 5 paid days off.
Conclusion
PROS
CONS
If you are a graduate of a related course and have the skills and qualifications of a website designer, consider applying for these remote website design jobs. Although the job might seem complex and intricate, no job is easy if you really want to earn a good amount of money.