Whether you build websites for fun, or want to make a career out of it, it’s important to note that the technology is continuously changing. Because of this, it’s vital that you keep your knowledge up to date and refresh your skills. If you’re currently wondering what you could do to improve, read on. We’re going to provide you with five options that could all work in your favor.
1. Start with the Theory
The first thing you’ll want to do is start with the theory. You can either purchase books related to web design, sign up to online courses, or take a course at a local school or college. You can learn everything from to responsive design, and even coding, and every extra thing you learn will place you a step ahead of the competition. Courses and books are available for people of all different levels of experience, so whether you need beginner help or want to take your current skills to the next level, you’ll surely find something suitable.
2. Build a Sandbox Site
The next thing you’ll want to do is build a sandbox website where you can practice your skills without them affecting your clients. After all, practicing on an in-production site is a big no-no! You can do this easily with a local host. Simply build a sandbox and try out new design concepts without fear of anything. If you do run into problems, you can simply reset the sandbox to an earlier point in time, while making note of what caused the error.
3. Give and Receive Critiques
Exchanging feedback with another designer can prove immensely helpful, and it’s one of the best ways to improve your knowledge. Giving feedback to other designers can help you to improve your own skills. If something isn’t quite right with a designer’s website, you can explain why and what you would do to change it. Not only are you helping out a fellow professional, but you’ll be practicing communication skills that will be useful for design jobs in the future. Of course, this works the other way around too and you may end up learning some new tips and techniques that could boost your knowledge too.
4. Pay Attention to Trends
Finally, it’s also important to pay attention to trends. As we said in the introduction, technology is constantly changing and if you want to remain at the top of your game, you need to be willing to learn and be able to implement each trend as it is released. Some of the biggest ones over the last decade include the end of Flash, and the expansion of responsive design. Those who are still designing in Flash, and designing websites that can only be viewed clearly on PCs and laptops are not going to be highly sought after by many people.
Improving your web design skills should be something you do regularly, so don’t neglect this task!