“What It Takes to Move from Beginner to Intermediate Web Designer/Developer”
by: Anna Yoakum
I’ve been familiar with the very basics of web development and coding for a large part of
my life. Most of my prior knowledge came from social media blogging websites that I
entertained as a teenager. Web blogging platforms like Xanga, Myspace and Blogger were a big
part of my life when I was younger. I loved figuring out how to change the colors, text,
backgrounds, images, and layout of the visual element of the blog. And honestly that was my
idea of web design for a long time: simply changing the visual aesthetics. It wasn’t until I took
web classes that I realized there’s a lot more to it than just what you see: functionality is crucial
to emphasize right alongside the visuals, if not more.
But first, I want to touch on the visual element. It is important for a website to tell a
story and to engage the audience. And the way that you do that is create a strong brand and
implement consistency within that brand. It is important to use color strategically to project
clean, understandable, relevant and modern design. Consistency within color is also key. Using
a color palette that complements branding elements like logo is always a good idea. Another
good storytelling element is investing in good, professional photography for web design. Stock
photos are great resource for non-generic photography, a crucial must in order to set apart a
website. Another important visual facet is to choose fonts that are easy to read across several
devices and browsers, from phones to desktops. Universality is key when choosing fonts to be
read on a screen. Readability is also a must; fancy scripts or decorative fonts don’t always
translate well on tiny screens, so it’s best to stick to no more than two web font families.
