The big trend right now in web design is what is often referred to as the “Web 2.0-style.” It includes large fonts, gradients, the word ‘beta’ and gloss. As a designer it’s good to learn and be able to utilize these trends but be careful not to become the trend.

One of the things I always enjoy hearing from clients or a potential client is that they find my design style unique. I really try not to design what I refer to as cookie-cutter sites—I may not always succeed but at least I try. The point being is if all my sites in my portfolio look the same, I’m not going to get a diverse set of clients and within time, my portfolio will look outdated and no one will want to hire me because I look so “yesterday.”

Though it is important to be able to give the client what they want it’s equally important to try and come up with something fresh that makes you stand out from the masses because everyone and their brother these days are designing for “Web 2.0” so anything that can make you stand out (in a good way) is a good thing.

The title may not sound web design centric but I swear I’ll tie it altogether. Web designer’s live and die by the Internet. We seek out and view numerous web sites for inspiration and to see what the “competition” is doing. Most of us pay our bills online, shop online, have “friends” online we’ve never actually met and we even watch TV and videos online these days. A common misconception among some of these designers is that there is nothing to learn about web design outside the Internet.

If you’re a designer as well as developer, if you don’t keep your mind active on varied things, you’re losing out on great design that doesn’t live inside your monitor. I find my friends sometimes annoyed by me because I’ll be walking along the aisle in the grocery store and they find me staring at a box of food. Often what they’ve found me doing is looking at how it’s designed. Same thing happens when I go to the mall—I’m constantly looking at Point of Purchase displays for inspiration. So remember to look to the “real world” for design inspiration because there is so much of it to be had—good and bad.

With CSS becoming more prevalent in web design (thank goodness!) there are things you can do in design that was much more difficult to accomplish using tables. An area that is often overlooked for design is the sites’ footer. There is no reason not to think of footer design in the overall design of a site. Below are some terrific examples of creative footer design:

• Catalyst Logo Design: This site uses a nice graphic background behind the footer text.
• Cabana Digital: Another nice usage of a graphic background used in concert with the footer text.
• GUILOGO: In case you’ve forgotten what the logo for this site looks like, it’s included in the footer for good measure. (more…)

There are many things blogging can do for a web designer—it shows your knowledge and expertise in the field, it helps you make new contacts with other designers and developers and most importantly it will improve your own writing skills. I have made several contacts with other designers I admire because of my blogging and being able to bounce my designs off them is an added bonus. It’s always beneficial to get constructive criticism from fellow designers.

When it comes to business, good writing skills can help you in your career as a web designer/developer—especially when it comes to writing Request for Quotes and other client communications. (more…)

There will come a time when a client hires you and they request a design that is less than “aesthetically pleasing.” Part of the business of web design is doing something you wouldn’t normally do. I have sites that I could include in my portfolio but choose not to because they’re poorly designed by request of the client and it’s my option to not show the site. Unfortunately, we can only guide a client so far but ultimately it comes down to doing what it is they want. Of course you have options—you could give the client their deposit back and say no thanks or you can suck it up and do what they want. (more…)

Some folks aren’t aware how powerful Firefox is for web development. There are several extensions available to help with our job of designing web sites. Below is a short list to help get you started.

• The Web Developer Toolbar: [http://chrispederick.com/work/webdeveloper/]
Adds a menu and a toolbar with various web developer tools.
• Colorzilla: [http://www.iosart.com/firefox/colorzilla/]
Advanced Eyedropper, Color picker and Page zoomer
• MeasureIt: [http://www.kevinfreitas.net/extensions/measureit/]
A ruler to measure your screen with
• HTML Validator: [http://users.skynet.be/mgueury/mozilla/]
Adds HTML validation to the ‘View Page Source’ of the browser
• Screen Grab!: [http://andy.5263.org/screengrab/]
Takes a screen shot of your web page.

I don’t mean personal validation, though to many that’s important too. What I’m referring to is validating your web sites’. Besides having the personal satisfaction of writing well-formed code, it also offers the end-user some benefits.

Benefits of Validation
• A valid web site loads faster because the browser doesn’t have to correct errors.
• A valid web site offers accessibility to disabled visitors.
• A valid web site is cross-browser compatible.
• Finally, a valid web site is better for search engine optimization.

Clients are getting the message about search engine optimization and because clients are learning about SEO they may ask that a web site validate. Even though they may not know what it entails they do know the benefits and as a web designer you should be able to say, “Yes, I can create a valid web site.”

When I first started doing web design, you’d see sites with the text “This site best viewed with….” I always took exception to this because I’ve been a Mac user for some time and this usually meant the site I was visiting wouldn’t work for me.

I make it a point to make sure every site I design works on as many platforms and in as many browsers as possible—it isn’t only common sense but good business practice. There are tools that help with doing this if you don’t own both a Mac and a PC—though with Intel Macs, there isn’t a reason beyond price tag to keep you from having both platforms available to you.

Both of the services below take screenshots of your site in different browsers and on different platforms. It’s a good tool to have in your arsenal.

• Browsercam [http://www.browsercam.com/] – Pay Service
• Browsershots [http://browsershots.org/] – Free Service

I sometimes think of myself as the ‘Johnny Appleseed’ of web design. I go forth and plant seeds of knowledge with potential clients and I do it not because I want to seem like a know-it-all but because it helps them down the road, which in turn can help me.

Sometimes as web designers we forget that we’re working with people who don’t know what we know and it’s important for us to educate our clients on the process. Potential clients often need help in communicating what it is they want and that’s part of the job of being a web designer. So remember when working with clients to take a step back and look at the project from their perspective and remember that you need to teach as well as do.

To have continued success as a web designer, you must diversify your skill set. Not only do you need to know how to create a web site but you should also know how to create and edit themes for various content management systems, know how to design blog templates and possibly even design Myspace pages. This sometimes means downloading and installing different web applications and working with them so if a project comes up, you’ll have knowledge, even only if it’s vague, of what you’re talking about and working with. The more you’re able to offer to potential clients if you’re freelancing or potential employers if entering the workforce only helps to increase your worth in the field.