In today’s world where the Internet is everywhere, web design is an essential skill to have. It’s because there is money to be made in the industry if you’re an excellent designer. Many people around the globe are showing interest in learning how to build and design websites. Are you looking for ways to learn web design? Well, you are in the right place.
Here are top 8 ways to study web design online.
Photo by Moose
1. YouTube
The best thing about YouTube is that you get to have a variety of lectures. YouTube has many tutorials available on web design to choose from. They are also in different languages and you can learn at any time. You are not limited to one tutorial unlike in a regular school; you can choose which tutorial to pick from anyone around the world. Someone trying to study in Mumbai could easily access YouTube lessons taught by web designers in New York City.
2. Coursera
Coursera has a variety of topics and video lectures. Professionals deliver the lectures and payment is made. Coursera courses last about four to ten weeks, with one or two hours of video lectures. You can choose a course that fits your time. Based on your choice, you can start with the beginner’s class or advanced level. These courses provide weekly exercises, quizzes, and sometimes final projects or exam. Unlike YouTube, Coursera offers certification of the course completed.
Credits: Lina Leusenko
3. eBooks
It can be tricky to have a physical book that you read and code. An excellent way to learn is using an eBook. You can get eBooks on different websites, and some of them are even free. The best part about eBooks is that you can read them from anywhere and keep learning on the go. Just find the right one to read and gather the skills that you need for web design.
Some good eBooks for web design are:
- HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites
- Learning How to Make Web Pages Functional
- Designing with Web Standards
- Learning Web Design: A Beginners Guide
4. Blogs
There are some blogs you can find whose sole purpose is web design. You can find useful articles that can give you valuable tips on where to begin and where to go next. Most of the people who write these blogs have been part of a web development program. You can use the experiences that they have to your advantage and learn the dos and don’ts. The blogs also serve as an excellent reference as most of them will give you clues on which courses to join, which eBooks to download or direct you to various links.
Some of the web design blogs include:
- Webdesigner Depot
- Smashing Magazine
- Icons8 Blog
- Webdesignledger
- Mockplus blog
- Web Design Library
- Webappers
- Hacking UI
- 1stwebdesigner
5. Solo Learn
SoloLearn is an award-winning site when it comes to coding, and it’s free. If they know coding, the web designers can enhance their work. Having experience with CSS and HTML can turn out to be essential on your part. HTML stands for “Hypertext Markup Language.” Every website is made from HTML. CSS stands for “Cascading Style Sheet.” CSS makes a website pretty and colorful, while HTML is just the skeleton. Those vibrant colors for apps and sites that you see on a website are a result of CSS. Coding isn’t necessary for web designers, however, knowing how to do it can help. Web designers can put a feature that will be easier and make more sense for the coder when it comes to constraints.
Other coding websites include:
- Google Code University – Google developer created it
- W3Schools – You can learn the necessary coding language
- Code Avengers – It allows one to participate in their bug hunting and coding challenge programs
- Don’t Fear the Internet
- Learn Layout
- Aquent Gymnasium
- Webmaking 101
6. Quora
It is doubtful that when you start learning web design, you will blaze through whatever you learn. That is where Quora comes to the rescue; it has different communities to answer different questions. You might find yourself with questions on how or what to do during design. All the questions that you might have, you can put on this website, and people will surely give you helpful answers. Anytime you feel stuck or don’t understand something, you can ask for suggestions.
Credits: Berin Catic
7. WebPlatform
This organization is an open community of developers building resources for a better web. It allows the beginner to learn web development. Their main aim is to bring the distributed contents all over the internet to one place. It makes it easier for people who need the data to access it. Anyone can share, comment on the WebPlatform blog, contribute to the references and communicate through the IRC channel. The sources of study are compiled in an easy way to help you find the topic that you wish to read. The documentation contains sections titled Beginners Guide, HTML, CSS General Web Concepts, JavaScript, DOM, etc., which are imported initially from resources maintained by involved parties. WebPlatform is becoming popular among the web learning community and is supported by the likes of Google, Adobe, and Facebook.
8. TreeHouse
TreeHouse is a technology school that offers beginner to advanced classes in web design, web development, and game development online. The courses are project-oriented, and if you want to make a website on your own, you can focus on just that. Their learning programs include videos with interactive quizzes and code challenges. You can access all their courses at a fee, and when you become more skilled, you can upgrade for more interaction with the experts and access workshops. You can go straight to a project or choose from foundation courses in HTML, CSS, Ruby, JavaScript, Rails or CSS3.
Warnings
- When you are tired, stop, take a break, and don’t burn yourself as you won’t be able to learn anything.
- Be extra careful when downloading programs. Some of them could be viruses.
- Before signing up for a website, do your research. Some sites could be money-making scams.
- Lastly, there is something called the infinite loop in scripting languages. Programmers dread infinite loops so be careful.
Credits: Fireart Studio
Conclusion
You do not always need qualifications to become a web designer. However, you need to show skills in using coding software like HTML and CSS, visual design, search engine optimization, and using design software like Photoshop. When you’re a beginner, it is common that you might have a rough time starting in this complex field. But, with free web page design tools, you can find your way around.
About the Author: Richard Nolan is a professional educator and team building coach, sharing his experience in spheres of writing, blogging, entrepreneurship, and psychology. Currently, Richard works as an editor-in-chief for EssayWriterSite. Follow him on Facebook.
Title image by Igor Kozak
Read how to make a website if you aren’t a designer, check a case study on creating a photo stock website.
