The Business of Web Design

Web design is now one of the hottest professions on Earth, if you know how to get the jobs. What was once an obscure, almost mystically technical profession is now mainstream, and making millions. If you’re designing websites for computer repairs, fashion, or breeding goldfish, you’ve entered into the biggest market in the world.

To jump into this market, one cannot be put off by drudge web design jobs. Focused on the real prizes and continue to develop skills and ideas. Talent knows no limitations. As with any other profession, effort needs to be put forth to get results.

Web design portfolio assets

The fact is that talent, when it’s let loose in a creative field like web design, can find its way to the top in a hurry. A truly inspired web designer who’s really creative and technically gifted can find business heading upscale very quickly indeed. It’s the portfolio that will propel you to the top.

For example, these are primary portfolio requirements:

• Graphics: technical issues and presentation: Web design is strongly visual to clients. Even the most technically demanding websites need to present very clearly and effectively. That’s also good design practice, and it can make your designs sing to the client or potential contract when you combine strong visual presence with functionality.
• Hard sell: The most effective designs are really hard sell designs, extremely high value to clients. They don’t just look great, they are great. They sell product simply because they’re great. If you can prove you can do work like this, you’ll have more work than you can handle.
• Platforms: The reason most web design employers specify platform performance is because they want to define standards. So do major web design contracts. Show something better than those standards, and you’re already on your way up to the top.
• Creativity: The joker in the web design pack is creativity. Nothing makes more impact than something people have never seen before. Good creative design can blow any competitor out of the water. It also kills of the middle of the road, pedestrian designers.

The portfolio is a broad spectrum which can be focused on particular lines of work or industries. Say you want to work in gaming web design. It’s a lot of fun, you love the work, and it also pays extremely well.

A portfolio may include:

• Excellent graphics skills, technical knowledge and natural flair for visual presentation.
• Very hard sell product, using excellent and appropriate subject matter.
• Clear markers of working with all relevant platforms, preferably current versions.
• Strong, unique creative materials, proving true talent. In the gaming field, the product values are largely defined by creativity. The unique presence of MMORPG games like World of Warcraft is actually defined by it.

This basic approach applies to web design in any industry, whether it’s computer support or bee keeping. The requirements of the industries for content vary a lot, but the ability to target the jobs is the real skill in developing a successful web design business.