5 Important Things Every Web Designer Needs To Know

If you don’t want to read nearly 3,000 words on 5 important things every web designer needs to know, I got you. Here’s a podcast

Well, it’s official.

Selfmadewebdesigner.com turned 1 year old! ?

It’s been a pretty awesome year. I’ve gotten the chance to help a lot of people up their game as web designers or get started altogether.

And, from having the chance to talk to so many folks, I’ve found there are a few things that are super important to understand if someone is going to continue to grow as a web designer. In fact, most of the time the advice I consistently give can be boiled down to about 5 things.

It’s been pretty cool to see pattern’s emerge from the interactions I’ve had with people reaching out for advice on their journey as web designers.

And, thankfully, a lot of what people are struggling with is EXACTLY what I struggled with when I was first getting started OR have struggled with at some point along the way.

So, I thought it might be a good idea to just dive into what my answers typically are to the awesome people I’ve gotten to meet.

Are you ready?

1. You Can Reduce Risk But You Can’t Make it Vanish

Most of the time when someone reaches out it’s to bounce an idea off of me OR see if their game plan is going to be successful.

I get that.

Before you make a big decision you want to be sure it’s the right one. After all, there’s a lot riding on whether or not you decide to push forward.

But, here’s the thing, no one can tell you if things are going to work out or not. You just have to do it and find out.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot to be said for doing your homework and having a solid game plan before you jump into becoming a web designer.

I would never advocate for throwing all caution to the wind, quitting your job and hoping for the best.

But, most of the time the people that want to chat with me have already done a pretty good amount of research.

So, what is it that keeps people from just getting started after they’ve done their due dilligence?

One word. Fear.

It’s all the “what if” questions.

• “What if things don’t work out?”
• “What if I can’t figure out how to fix a problem or do something a client needs?”
• “What if I end up wasting a whole bunch of time and money?”

At the core of all those questions is the fear of failure.

And, being afraid of failing can actually be a good thing if it’s used correctly. BUT, most of us have a really unhealthy relationship with failure.

Repeat after me: “Failure is your friend.”

I know that might be hard to comprehend BUT HEAR ME OUT.

I once heard that winners fail a lot more often than losers do.

Why?

Because failure gives you insight that you would never get from winning on your first try. And, you need that insight if you’re going to be successful.

It’s so important that you see failure for what it really is. It’s not a statement about your value or worth as a person. It’s data that you can collect to make sure you do better next time.

When you look at failure that way it gives you permission to fail quickly and fail often.

Now, I’m not saying you should try to fail or to not try hard enough to actually have a shot at winning. That kind of failure is just from stupidity.

But, you should be okay if things don’t go as planned and you’ve got to make some adjustments along the way to your game plan.

That’s not failing. That’s just normal living.

Once you’ve got your relationship with failure down there are a few things you can do to reduce the perception of risk.

1. Safety Nets
   1. There’s nothing wrong with having a little bit of cushion in the bank account or a backup plan in case things go sideways.
      
      I don’t know why we romanticize burning bridges to what was our former way of life. I don’t know people that do that in real life.
      
      It’s okay to come up with alternatives or have an “if all else fails” strategy if the worst happens. It will give you peace of mind and make things seem less risky.
2. Build a Supportive Community
   1. No one becomes successful on their own. And, if you’re going to be successful as a web designer you’ve got to create a strong community around you that helps to support and guide you along your journey.
      
      And, when you build a strong community it actually reduces the amount of risk you take when you’re making a big life decision.
      
      I’m going to quote a Bible verse BUT don’t check out on me. There’s some good wisdom in it despite whether or not you believe everything it says to be true:
      
      Proverbs 15:22 says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed.”
      
      I’ve found that to be so true when it comes to making big decisions BECAUSE your community will be able to see blind spots and solutions to problems that you are just simply unable to see.
3. Make Milestones
   1. It’s to be really anxious about being successful when you don’t even know what the path to success looks like. So, having some benchmarks along the way that let you know you’re heading in the right direction can be a HUGE key to success.
      
      So, my encouragement is to make some mile markers that tell you you’re on the right path. Things like a certain dollar amount for a project OR being able to use a certain tool or develop in a certain language.
      
      And, then when you hit those milestones, CELEBRATE! It’s much easier to be aware of your faults than it is your triumphs.
      
      So, if you’re not intentionally looking for those small successes that occur along the road to big success you might miss them.

At the end of the day, doing all those things can help BUT they won’t make you feel 100% confident. You’re just going to have to go for it.

2. Being Self-Taught is Easier for Some Than it is Others

I’m of the mindset that anyone can learn anything.

I used to not always think this way. I used to believe that people with born with certain genetic traits that made them more or less likely to have certain skills.

And, listen there’s still a lot to be learned about whether or not that’s true. BUT, so much has come out recently about the plasticity of our brains which is basically a fancy way of saying no matter who you are or what your genetic predisposition your much more capable of learning whatever you want than you think!

That being said, I believe anyone can learn web design on their own.

BUT, some of the people I’ve talked to have an easier go at it than others.

Here are a few key insights I’ve found in the folks who are able to stick it out.

1. Know What Motivates You
   1. You have to have a good idea of what motivates you to learn web design. As Simon Sinek has made famous, you’ve got to know your why.
      
      It’s really easy to lose motivation when you’re doing something that requires a lot of effort and takes a long time to accomplish.
      
      And, guess what becoming a web designer takes both of those things.
      
      So, along the way you will lose motivation (sorry this isn’t an awesome pep talk)
      
      But, knowing that can actually help you win because you can prepare for it before you even get started.
      
      So, write down why you’re doing this in the first place. When your motivation starts to wane come back to it and read it to yourself. Post it on your bathroom mirror or in your car.
      
      I have a folder on my computer with encouraging notes from people that have found Self-Made Web Designer.
      
      When I’m starting to lose motivation I use that folder to help me keep going. I don’t look at it a ton BUT I know it’s there and it helps me press on.
2. Set Deadlines
   1. It’s been said that a goal without a date is just a dream.
      
      If you’re going to be successful teaching yourself web design you’re going to have to put your money where your mouth is and set some deadlines.
      
      I don’t know about you but I’m the kind of person that needs to have a deadline in order to get anything done. The first question I ask people when they’ve got a project is “When do you need this finished?”
      
      That’s not for them. That’s for me!
      
      If I don’t have that then I inevitably find plenty of other things to do because I don’t feel any pressure to finish the task.
      
      So, do yourself a favor and set some deadlines. And, don’t just make it something like “Learn web design 1 year from now.”
      
      That won’t work. They’ve got to be small measurable steps that lead to a bigger outcome.
      
      A good framework to use is from the acronym S.M.A.R.T.
      
      Make your goals:
      Specific
      Measurable
      Achievable
      Relevant
      Time-Based
3. Have Some Accountability
   1. Having someONE or someTHING to keep you on track is a huge part to most self-taught web designer’s success.
      
      That’s why a lot of folks opt-in for the traditional education model. We need a negative consequence like getting a bad grade or wasting money on a class to keep us going.
      
      BUT, there are ways to hold yourself accountable that don’t require a professor and a grade book.
      
      In fact, having a group of people who are on the same journey as you that are committed to following up with you along the way can be super effective.
      
      So, find some people that want to become a web designer and go in on it together. Meet together and check up on one another’s progress.
      
      If you’d rather go it alone than make a personal pact with yourself.
      
      For a goal I’m trying to accomplish this quarter I’ve promised to burn $100 if I don’t reach it.
      
      Why not give it away instead of burning it?
      
      Because it would be much easier for me to justify giving away money than it would be to straight-up waste it.
      
      Trust me, I am way more motivated to avoid having to burn money than I am giving it away.
      
      So, figure out what kind of pact would keep you accountable and put that in place.
4. Set Realistic Expectations
   1. It’s so important when you’re first getting started to realize this is a long game.
      
      Becoming a successful web designer will not happen overnight. And, your journey will likely not look like anyone else’s.
      
      So, if you compare yourself to someone who is 10 years down the road from you, you’re going to get discouraged and likely quit.
      
      The best thing to do is realize that longevity is the name of the game.
      
      Most people that are successful just found a way to outlast their competition.

My encouragement to anyone wanting to learn web design is to always try the self-taught route first. I realize it’s not for everyone. There could be a ton of different reason why it works for some and not others.

BUT, if you give it a shot, it just might save you a lot of money in the process. In fact, even when you go the “traditional education” route you’re going to have to put a lot of effort into learning things your teachers leave out of their lessons.

3. Soft Skills are Just as Important as Technical Skills

When you ask someone what it takes to be a successful web designer you will most likely hear things like “creativity” or “frontend development skills.” And, that’s true.

But, a lot of times what makes someone a really successful web designer has more to do with their ability to build relationships or the ability to be empathetic than anything else.

Soft skills are HUGELY important if you want to make it as a web designer.

Here’s the good news: you can learn soft skills just like you can learn the technical skills.

I don’t know at what point we start thinking that who we are as people (our traits, our personality, etc) just can’t be changed. But, I’ve found that who you are is a very flexible concept.

In other words, “old dogs can learn new tricks.”

Is it harder the older you get? Maybe. Some studies are showing that it might be a little more difficult to learn the things that are more associated with soft skills as you get older.

BUT, those same studies are finding that it has less to do with age and more to do with mindset.

One of the first interviews I did for the Self-Made Web Designer Podcast was with a good friend Anthony Garone.

He talked about how he had to teach himself soft skills because none of them came naturally to him.

So, good news if you don’t feel like you’re strong in the soft skills area you can learn them. All it takes is a bit of effort and intentionality.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Pivot

I’ve interviewed so many people on the podcast who are in a completely different place today than where they thought they would be 5 years ago.

One journalist is now a UX designer.

Two IT support guys now run a web design business.

One teacher is now a rep for a new hosting platform that could potentially rock the industry.

In other words, their success as web designers is because they didn’t stick to their first game plan.

They changed directions along the way based on what they found on the journey. And, if you’re going to be successful as a web designer you’ve got to be willing to pivot.

Don’t get me wrong, there is something to be said about sticking to something for a little bit of time.

But, after you’ve stayed around long enough by all means do something differently.

That doesn’t mean you’ve got to do an about face. But it might mean you make small adjustments in a direction you didn’t think you would go.

When you’re first getting started it’s tough to know which direction is the right direction. But, as you progress the right path will begin to become clearer and clearer.

And, if you’re not willing to make adjustments you might get stuck in a lane that you won’t really thrive in.

5. You Don’t Need to Know Code to Be Successful But…

One question that comes up pretty consistently is whether or not you need to know code in order to be a successful web designer.

My answer is always, “Yes, but…”

Let’s talk about the “yes” part of the equation first.

I know plenty of people who are incredibly successful web designers that don’t know a lick of code.

They’ve built their web design business on platforms like Showit or Wix.

BUT…they also had other skills that made them stand out.

They were also really good at branding and marketing OR great at interpreting a clients vision and putting it into a website OR seeing what the client really needed to be successful.

In other words, you probably won’t be successful on your design skills alone. You’re going to have to bring more to the table if you want to be successful as a web designer.

A lot of times when people ask that question what they’re really asking me is, “What’s the least I can do to be successful.”

And, if you’re asking that question, I have bad news for you. You probably won’t find success.

Web design is getting easier and easier. Drag and drop platforms like Showit or Webflow make web design super accessible to people that have never even heard of HTML.

And, the truth is things will probably get even easier as time goes on. So, if you’re going to survive as a web designer you are going to have to continually add skills an expertise to the mix of what you offer clients.

Does it have to be knowing how to code? No. But it sure can help.

If learning to code is what is keeping you from becoming a web designer then by all means forget HTML, CSS and anything language you might come across.

BUT, be ready to learn some other skills that will help you add value to clients that will one day ask you to build their website.

If you don’t it’s pretty likely that it won’t be long before you don’t have a lot of folks interested in your services.

Lessons from Self-Made Web Designers First Year

It really has been an incredible year.

I’ve been so thankful for all the people that have found Self-Made Web Designer and been helped by it or just been a part in some small way.

And, to be honest, I love the fact that most people need the same advice. That means that I can get really good at explaining it and as a result really good at helping people.

In fact, I consider it one of my primary jobs just to encourage people to keep going or give it a shot.

If anything I’ve learned that anyone can become a web designer. It just takes some grit and some intentionality.

So, if you’re coming here looking for a bit of advice on your journey, the best I can say is:

1. Don’t be afraid to fail
2. Have a game plan for going the self-taught route
3. Work on soft skills as you’re working on technical skills
4. Don’t be afraid to pivot
5. Make sure you add more skills than just web design to the mix

If you can do those things, you’ll be alright.

Here’s to another year!

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