The Only 5 Skills Required for a Web Designer (That Actually Matter)

You know that feeling when you look at an amazing website and can instantly tell a pro built it…someone who’s mastered the essential skills required for a web designer?

Meanwhile, you’re staring at your own designs wondering what’s missing. You’ve taken courses, watched tutorials, maybe even read a few design books. But something still feels… off.

Here’s the thing: after 10 years of building sites, breaking down design systems, and honestly just making a lot of mistakes, I can tell you there are really only five skills required for a web designer that separate the beginners from the pros.

And no, you don’t need to master every design trend or learn 47 different tools.

By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly which skills to focus on to level up fast and actually feel confident calling yourself a web designer.

AND, if you don’t want to read nearly 2,000 words, you can watch the video:

Why Most Web Designers Focus on the Wrong Skills Required for a Web Designer

Here’s what I wish someone had told me when I started: most new designers get caught up in learning everything at once.

They think they need to master Photoshop, Figma, Adobe XD, Showit, WordPress, and about 15 other tools before they can call themselves a “real” designer.

But that’s not what separates good designers from great ones.

The skills required for a web designer to truly stand out aren’t about knowing every tool in the book. They’re about mastering a few fundamental areas that make everything else click into place.

Skill #1: Typography (The Most Critical Skill Required for a Web Designer)

Let’s start with typography…probably the most overlooked skill in web design.

Outside of white space, text takes up the most real estate on a website. But most designers treat it like an afterthought.

If you want to level up to senior designer status, typography has to become a priority.

99% of web designers can’t tell the difference between good type choices and bad ones. Sure, they might feel when something’s off, but it stops there.

But here’s the good news: you only need to master two questions to become a typography pro.

Question 1: How Do I Pick the Right Fonts?

The problem is most designers use the same free fonts over and over again.

And when you use the same fonts as everyone else? Your designs start to blend in, not stand out.

If you really want to stand out from the 99%, you’ve got to find fonts from places that aren’t overused.

Two of my favorite resources are Fontshare and Uncut. Fontshare is clean, high-quality, and completely free. Uncut is more experimental but packed with personality.

Actually, I’ve got a running list of amazing free and affordable fonts that I’ve found in the wild. Every one of them is chef’s kiss—definitely worth bookmarking.

Question 2: How Do You Set Up Your Fonts for Better Design and Performance?

This is where most beginner designers hit a wall. But you really only need to understand three things:

• Font sizes
• Letter spacing
• Line height

That combo makes up your type scale system. Here’s how to build it like a pro:

Start with your base font size—what you use for paragraph text. Let’s say that’s 16 pixels.

Then use a mathematical ratio to scale up your headings. A popular one for web design is called the Major Third (1.25).

So it looks like this:

• 16 pixels for your paragraph
• 20 pixels for your H6
• 25 pixels for your H5
• 31 for your H4
• And on it goes

Now, you could calculate this all manually, but in web design, you’ve got a better option: use REMs instead of pixels. These are relative units that do the math for you.

Letter Spacing Tips: For body text—leave it alone. Don’t touch it. But as your text gets larger (like your headers), start tightening it up. You can go all the way up to minus 2% on your biggest headings.

Line Height Guidelines: For paragraphs, aim for a line height of about 150% of your font size. As your text gets bigger, you lower the line height just a bit.

Tighter spacing equals stronger visual punch. Bigger space lets smaller text breathe with more legibility.

Pro tip: Use Typescale.net. Just plug in your base size, pick a ratio, and it’ll generate everything you need. This alone will save you hours and make your site feel 10x more professional.

Skill #2: Layout (The Framework That Holds Everything Together)

Most new web designers just kind of drag things around, eyeballing everything until it feels right.

And hey, you might even be following some design rules without realizing it.

But here’s the problem: until you can put words and systems to what you’re doing, your designs will always feel inconsistent.

That’s why every pro designer uses three things for layout: a grid system, a spacing system, and visual hierarchy.

Rule #1: Use Columns & Grids

Your grid is your foundation. It gives structure to everything on the page. Without it, your layout is just guesswork.

I use a 12-column grid on desktop, 8 on tablets, and 4 on mobile on almost every project because it’s super flexible. You can break 12 down into 2, 3, 4, or 6 columns—and it still feels balanced.

But here’s where things really start to level up: for vertical spacing and spacing around elements within those columns, I follow what’s called the 8-point grid system.

That means everything—from padding to margin—is sized in increments of 8 pixels. So you’re working with values like 8, 16, 24, 32 instead of randomly guessing between 10 or 13 or 27.

This is the same approach used by Google’s Material Design and Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines. When the biggest design teams in the world are using it, you know there’s a reason.

Thankfully, Figma makes it really easy to add both columns and an 8px grid.

Rule #2: Master Spacing

Most designers make everything too tight. But whitespace isn’t wasted space—it’s what gives your content room to breathe.

Here’s a rule of thumb I stick with: double the spacing between sections compared to inside sections.

So if you’re using 16px between elements in a section, use at least 32px between that section and the next one.

It’s a simple change that instantly makes things feel more premium.

Rule #3: Create Visual Hierarchy

People don’t read websites. They scan them.

So your layout needs to guide the eye from most important to least important, so someone can quickly scan and know what’s going on.

How do you build that hierarchy? It comes down to a few key design principles:

Proximity: Things that are close together feel related. Keep your headlines close to the paragraphs they belong to.

Size: Bigger equals more important. Make your key message the largest thing on the screen.

Contrast: Use contrast in color, size, and weight to draw attention to what matters.

Alignment: Your eye naturally follows clean lines. Align your content intentionally to create flow, order, and polish.

When you combine those principles, you create a clear visual path for your user. And clarity always wins.

Skill #3: Color (Less Is More When Done Right)

For a lot of designers, this is where things start to feel overwhelming. There are millions of colors out there. So how do you know what works?

Here’s the secret: pro designers don’t use more color—they use color more intentionally.

Let me show you four quick wins that’ll instantly level up your color game:

1. Limit Your Color Palette

Usually, two to three core colors are all you need. But here’s the key: each one should have a specific job.

One of the most popular systems is the 60/30/10 rule:

• 60% is your neutral—used for backgrounds and body text
• 30% is your secondary color—used for section backgrounds, headers, or visuals
• 10% is your accent—used for things that need to stand out, like buttons or CTAs

That’s it. Start simple and build from there.

2. Use Opacity

This is a game-changer and will help you limit your color palette.

Instead of reaching for a brand new color every time, just create variations of your existing colors. Take your primary yellow and drop the opacity a bit.

One good color, used well, beats five random ones any day.

3. Prioritize Contrast

Your color combo might look nice, but if your users can’t read it? It doesn’t matter how pretty it is.

Always check your contrast—especially for text. Use a tool like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker and make sure your content passes accessibility standards.

Figma has a contrast checker baked right into its color system too. Just select any text, click on its fill color, then click the color contrast checker.

4. Don’t Design Color Palettes From Scratch

Most great color palettes weren’t made from scratch. They were borrowed and refined.

You can find any site’s color palette with a tool called CSS overview in Chrome DevTools.

Pro designers spend more time curating than creating. You don’t have to pull a palette out of thin air every time you’ve got a new project.

Skill #4: Code (An Essential Skill Required for a Web Designer)

I know, I know. Code—boo, hiss, right?

But here’s the truth: code isn’t the enemy—it’s a superpower. And if you want to be better than 99% of the other web designers out there, you need to get comfortable with it.

You don’t need to know how to build a full web app. You just need to know the basics and then know how to use the right tools to get you the rest of the way.

Start With the Essentials

• HTML – for structure
• CSS – for styling and layout
• JavaScript – for simple interactivity
• PHP basics – if you’re working with WordPress

That alone will take you further than most web designers ever go. I started with free courses on Codecademy and then learned more as projects needed it.

The Real Trick: Find Solutions That Are 80% There

You don’t have to start from scratch. Use CodePen, snippets, ChatGPT—whatever gets you close. Then tweak it.

I had a friend (not a developer) who customized WordPress’s WooCommerce plugin to have a custom checkout process for his wife’s website.

You don’t need to be a full-stack developer. Learn by doing, not overthinking.

Master Chrome DevTools

This is the one tool every designer should know. Chrome DevTools is incredibly powerful for web designers.

Rather than making code tweaks on your builder and then refreshing, just do it right there in the browser.

I like to keep Chrome tools open when I’m working on a website. Then I click the outline square with the arrow, and as I scroll over the page, it’ll highlight whatever my mouse touches in the HTML.

Most website builders will do about 90% of what you want. But if you want to take things to the next level, you’ve got to expand their ability with some code.

Skill #5: Conversion Thinking (The One Most Designers Never Talk About)

This might be the most important skill, and it’s the one most designers ignore.

Most designers design for looks. But pro designers design for action.

Early in my freelance career, I redesigned a client’s website from the ground up. It looked amazing—way better than the original. I was proud of it. The client loved it.

But after launch? Their sales dropped. Hard.

Why? Because I had focused so much on the design, I ignored the user journey.

That was a turning point for me. And a hard lesson to learn.

Every Page Needs One Goal

That goal should be simple:

• Buy a product
• Sign up for a service
• Fill out a lead magnet form

That’s it.

You lose users when you’re trying to do too much at once. When users have too many options, they choose nothing.

You Need Clear, Strategic CTAs

And they need to be visible within seconds of someone landing on the page.

I like to include a clear CTA in the hero section, one in the navigation, and another every 2-3 sections throughout the page.

Don’t make people search for what to do next. Lay the path out for them.

It’s About Trust, Clarity, and Feelings

You’ve probably heard people say: “People buy from brands they know, like, and trust.”

I like to take it one step further. They need to know, like, trust—and feel something.

Your site has to speak to their real motivations. It has to clearly explain what they’re getting. And it needs to show them they’re not alone.

That’s where testimonials, reviews, and social proof come in. That’s how you build trust. That’s how you convert.

How to Develop The Essential Skills Required for a Web Designer

Now that you know the five skills required for a web designer to truly excel, you might be wondering: “Where do I start?”

Here’s my recommendation:

1. Pick one skill and focus on it for a month. Don’t try to master everything at once.
2. Practice with real projects. Even if they’re fake clients, treat them like real businesses.
3. Study sites you admire. Break down what makes them work. What fonts are they using? How is their spacing set up? What’s their color strategy?
4. Get feedback. Join design communities like Designer Hangout or Dribbble, share your work, and ask for honest critiques.
5. Stay consistent. Small daily improvements beat sporadic bursts of effort every time.

If you’re just starting out and need help landing your first client, check out my guide on how to get your first web design client fast.

The Skills Required for a Web Designer: Your Action Plan

Look, you don’t need to be perfect at all five of these areas to start calling yourself a web designer.

But if you want to stand out—if you want clients to choose you over the hundreds of other designers out there—these are the skills required for a web designer that actually matter.

Start with typography. Get comfortable with layout systems. Play with color intentionally. Learn just enough code to be dangerous. And always, always think about conversion.

Most importantly? Don’t get overwhelmed trying to learn everything at once. Pick one area, get good at it, then move to the next.

The web design fundamentals I’ve shared here aren’t just theoretical concepts—they’re the practical skills that separate amateur work from professional results.

Remember: every pro designer started exactly where you are right now. The difference isn’t talent or luck—it’s focusing on the right things and staying consistent.

Ready to Master the Skills Required for a Web Designer?

These five skills required for a web designer are your roadmap from beginner to pro. But learning them is just the beginning.

If you want to go deeper and get weekly tips on building a successful web design business, join my free newsletter. You’ll get hand-picked freelance jobs, behind-the-scenes strategies, and the kind of practical advice that actually moves the needle.

Because here’s the truth: you’ve got what it takes to be an amazing web designer. You just need the right roadmap to get there.

And these five skills? They’re your compass.

Now stop reading and go design something great. I’ll see you in the next one.