OS Career Cast #10: Trends in Web Design and Web Development

In the world of Internet marketing, where would any of us be without the skilled designers and developers who make websites look and function the way they do? We at Onward Search are big fans of these designers and developers and we want to make sure you know more about everything they do as well! In our latest episode of Career Cast, we covered the ins and outs of Web Designer and Web Developers, particularly what a career in each involves and what the latest trends are in these evolving fields.

Cindy Caldwell, Account Executive from our Atlanta Office, joined host Peter Clayton for a great overview of web design and web development careers. If you’re interested in exploring either of these fields as a career, this is an excellent episode! Here are a few of the highlights:

Cindy and Peter start off with the differences between web designers and web developers and the overlapping of skill sets that exist between the two. As Cindy put it, “…sometimes our clients will say ‘I need someone to do design and development or a developer that has an eye for design.’ So it is important to have a little bit of both in your background…”

Students who want to explore a career in web design should be prepared to study visual communications, graphic design, and possibly focus on a separate web design degree/certification, depending on the school. But just because you’re studying the design side doesn’t mean you can ignore areas like basic HTML and Javascript. Understanding the development side will only support your portfolio and skill set, and the same goes for developers who should have a decent grasp on design concepts.

Cindy’s biggest recommendation is that students take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to do internships, volunteer and pro bono work while they are in school. “The more experience they have while they’re in school, the better they will be.”

For those already established in these fields, it’s crucial in this job market to have your own website that showcases examples of real work experience. Cindy remarks that it’s no longer enough to just send prospective clients a bunch of links. Web designers and developers need solid websites as well as good connections on LinkedIn and Twitter to avoid being lost in the competition.

Cindy and Peter cover a LOT more regarding the most in-demand skill sets designers and developers should have and who is hiring these professionals in the Atlanta area, so I highly recommend listening to this awesome episode!

You can read the full transcript and listen to the entire episode on our Career Cast page. Don’t forget to check out all the Web Design and Web Developer jobs we have open all across the country, as well as in the Atlanta area specifically.

Tagged as: Career Cast, Onward Search, Web Design, Web Development