Designing a beautiful, responsive website has become much more accessible. Especially in the last few years, with more web design programs and tools released regularly. Web designers must know the best software programs and latest web design tools. Their specific needs will often change from project to project. Thus, a well-rounded tool kit is essential for any web designer. Training in a web design course, such as those at AOLCC, can help new or current web designers learn the latest skills.
Web design careers continue to experience rapid growth and unprecedented demand. More so, as we move toward a digitized global population. Web Developers and Designers” are the #1 most in-demand job in Canada now, and this demand will continue into the future.
You might be thinking about going into the flourishing field of web design. In that case, learning the most helpful programs and tools is a great way to begin in this field. Or, you might have a current career in web design, and wish to improve your skills. Thus, training can help you advance in your career.
There are a ton of options for learning how to design websites. Everything from online bootcamps to traditional four-year collegiate programs to teaching yourself. One of the most popular methods is to study in a web design course or program. In fact, courses will impart all of the fundamentals and practical experience you need. Thus, you will be able to succeed in your web design career.
Web Design Software for the Future We’re Already Living In
Every web designer develops preferences based on what is most important to them. Preferences may change from project to project. Also, this depends on the best tool available in each web designer’s tech stack for the job at hand. Indeed, this is the nature of web design.
When deciding on web design programs, there are a few things to consider. Including, functionality, ease of use, scalability, customization, security, and cost.
We’ll only focus on a few of the best core options for tools and web design software to keep this article short and sweet.
Code and Text Editors
Sublime Text
Every web designer needs a top-notch code editor. While there are many with similar functionalities, Sublime Text is a popular choice. This is because it is well-designed, fast, and efficient. Also, it features a vast array of keyboard shortcuts that save developers a few seconds or minutes at a time. This time saved can really add up over a coding session.
Web Frameworks
React
React is an excellent JavaScript library for web developers working with user interfaces. Not surprisingly, it is one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks available. Also, WordPress, and countless other companies, trust it for their backend and Block Editor. React is specifically designed for creating interactive, visual UIs. Further, users can scale them in complexity depending on your project needs.
Creative Design
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is the industry standard for editing, graphic design, and digital art. Users can create, enhance, and manipulate images. What’s more, they can do this in layers to create stunning visual website designs. If you’re interested in becoming a web designer, a good grasp of Photoshop is a must.
Adobe Animate
Adobe Animate helps designers create interactive animations. In fact, they can use it for web designs, games, TV shows or animated films. Users can sketch and colour characters and then make them talk, walk, dance, or whatever they want. They achieve this with simple frame-by-frame animation. What’s more, this tool is particularly useful for web design. Developers can create web banners and on-page doodles or widgets. Then, these can respond to user interactions like mouse movements and clicks.
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is the industry-leading program used to create crisp, professional designs. This includes icons, packaging, logos, web graphics, and anything else needing illustrations. One of its great features is the use of vectors. Vectors ensure designs are clear and never pixelated at any size. This is true regardless of whether it’s a tiny icon or a gigantic billboard.
Web Design Tools to Keep You Cranking Out Quality Code
HTML and CSS for Web Publishing
A solid understanding of how HTML and CSS work together to build web pages is a core skillset of any web designer. You can use HTML to structure the content that will appear on a website. CSS formats the layout and style of the website content.
In other words, you’ll use HTML to build the website. On the other hand, you will use CSS to control the formatting and positioning of elements on the page. Also the colours, font, font size, and other aspects of the webpage’s User Interface.
PHP and WordPress Development
PHP is a dynamic, open-source programming language with server-side scripting. What’s more, it is often used by web designers. One of the most used web-hosting platforms, WordPress, uses PHP for the bulk of its programming. Thus, it’s a useful skill for developers that frequently use WordPress for designing and publishing websites. Overall, PHP makes it easy to create content-rich, interactive websites.
Chrome DevTools
One of the most popular browsers on the planet, Google Chrome, has a suite of tools built directly into the browser. Further, this tool is free to access for all users. Devtools allow developers to diagnose problems and edit pages. Also, it is a great learning tool for those learning how to design a website.
Web designers and developers can use Devtools to inspect the elements making up a page, and view and change the CSS. They can also experiment with layouts and designs, debug JavaScript, and more. What’s more, you can do all this without leaving the browser.
jQuery
jQuery is a cross-platform JavaScript library that simplifies the frontend process. It does this with an easy-to-use API that works on many different browsers. jQuery streamlines things like HTML document traversal and manipulation, animation, and event handling. It’s the most popular JavaScript library, used by 78% of the top one million websites.
GitHub
GitHub is another one of the important web design tools for designers. This tool fixes code mistakes by reverting to a previous project state stored in the Cloud. Git is a Version Control System (VCS) hosted on the GitHub web application. This is an open-source online database for sharing coding projects.
GitHub is a free repository for hosting coding projects. Also, it provides developers with many tools and features. For instance, bug tracking, task management, and project wikis. What’s more, it has the world’s largest software package registry.
The GitHub development community is excellent for learning how to design and optimize websites. Moreover, it is a valuable resource for both beginners and seasoned developers.
Developers can use Git version control without using GitHub. But, their coding project will only be available on their local machine.
Adobe Dreamweaver
This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Adobe Dreamweaver. With this web design software, developers can create and publish websites for any browser or device. Also, this design software supports HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. Its simplified coding engine makes coding and managing websites easy. Also, it gives users Code Hints that help with learning and editing HTML, CSS, and other languages.
Dreamweaver has starter templates that get sites up and running fast. Further, you can customize pages to build HTML emails, About pages, blogs, and more.
Design Vivid, Intuitive Websites Using the Best Tools Available
This list includes some of the most popular, core solutions needed for web design.
If you’re ready to take the next step in your career, check out the programs at the Academy of Learning Career College. In web designer training, you’ll learn the in-demand programming languages. This includes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You will also learn key skills such as colour theory and typography. Web design programs will prepare you for your new career or career change. You can also study in a web developer course, as it pairs well with this training.
In 43 weeks, you can earn a Web Design diploma. You will gain knowledge and hands-on, actionable experience. Indeed, courses offer a range of web development projects to help prepare you for your career. Your projects will build in complexity as you learn more skills. What’s more, you will finish the program with a portfolio of work. You can use this to show skills to potential employers.
Graduates will leave the program prepared to pursue various web design positions. Including, web designer, internet site designer, website developer, and intranet site designer.
Find out if a web designer course is right for you! To learn more about the programs offered by AOLCC, contact us. You can request info about web design and other essential career training.