Web design courses are an exciting blend of aesthetics and the creation of functional and responsive websites. Not only do web design courses teach designers to choose fonts, colors, and features to create a web page’s feeling and brand, they also make sure designers learn how to make websites work on every screen size from phones to desktop monitors.
If you are interested in discovering the difference between web design and development and some of the best web design courses, then keep reading as we will show you a range of courses below to assist you in designing your best possible future.
Web Design vs Web Development
The differences between web design and development are relatively subtle. They share similarities in that they both involve creating a functional and pleasant-looking website. In some cases, a job posting might list them as interchangeable professions, but in most instances, these are two separate jobs that are interconnected.
Web Design
Web designers work on the aesthetics of the front end of a website before the developer gets involved. A web designer begins to construct the bare bones of the page, called wireframes, and puts together the layout of the images, text, and other website essentials.
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Both web designers and web developers should know programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. A web designer does not need to know as much coding as a developer, but it is highly useful if they do.
There are two fields in web design, UX design and UI design. UI is all about choosing colors, fonts, buttons, and iconography to make the user interface visually appealing. UX design is focused on the user experience, making sure each component is easy to use and highly functional.
Web designers also must know about graphic design as they will be using Photoshop to edit images and Illustrator to make graphic layouts. To put it simply, a web designer focuses on making the page pretty and functional across different technology formats.
Web Development
A web developer builds upon the work of the Web designer using their coding skills. The developer will use their extensive knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Ruby on Rails, to build out the actual webpage. Also, if a web developer is full stack, they can develop how the website stores and views data, whether it features an API, and their code’s security.
The Best Web Design Courses
There are a few ways to gain web design skills, whether from a coding Bootcamp, online community college, online course, or an on-campus degree. Review our list below to see which option is best for you.
If you are ready to begin your web design journey, below are the top-recommended courses to get your training started.
Kenzie Academy (Coding Bootcamp)
Courses:
Price: $11,00 (Online), $24,000 (Offline)
Online + On-Campus Bootcamp
Kenzie Academy offers a variety of courses. Its part-time courses include a six-month user design career program, an on-campus course in Indianapolis, and its 12-month online user design career program. In all of these options, students will learn a wide range of web design fundamentals and coding languages.
Thinkful (Bootcamp)
Courses:
Price: $7,000 to $12,150
Online Bootcamp
Thinkful has an incredible range of coding boot camps and other useful courses for those interested in web design. Possible courses include digital marketing, data science, data analytics, web development, and full stack development. The two web design courses above are between 20 and 24 weeks long and are well worth the time and money.
Springboard (Bootcamp)
Courses:
Price: $350 to $10,000
Online Bootcamp
Springboard offers students a four-week course to get a taste of what it’s like to learn web design. If you are unsure if you want to invest in a full bootcamp, Springboard’s introduction to design is a great way to find out. If you decide that web design is for you, they have a 36-week UX/UI design bootcamp and a 26-week course for those interested only in UX design.
Webflow University
Course:
Price: Free
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Online Course
Through the 100 videos available on Webflow, students will learn the basics of HTML, Webflow CMS, how CSS classes and subclasses function, and page design construction with elements like containers, divs, flexboxes, and grids.
SkillShare
Courses:
The Basics of Web-Design Layout: Learn How To Describe Your Design With HTML & CSS
Javascript: Gentle Introduction for Beginners
Digital Design: Creating Design Systems for Easier, Better & Faster Design
How to Design a Website in Photoshop
Price: Varies
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Online Courses
Skillshare offers an array of courses at different skill levels, qualities, and prices. It is a great tool for complete beginners who want to get to grips with design, and those who want to add skills to their CV. Plus, they even have some free basic web design courses.
University of California San Diego
Courses:
Price: $14,500
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
On-Campus Courses
UCSanDiego teaches students advertising campaign development, digital illustration and photography, and Adobe software training. You will also learn Web design, HTML and CSS coding, user interface design, and content management systems.
Gnomon School of Visual Effects
Course:
Price: Contact admissions@gnomon.edu
Level: Pre-BFA degree or Certificate Program
On-Campus Course
Gnomon is for more artistically inclined Web design students, as the school is focused on art and game design. In this program, students will learn Photoshop for digital production, digital painting, color theory and light, life drawing, character sculpture, character drawing, and much more.
Brigham Young University-Idaho
Course:
Price: $4,018
Level: Bachelor of Science
Online Course
This online course with Brigham Young University in Idaho marries both web design and web development. This is an excellent option for students who want to create aesthetically pleasing and responsive websites and learn in-depth coding to boot. This course will definitely help you in the real world when applying for jobs.
Should I Take a Web Design Course?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a web designer earns a median salary of $82,370 per year. Therefore, if you love the idea of creating beautiful web pages that are user friendly, or if you want to design the next big social media site or even games, then taking one of these courses would be a worthwhile investment.
Before you start, consider whether you are interested in learning the intricacies of web design, programming languages, and graphic design. If you are, a web design course will help you live out your career dreams.
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