I agree with John James on this one. I’m always hearing about how web design is dead.
While
it is true that online designers like wix have made it easier for new
businesses to get a site online, custom website design is still an
essential part of online success.
Why is that?
Because stock template just aren’t set up for the personalized aspects that are core to online brands.
Take
for example the plethora of themes available on Themeforest for
Wordpress or the free and paid themes available on Saas platforms like Bigcommerce and Shopify…
There are a LOT of great looking and highly functional themes, but Pixel Productions is still doing the same volume of custom builds on each of these platforms.
Why is that?
Because custom web development increase ROI, improves customer experience and increases customer retention.
Besides
the obvious user experience pitfalls of out-of-the-box sites builders,
website owners should be concerned about the following;
Most
website builders compensate for a users’ lack of technical knowledge
with code that causes developers to quiver with rage and nausea.
Site Speed -
compensation for that lack of technical knowledge leads to extra code
that bogs down site speed that backed up by insufficient hosting.
Limitations -
I can’t tell you how many new businesses contact us after a year of
being on a system like Wix having maxed out it’s functionality and
having no options for expansion or improvement.
I’m
all for free and great online tools to improve business, but
entrepreneurs shouldn’t approach any business aspect ‘half-assed’,
because it’s your business that will be hindered.
Hi,
I have been in the industry for several years and I have been self
employed within the industry for 2 years. Unfortunately I found that the
hardest part to generating income by designing websites for customers
is that I get hit with the retort that they can get a much cheaper
website from larger companies, which is true as I couldn't compete with
the low (intial) charges.
Many people simply wouldn't listen to why a bespoke service is better and the reasons for the added expence. I changed my approach and actually targetted companies that had websites provided by larger companies that weren't happy with the results or services provided by the larger companies. This soon generated a few re-design bits of work, which increased my portfolio etc.
Once you have designed a few good websites, and SEO'd and marketed them properly those customers will generate you knew custom.
I have a 6 month waiting list for website responsive website design now, as my customers know they will get a website that will look and operate the way they want it to, but you do have to knock on those doors 'til your knuckles bleed to get the break through.
Web design is a very saturated market, but a satisfying one if you break through in it. Many of the responsive website templates are extremely good now and not to be ignored, but the average website owner won't have the skills or knowledge to bring the best out of these templates.
Also add more usabilty, functionality, logo designing, social media managment or search marketing to you customers, as they will wan't more for there buck so you have to provide it to get on etc.
In short I do feel that web design has been drastically undervalued in recent years due to larger template companies dominating, but there still is a great need for bespoke website designing and once you get a good client base you'll probably do okay, so don't give up! :)
Many people simply wouldn't listen to why a bespoke service is better and the reasons for the added expence. I changed my approach and actually targetted companies that had websites provided by larger companies that weren't happy with the results or services provided by the larger companies. This soon generated a few re-design bits of work, which increased my portfolio etc.
Once you have designed a few good websites, and SEO'd and marketed them properly those customers will generate you knew custom.
I have a 6 month waiting list for website responsive website design now, as my customers know they will get a website that will look and operate the way they want it to, but you do have to knock on those doors 'til your knuckles bleed to get the break through.
Web design is a very saturated market, but a satisfying one if you break through in it. Many of the responsive website templates are extremely good now and not to be ignored, but the average website owner won't have the skills or knowledge to bring the best out of these templates.
Also add more usabilty, functionality, logo designing, social media managment or search marketing to you customers, as they will wan't more for there buck so you have to provide it to get on etc.
In short I do feel that web design has been drastically undervalued in recent years due to larger template companies dominating, but there still is a great need for bespoke website designing and once you get a good client base you'll probably do okay, so don't give up! :)
Design has become commodotized as more people want a site, but the functionality has rocketed.
I
would say there was more design variety in 1999-2004 when I started web
design (I learned and part time freelanced web design 1997-1999 and got
my first full time job in it in June 2000). There were lots of artistic
and edgy sites that were not trying to sell anything and were a thing
in their own right, plus more and varied 'design references' even in
business sites.
But there was also far less
functionality: no social media sites and only some socially generated
content and communities, hardly any video sites, no online
encyclopaedias or code-gardens (like codepen), and no crowd-funding at
all.
No virtual money, no music streaming
sites. Very little choices in back end technologies and very few heavy
lifting front end languages (there was Java, and that was about it). Oh,
and no multiple targets: only desktop and no mobile and tablet.
Online
massively multi-player, online storage and online maps (with street
views even!) were only just becoming things, and nobody worked in a tech
job from home.
And the list goes on.
Sure,
today we have only a handful of site 'reference designs', coupled with
what is almost a set of 'uniforms' for each type of site. But design is
also less center stage. Years ago, I used to look at web design showcase
sites, but now that just seems a little quaint...
Today
we look at the latest .js libraries and frameworks, and look at
different low level technologies to do cool stuff: canvas, webGL, SVG,
all of which are leading us to web applications as the 'cool stuff'
rather than 'web sites'.
The future is pared
back non-skeumorphic and device independent design coupled with massive
amounts of content and functionality,
That does not mean creativity on the web is dying. It means creativity lives in content and feature set. Best of all, you won't be undercut on them for a while!
Edit:
to address the elephant in the room; yes, there are lots of people
making money from templates but they are not even close to the amount
advanced custom design makes. There is a shortage of people who can do
the latter, so rates are high and there is a healthy career path.
My
tip for getting on the right side of the equation is to try to work for
companies that are building only internal projects rather than ones who
only do only designs for clients. Obviously this is sometimes
impossible, but take the former over the latter every time if you have a
choice; it makes a big difference.
If you
come in early and make a custom web application for a start-up or even
mid sized company, you not only do more interesting and original work,
you also benefit from the change in fortune of the company due to your
work.
Consider the people who wrote the Uber
app vs a third party who might have been contracted to do a refresh of
the main Uber website (which is a very standard website with no
surprises in it’s design - apart from the resurgence of teal*). Massive
difference in prestige and pay/options!
*Teal - Very overused color within web design, late 199os to early 2000’s - Google ‘Windows 95 Teal’ to see where it came from.