10 Educational Steps Needed to Learn Web Design

The demand for web designers is increasing day by day. This is because websites have become a necessity for small and large businesses alike. They are no longer an optional resource. This is fuelling the demand for web designers. The Web Shop and other leading web design companies are always on the lookout for quality web designers to cope up with the demand. The recruitment in the industry is going on in full swing. The advantage in the field of web design is that with proper knowledge, you can become a web designer without completing your graduation degree.

There are however a few steps which you need to undertake in order to learn web design. Only when you are well versed with the coding languages and know the basics of web development, you can go ahead and think about creating a website. You need to, however, keep in mind that instead of spending thousands of dollars on formal education, you can easily follow some of the courses which are available online. This will help you gain the basic programming knowledge needed and the software knowledge needed in order to create a website.

We will today share with you 10 educational steps and courses which you can undertake in order to become a web designer.

1. Codecademy

Codecademy is a website which is famous for providing self-guided tutorials for various programming languages. These cover the programming languages which are needed for web development. With the help of a self-contained development environment, you will be able to test your knowledge quite easily as well. In order to become a web developer, it is important to know languages like:

• HTML
• CSS
• Ruby on rails
• Python

With the help of these languages, it will be very easy for you to know more about the actual web development process. You will also be able to link the web designing elements with the backend which will help you create a fully functional website.

Courses which you should definitely opt for on Codecademy:

• Make a website
• HTML and CSS
• Learn Ruby on rails

These 3 are the courses which you should definitely try if you want to become a well-versed web designer.

2. Khan Academy

If you want to take the self-learning approach to become a web designer, Khan Academy is a website which you should definitely not overlook. It has plenty of self-guided tutorials. Along with the tutorials, you will also find audio/videos from experts. This will ensure that you are able to easily use the learning mode which is more convenient for you. With the help of interactive on-screen windows, you will be able to not only examine the code yourself but check the output. This ensures that you are able to learn through trial and error and at the same time, you are able to refer to the audio/video tutorials as well.

Courses which you should not miss on Khan Academy:

• Introduction to the SQL database engine
• Drawing and animation using JavaScript

These 2 courses ensure that you are able to design customized websites. This will also mean that you are able to exactly design the website as per the requirements of your client. Thus, they are actually pretty good when it comes to professional web designing.

3. MIT OpenCourseware

MIT OpenCourseware has abundant resources from MIT. MIT is famous all over the world as premiere Institute of learning. The technical subjects that are taught at MIT are available on this website. Thus, in addition to programming, you can easily learn about various other subjects like mathematics and computer engineering. This ensures that you are able to learn each and everything which you want. As the courses are from MIT, there is no shred of doubt that they will be far superior as compared to some of the other options which you have when it comes to web designing.

Courses which you should not miss on MIT opencourseware:

• Introduction to computer science and programming
• A gentle introduction to programming using Python

With the help of these 2 courses, you will not only be able to make yourself well versed with programming and computer science but you will also be able to learn robust backend language in the form of Python. This will help you not only design websites but also make sure that they are integrated properly with the banking system. Thus, this is another good option when you’re looking to become a professional web designer.

4. Coursera

Coursera is another platform similar to the one which we have discussed above. It provides you with various courses from universities all over the world. Most of the courses are free. This ensures that you are able to get the knowledge on the subjects which you prefer. The format and the timeline of the course vary according to the university courses which you pick. With the numerous programming and development courses available, you will be able to pick the right one quite easily. Moreover, with the help of various computer science-based courses, you will be able to not only become a web designer but a pretty good one at that.

Courses which you should not miss on Coursera:

• Programming for everyone from the University of Michigan

5. Mozilla developer network

As the name itself suggests, the Mozilla developer network is backed by the Firefox web browser. The Mozilla developer network aims to create the unmatchable set of resources for the developers. It is not just geared towards the expert developers but also the bigger ones. With the help of articles and tutorials, you will be able to know more about web development quite easily. There are specific examples to help you learn better. This ensures that you are able to learn from scratch quite easily.

The range of topics is pretty diverse, from basic web designing all the way up to frontend languages which are pretty common. There are resources which specifically teach you how to optimize your website and ensure that the performance of the website is at the apex levels. Thus, each and everything which you need to know about web designing is available on this platform.

Courses which you should not miss on Mozilla developer network:

• Getting started with the web

This course will help you understand the front end of the websites at the start and thereafter provide you with the opportunity to learn various languages like HTML, JavaScript, CSS. With the help of this course, it will be very easy for you to become a web designer from scratch.

6. HTML5 rocks

HTML5 rocks is a website which is dedicated to HTML5 tutorials. It was created by Google. It provides you with various tutorials and articles to learn more about web development. The advantage of this website is that it is suitable for beginners and advanced developers. Thus, it does not matter the level at which you are starting. The only bit of a problem which you will face with this website is that the interface is not that easy to use. It can be a bit difficult to find the exact tutorial which you are looking for. If you’re willing to spend a few extra minutes in order to search for the tutorials, it is actually a pretty good website in order to learn HTML 5.

Courses which you should not miss on HTML5 rocks:

• Getting started with CSS Shapes

While most of the other courses focus on different languages, it is important to be well versed with CSS in order to create a website from scratch. This is where this website really helps you. Even if you’re a complete newbie, you can easily learn CSS with the help of this website.

7. A list apart

A list apart is specifically created for web developers and designers who want to learn various designing and coding techniques. It has plenty of tutorials which not only help you with coding but also familiarize you with various techniques which are used for designing. It focuses on many tutorials which teach you to improve the user experience of the website. Thus, each and every aspect of web designing is taught by this website. Moreover, the tutorials and the articles are pretty up-to-date. This ensures that you are able to gain the latest industry knowledge.

In case, you just want to keep track of the industry developments, you can easily go through the articles which are regularly published. This will help you understand how the industry is changing.

Articles which you should definitely go through on a list apart:

• Building non-linear narratives for the web
• Reframing accessibility for the web

Both of these articles will help you improve your web designing skills by providing you with an entirely different perspective. The 1st one will teach you how to create unique websites with a different narrative. The 2nd one will help you understand how developers can build websites for people with disabilities and can create a website which is equally accessible for all.

8. Coding Dojo algorithm prep

Coding Dojo Algorithm Prep is the perfect resource for new developers. It helps the developers know more about programming algorithms. The tutorials and articles are so good that it will be the 1st resource which you will access in case of any problems with the algorithms. This is the reason why you should use this website in order to learn more about web development.

Courses which you should not miss on coding dojo algorithm prep:

• Algorithm training platform

This course will help you understand the basics of algorithm and coding before you even become a full-fledged web designer. As a result, you will be able to easily grasp the basics of algorithm and coding. There is also a video of a trainer at the end of the challenge. As you go on progressing through different challenges, you will become well versed with coding algorithms.

The knowledge of algorithms is a definite positive when it comes to web designing and development.

9. CodeSchool

CodeSchool is a website which is more geared towards making your code in order to learn rather than just teaching you the theory. That is why, if you’re a beginner, it will indeed help you learn to code rather than just gain the theoretical knowledge about the various aspects of web designing. Moreover, with the help of web designing and web development knowledge which you gain from this website, you will be able to create your own website rather than having to always rely on WordPress. There are quite a few resources available on this website which you can use in order to learn more about web designing.

Courses which you should not miss out on:

• Getting started with HTML and CSS

With the help of this course, it will be very easy for you to know more about HTML and CSS. As a result, you will be able to create your own web pages without any problem at all. If you plan on working for clients or as freelance web designers, these 2 languages can certainly help you create the website from scratch without any problem at all.

10. Treehouse

Treehouse was founded in the year 2011. It has courses for most of the popular languages. There are video-based tutorials which you can use. The tutorials are entirely professional. There are paid resources available as well in case you want to learn the language in greater detail. There is also a playful element to the website. It offers you achievement badges in order to encourage you to learn more and more.

When you want to become a web designer, two of the languages which you should definitely pick include HTML and CSS. Also, if you want to learn HTML, there is a dedicated 503 minute HTML course on the website. Most of the courses which are offered by this website are geared towards web designers and web developers. Moreover, it offers a free trial as well in order to explore the courses. If you’re diligent enough, you can finish a couple of courses within the free trial period itself.

Courses which you should not miss on Treehouse:

• HTML
• CSS
• Design

The 1st course helps you become well versed with HTML. The 2nd one is CSS. If you’re a beginner, you should definitely take the 3rd course. It helps you think like a designer. It helps you easily go through any project and make decisions about the things which you need to do in order to design the website. If you are learning programming and coding for the 1st time around you should definitely take this course as it will benefit you immensely. It will not only help you with your web designing interiors but with many other programming languages. This is the reason why the 3rd course should definitely not be skipped. Thus, all of these courses will help you become a better web designer.

So, if you want to become a professional web designer, instead of just going through the theory, you can use any of these 10 educational websites. When you use more than one of these websites, you can easily become an expert web designer from scratch. You just need to ensure that you are dedicated enough to solve all the exercises and go through the tutorials which are provided by these websites. As long as you are able to do so, not only will you become an expert web designer but at the same point in time, you will save thousands of dollars by not going for formal web designing college education.