How did you become a successful webdesigner?
- Thread starter joe2me3
- Start date
natenation
New Member
For me I just kept redesigning my own web page until I got pretty good at it and I was competent enough to sell my skills. (I did also go to college for graphic design / web design). But mostly just persistance. Keep knocking long enough and someone will open the door.
This is pretty much how it went for me as well. I moved to Canada shortly after I graduated from a multimedia school in South Africa. I couldn't work in Canada since I did not have a work visa. So I basicall redesigned my portfolio site a couple hundred times and did a bunch of free sites for friends etc. Eventually I got my work visa and started doing cheap sites while going to university. Once I started doing work for paying clients, the work never stopped coming. Its ironic that I did not even have a portfolio page at the time I started to do commercial work. People just started to refer their friends to me knowing that I designed websites. I did numerous sites during the first few years without ever showing my clients my portfolio.
If you can design a descent, nice looking site, for cheap, you'll get work. Then once you have enough work you can start to raise your rates and hopefully make a living doing what you love.
I currently own and operate squareflo.com employing 9 guys full time. We also do digital printing since most of our web clients need printing at some point.
c)solutions
New Member
Well, I always had an interest in art, drawing, being creative in my own special way. That led to folowing two studies, multimedia design and interaction design. Webdesign is just a tip of the iceberg where I rolled in too. Its the experience of actually doing it that made me the webdesigner which I am now. The thing is when you work for customers you will always need to work with different critical people who have all different demands. You have to be flexibel to still be a designer but also do what a customers asks from you. Sometimes you have to push them a bit in a corner which you think is the right way to go.
But it is not only in what you can learn but also in what you want to achieve.
But it is not only in what you can learn but also in what you want to achieve.
whirlybird20
New Member
I can't really remember how I got into the website design business.
I have always liked designing, laying things out, etc. and one day I jsut tried making a website for fun. It became a bit of a hoby and I was just making loads of different designs. Then I desided to learn javascript, php, and mysql and have developed my own content management system.
After a while, I realized that I could make money from my skills so I wanted to start my own business.
I was only 14 at the time (I am now 15) so I didn't have much money to spend on advertizing etc. so I saved up and baught a domain name and hosting and learned about (and depended on) search engine optimization and link building for my traffic.
The most dificult thing for me while on a budget was advertizing.
Check out one of my latest designs. It is not quite finished yet but... http://westbayfishing.com/prelaunch
Good luck with your business. Have a great day.
Go get designing!
Joel
I have always liked designing, laying things out, etc. and one day I jsut tried making a website for fun. It became a bit of a hoby and I was just making loads of different designs. Then I desided to learn javascript, php, and mysql and have developed my own content management system.
After a while, I realized that I could make money from my skills so I wanted to start my own business.
I was only 14 at the time (I am now 15) so I didn't have much money to spend on advertizing etc. so I saved up and baught a domain name and hosting and learned about (and depended on) search engine optimization and link building for my traffic.
The most dificult thing for me while on a budget was advertizing.
Check out one of my latest designs. It is not quite finished yet but... http://westbayfishing.com/prelaunch
Good luck with your business. Have a great day.
Go get designing!
Joel
whirlybird20
New Member
what is your aim?
If your goal is you can create "great template designing" then you approach it..
Is it mean "success"?
Yes, you can think about that guy..
For me if I reach my small goal, I will be very happy.. Then I will change my goal to the bigger things...
SO I've never success becoz so manything that I want to do.
I want to learn the new things and I won't forget to give people what I know...
So here, we can learn together...
^ ^
If your goal is you can create "great template designing" then you approach it..
Is it mean "success"?
Yes, you can think about that guy..
For me if I reach my small goal, I will be very happy.. Then I will change my goal to the bigger things...
SO I've never success becoz so manything that I want to do.
I want to learn the new things and I won't forget to give people what I know...
So here, we can learn together...
^ ^
AlphanetChrisC
New Member
-Work in the environment you want to learn about as a newbie or just an intern, and show your passion for how much you want the job.
-School and self study are the best way to go. Self study teaches you quickly and School makes you confident.
-Grab a partner that is aiming towards the same goal
This is what I did, and in 9 months I've learned to build websites, program, and just about do everything. Now I just wish I had a little bit more schooling for that confidence lol.
-School and self study are the best way to go. Self study teaches you quickly and School makes you confident.
-Grab a partner that is aiming towards the same goal
This is what I did, and in 9 months I've learned to build websites, program, and just about do everything. Now I just wish I had a little bit more schooling for that confidence lol.
advantagewebs
New Member
Awesome thread! I've enjoyed reading everyone's stories. Fascinating to see how each one goes about it. 
I am also one who started doing it as a hobby, for family and friends and for fun. I enjoyed it, and wanted to do it full time, but had to start small on the side. I lucked out in the last year and found a government program that helps people start their own businesses, so I am now in business full time. I enjoy learning new things for my designs, meeting new people from all over, and hearing positive feedback from my clients. Still looking to expand and grow, and my latest challenge is trying to find new clients, locally and globally. I think web design is quite possibly one of the easiest businesses to start though, with such low overhead costs. Even though there are lots of people already doing it, as long as you are good at it, it seems to be possible to find plenty of projects.
I am also one who started doing it as a hobby, for family and friends and for fun. I enjoyed it, and wanted to do it full time, but had to start small on the side. I lucked out in the last year and found a government program that helps people start their own businesses, so I am now in business full time. I enjoy learning new things for my designs, meeting new people from all over, and hearing positive feedback from my clients. Still looking to expand and grow, and my latest challenge is trying to find new clients, locally and globally. I think web design is quite possibly one of the easiest businesses to start though, with such low overhead costs. Even though there are lots of people already doing it, as long as you are good at it, it seems to be possible to find plenty of projects.
I was in the same boat as you. Recently I expanded by business from solely PC Maintenance, sales and repairs (I am qualified PC Technician) into Web Development and Print Design. Where print design has specific requirements, I outsource this work (for a finders fee) to a friend who has over 10 years experience.
The beauty of a service is that it is a product you manufacture, and therefore, you can determine the cost per unit and the amount you think you are worth to your customers. I have only 2 months experience working for a professional design studio, from there I have only been playing around with Ps, Dw and Flash. When I moved my business into web design, I did have some customers all ready to rock and roll, which certainly made it easier, and I charged only $395 for what was well over 60 hours work on each site. However, it has given me the opportunity to have sites online that link back to me, as well as some sites for my portfolio. After 2 weeks of completing those 2 sites, I scored another 2 customers which were referrals from my first 2 customer websites (they clicked the link at bottom of page). Last week I earned $1800 including web hosting, print and web design, and am near completion for both sites after spending only 10 hours on each.
I think the key is networking, and analysing other designs. I have subscribed to several forums, magazines and constantly review other websites, to keep up-to-date with current trends, styles and methods of delivering content effectively online.
Keep it up, and dont give up. It can be hard at 3am trying to work out why IE is showing no gaps between paragraphs when Firefox and Opera show it perfect, lol, but it gets easier. As you grow in confidence, and you feel you are worth more, invest more into your site and the quality of your service, and increase your prices.
Good luck!
The beauty of a service is that it is a product you manufacture, and therefore, you can determine the cost per unit and the amount you think you are worth to your customers. I have only 2 months experience working for a professional design studio, from there I have only been playing around with Ps, Dw and Flash. When I moved my business into web design, I did have some customers all ready to rock and roll, which certainly made it easier, and I charged only $395 for what was well over 60 hours work on each site. However, it has given me the opportunity to have sites online that link back to me, as well as some sites for my portfolio. After 2 weeks of completing those 2 sites, I scored another 2 customers which were referrals from my first 2 customer websites (they clicked the link at bottom of page). Last week I earned $1800 including web hosting, print and web design, and am near completion for both sites after spending only 10 hours on each.
I think the key is networking, and analysing other designs. I have subscribed to several forums, magazines and constantly review other websites, to keep up-to-date with current trends, styles and methods of delivering content effectively online.
Keep it up, and dont give up. It can be hard at 3am trying to work out why IE is showing no gaps between paragraphs when Firefox and Opera show it perfect, lol, but it gets easier. As you grow in confidence, and you feel you are worth more, invest more into your site and the quality of your service, and increase your prices.
Good luck!
I started messing around on test pages trying to figure out what certain things did and didn't do. At the beginning I did A LOT of research to better myself at knowing what I know now. From there, when I felt like I was good enough, I started getting freelance jobs and have been doing that ever since. I tell you what, it's funny when I go back to some past websites I have done. I look at it and say "Wow I sucked then", lol.