I never really thought that I would take web design and development seriously. I have a Computer Engineering degree and its all computation, numbers and binaries on our head. But the creative spark of our human brain took domination over my other half of my brain. To put it in simple words, I was hooked!

I never really thought in the beginning that you could actually earn money from web pages or make a business out of it. I’ve been stumbling day after day after I quit my full time job as to where I could get the money to pay the bills. Up then after months of searching. I have come to find out the best way to make money on web design especially on a freelance basis.

This is how I learned, and I use these points to get freelance jobs. It may not work for anybody else but its up to you to apply the things I will point out.

Practice Web Design

Practice makes perfect. Creativity can not be learned by principle only through practice. Enhance your creativity in web design by doing creative things aside from web design. Creative writing, photography, painting… Anything that requires creativity. Its your bread and butter.

When I was starting up, I used to copy websites that I really like. My favorite was 2advanced.com. Their design is simply the best. Learn from each websites you visit and take note of what part of the page is attractive, pay attention to details.

Know the Web Design Trends

Clients are always on the look out for the best and freshest design for their website. If its a big company, they will need the website to be updated to the latest look. Know the styles, know the dont’s.

Brand Yourself

When joining web design communities or competition, always have the same name in the internet. So people know who you are and your skills and it would be easier for them to contact you.

Make Money

Join Web Design Competition

The best way to earn money online while learning is to join competition. SEO have seo competition so as web designers. Do not take any lost contest personally, learn from your competition. You may join contests on sitepoint.com or forums.digitalpoint.com there are tons of opportunities for newbie web designers.

Competition opens up new opportunities, people that are just passing by and saw your work might be interested in hiring you. Contests in which you have won might be interested in doing some more business with you. There are lots of benefits in joining web design competition so be sure to try them out while learning.

Freelance Websites

If you are ready to take on serious jobs, visit freelancing websites like getafreelancer.com or elance.com where you will bid on the work and the best bidder will get the job.

Put up a Web Design Portfolio

The reason why I wanted you to join competitions so keenly is that this is the best way to build up your portfolio. I have done FREE web design jobs to a lot of clients just to put up my portfolio but I learned that competitions are the best hands down. You get to earn money while building it up at the same time.

…and most especially…

Keep The Fire Burning

Have a burning desire to make web sites. That is what will make you earn money in this business. Once you have a list of clientelle, you’ll be amazed at how much work you have to do day after day and you’ll be happy that you have no more boss to answer to… Working hard would mean more money for you. You are in control now.

Making money online is never easy. This is a business and business is never easy. What is easy anyway? Picking your nose perhaps? There is no magic bullet here. Though you are sitting in front of the computer doing the work, its also tiresome and getting burned out is no joking matter.

I also understand that this type of business in the Philippines is not yet in the open so most people will look at you like a bum that have no work and always in the computer playing video games. They will ask you to get a “real job” will say things to you, but don’t be afraid to follow your heart. Let me quote this line from a very important figure:

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

~Steve Jobs

Have a dream and follow that dream.

Web design is a very saturated field. But still not enough to take on all of the web sites being made everyday. There’s enough work for all web designers in the world. Now who wouldn’t want to be in this lucrative and creative business. I’ve been a web designer for quite some time and the development of the design on all niches and types of websites are fast changing. We are now on the 4th stage of the internet called Web 2.0. Why have we’ve come to this internet era and how did I know we are in Web 2.0? One thing for sure its the design of the website.

Although it might not look like it by the look of my site, I’m really a web designer and I just recovered from my site losing all my files. If you would like to know more of me and see sample of my past work, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Tips On Being a Web Designer

Inner Game

I call this inner game. How you view this business and work. Your work will reflect on what’s going on your mind. One thing to never forget is that, a web designer is always creative. And creative people never say never and do the impossible. Creative people are genius in their own little way.

One time a client wanted me design a site that is fun and looks like an under sea fun party. They gave me sample and its all full of vector art. I don’t know shit how to use illustrator. But I got an idea and a clear picture of what they wanted. So I still went on. I messed around illustrator and my creativity never failed me. I came out of a design that’s one of the best I’ve done. I could easily get away and say, I can’t or I can’t use illustrator. But hey, if you want it, you can get it. All you have to do is close your eyes and have a clear picture of what you want and it will come tru.

Business Relations

If a client wants to revise something with your web proposal, don’t take it personally. I know sometimes when you worked hard for a project and the revisions are as big as just make a new one. You really have no choice and don’t take it personally. Appreciate the clients effort on pointing out your weakness and thank them for being open and honest. Build a lasting relationship with them so they know that they’ll get the highest quality web design service from you. This is the key to referrals and loyal clients.

When You Say It Do It

Integrity… That’s the word, if you say you can do it. Do it. If you say you can finish this at this time. Finish it at that time. Your clients will love you for your reliability and will trust you more.

Now that’s been taken care off… On to your arsenal…

Web Designer Skills and Tools

Photoshop

I can’t live without this tool. Graphic application is the bread and butter of a web designer. I am using Adobe Photoshop for all my web designs and will never trade it for anything else. This is the only graphic application I used since I first started (except MS Paint).

Adobe Photoshop is used for retouching images, improving the quality of pictures, web layouts and web designs, maybe some graphics and logo, but there is a more powerful tool for that, which brings us to the next,

Illustrator

The most powerful logo creation, vector creation and print creation software to be added on your arsenal. With Photoshop, you can do any kind of web design work.

Flash

Motion is the future. It is expected that when the internet reached the age of web 3.0, all websites will be a moving media. Videos and graphic animation. And today, its one of the most appealing piece of work in a website to catch the visitors attention in a little time.

Dreamweaver

For HTML and CSS coding. If you can do it in notepad, by all means, help yourself. I love Dreamweaver for the fact that its so easy to add code snippets and makes it a lot faster to work with codes.

Pizza, Coke and Smoke

With you’re skills and tools, you’ll find yourself piled with web design jobs. So pamper yourself with the best combination of every computer programmer and internet savvy professionals — Pizza & Coke. If you’re stuck and have no ideas, you can take a quick smoke and get back to work. That’s the life of a web designer.

Where to Learn Web Design

That’s easy, just type in google web design tutorials and you’ll find yourself with tons of tutorials. Or, if you want a suggestion Pixel2life is my favorite.

There’s a lot of sites to be made. Good luck on your web design career.

I am very proud and happy to announce the launch of the new design for Splitsec.co.uk.
The work consist of the web design, logo design, flash work and web site coding. Pretty much everything you see on the main site.

A Little Info About Splitsec Ltd

Splitsec LTD is a leading IT company in the UK provides IT support Services
and solutions for businesses in Leeds, Bradford and West Yorkshire.