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Business

Adam Duffield
Adam Duffield
30,494 Points
Posted by Adam Duffield
Adam Duffield
30,494 Points

Skills needed for a Junior Web Designer Role?

Hey All,

So i landed an interview for a Junior Web Designer role and i pretty much feel i meet all the criteria and the desirable skills too apart from the photoshop & illustrator.

I feel i am somewhat intermediate at html,css,media queries, css frameworks & pre-processors(used bootstrap3 and some basic knowledge of SASS). I also have basic to intermediate knowledge of JavaScript & Jquery, dabbled a tiny bit in PHP(Which is irrelevant to the role it's just nice that i know the syntax) and I know how to make very basic things like glossy buttons with a background shadow and other effects in photoshop, i've also made a banner to advertise the discount of an item on a slideshow. I also know how to size down or up images without losing quality, rasterize images & compress files down to a suitable size for uploading to the web without losing quality.

I've made my own portfolio site from scratch see ajduff.co.uk & also currently building an e-commerece site with use of opencart to support me which is almost finished.

Do you think I'm capable of landing this job? I feel most incapable around photoshop & illustrator because I'm unsure exactly what's expected.

Thanks,

Adam

Kevin Lozandier
Kevin Lozandier
Courses Plus Student 53,747 Points

Evaluating whether you have the skills needed for a junior web designer role can be tough, especially since the rise of responsive web design (RWD). RWD has changed the process many employers have had towards making quality websites that has negated the importance of some skills over others commonly associated with a Junior Web Designer role.

Because RWD requires teams to have more collaborative approaches towards making a web site, don't underestimate building your soft skills.

Furthermore, rapid prototyping--in order to iterate and ideate for a variety of devices in a sane way--minimizes the need for people to be very good at using programs such as Illustrator and Photoshop. Being able to design in the browser prototypes is becoming a valuable skill to have.

All in all, it sounds you're taking the steps of being a qualified Junior Web Designer. I would say you seem to have the basics skills to be one

I would say take the time to research employers that you find your current skill level makes sense towards being an immediate contributor to their operations now based on what you know now unless it's an internship/apprenticeship.

Overall, a list of things you haven't

  • Can sketch and ideate rapidly using pen and sharpie
  • Can use Chrome/Firefox/Safari Developer tools
  • Proficient in a preprocessor to iterate rapid prototypes faster and in a systematic way towards
  • Proficiency in vector editing tools such as Illustrator and Ink Scape towards making assets accommodating of a variety of devices with high fidelity to communicate the things they have to with less work and assets involved.
  • To maximize your time--as well as your client's and your employer--you know how to use Gulp or Grunt
  • Depending on your employer, you understand how your designs may need to be delivered in a way that accommodates the backend language (and other underlying technologies) your employer uses beyond HTML, CSS, and JS.
  • Fundamentals of design involving space, grids, typography (vertical rhythm, type classifications, ligatures, text-rendering, etc.), and color.
  • Again, don't underestimate having strong soft skills; because RWD requires teams to eliminate silos and have a more collaborative workflow between designers and developers.

I hope this helps.

1 Answer

Adam Duffield
Adam Duffield
30,494 Points
Adam Duffield
Adam Duffield
30,494 Points

It might also be worth noting that the company I have an interview with are a retail/online retailer and I have 3 years of experience in quality assurance, stock control and customer service which I can relate to having issues with a website, within one of the world top online retailers. I feel the past 3 years will be a major plus in my interview due to being the guy that pokes and prods the people managing the website that the product image or description isn't right and needs to be changed because it's wrong.