Skills for website design is as much a science as it is an art form. While half of the job is based on sound coding and design know-how, the other half is based on just having an intuitive sense of what looks good and what doesn’t. Any web designer worth his salt will develop a strong core of fundamentals to make himself stand out from the rest of the pack.

HTML & CSS

You need to know HTML to be a good web designer. You can install a WordPress theme without this skill, to be sure. But if you want to make any substantial edits to fit a client’s specific needs, you’ll need to know how to close a tag, at the very least.

And with HTML comes CSS. You need to have a handle on CSS to make sure your sites look how you want them to look. This is about so much more than window dressing. CSS plays a major role in your site’s user experience and UX can determine how functional a site is for the end-user.

JavaScript

JavaScript is an important interactive element of a website and web developers should be comfortable in JavaScript before they learn any other languages, especially how it interacts with HTML and CSS to create the 3 layers of web design.

Web designers don’t need to learn JavaScript unless they are doing front-end development as well – and even then, a basic understanding of JavaScript is often more than enough.

Mobile Support 

On today’s Web, there are a staggering variety of devices and screen sizes being used. To this end, websites must support this wide range of user devices with responsive websites that are built for this multi-device world.

Being able to design sites that look great are various sizes, and also being able to write media queries to build responsive websites is critical for Web professionals today.

Mobile goes beyond just responsive websites. If you can develop mobile applications, especially those that interface with websites, you will be very attractive in our increasingly mobile-centric world.

Sketch a Design by Hand

While it’s true you are a web designer, having solid skills on a regular ol’ pen and paper can come in super handy. Let’s say you’re trying to describe what a site can do for your client, only you are at a face-to-face meeting. Sketching out a wireframe design is a lot easier than creating a full mockup on the computer.

Basic Photo Editing

If you’re a designer, it’s likely you know how to edit photos already but if it’s not your forte, now is the time to brush up. First of all, it limits the work you need to outsource. And second, it gives you more flexibility in what you can accomplish with your designs. Basically, you won’t find yourself avoiding certain things because you lack the photo editing skills to make them happen.