Will Web Designers Still Be Needed in the Future? - Interview
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| Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat on Unsplash |
One reason for the almost complete exit from web design is the difficult environment, the irregular income, and the sometimes quite stressful customers. :-)
But what is the general situation for web designers and how will the situation develop in the future?
Website builders, social networks, countless premium themes, etc. make life increasingly difficult for many web designers.
In an interview with web designer, WordPress fan, author, and trainer Jonas Hellwig, I pursue these and other questions.
He also gives useful tips, recommends web design tools, and provides interesting insights into his work.
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| Will Web Designers Still Be Needed in the Future? - Interview |
Hello Mr. Hellwig, please introduce yourself to my readers.
Hello Mr. Wandiger, my name is Jonas Hellwig and I work as a web designer, author, and lecturer in Berlin.
I run the web design blog blog.kulturbanause.de, the agency website that is connected to the blog and some smaller projects.
My work as a web designer consists of the one hand of classic agency work: I take on the conceptual, creative, and technical implementation of websites. Depending on the scope of the project, I work with existing teams in the respective company or use external employees myself.
Working as a trainer takes up about the other half of my time. By trainer activities, I mean all jobs in which “web design knowledge” is passed on.
I write books and blog posts, record video training courses, lead seminars, and in-house training courses, or speak at conferences.
How Did You Get Into Web Design and How Did You Acquire the Know-How?
I have been involved with web design since my early youth. After graduating from high school, I decided to do a classic media designer training with a focus on “non-print” in a Düsseldorf internet agency.
During my training, I designed countless websites and implemented them technically. I've been running my blog since the beginning of my apprenticeship. I've always read a lot on the net because without sufficient input there is no output.
After my apprenticeship, I worked as a team leader/art director in Düsseldorf for some time and prepared for my independence at the same time.
At some point, the point came when a sufficient number of orders were regularly placed. I quit and moved from Düsseldorf to Berlin sometime later. The know-how has developed over the years. With every project, you learn something new. So it is not only important to read a lot, but also to implement what you have learned.
On your blog, you write about web design topics.
Why Do You Blog and What Does That Bring You?
First and foremost is having fun. I enjoy researching topics, packing them into articles, and passing on knowledge.
And I am sure that hardly any blogger can post regularly over the years without passion.
In addition to being fun, the blog also has a very special use. I use the blog as an archive for code snippets, among other things. For example, if I want to remember a CSS snippet, I write a short post and publish the snippet on the blog. So my readers benefit and I get very valuable feedback and suggestions for improvement from the community.
And I am learning myself while writing an article. Because as soon as I can present a topic in a way that is understandable for others, I can be sure that I have understood it well myself.
The most important thing for me, however, is the blog as a marketing tool. I generate almost all orders directly or indirectly via the blog. I also write articles specifically for specific search queries.
How Do You See the Web Design Industry in General? Social Media, WordPress Themes, Website Builders ... Will Web Designers Still Be Needed in the Future?
I'm not worried about that. Customers who opt for modular solutions usually have a little budget available and often want nothing more than a somewhat more extensive business card on the Internet.
A construction kit is often the first web design experience a customer has. And I perceived that as very positive because the users quickly notice where the limits of a modular system are and then better understand the differences to a professional website.
The kits represent competition for students, freelancers, and agencies with small customers. You will have to reorient yourself here because this target group will be eaten up in the long term by ever-higher quality modular solutions.
WordPress themes are often just the next step. The theme is also quite cheap and offers a lot more freedom for individual content or design. However, every tool is only as good as its user and that is where the crux of the matter lies.
I receive a lot of inquiries from customers who have already gained experience with WordPress and are also very satisfied with the software. But now they have reached a point where they are no longer able to adapt the system according to their ideas. A purchased WordPress theme is still not a tailor-made solution.
I see the greatest competition in the area of social media, but also more for agencies with small and medium-sized customers or niche products. Many websites have become obsolete through social media.
Musicians are a good example. With a band, the focus is usually on music and increasing the fan base. A band wants to be able to upload pictures, songs, and videos and not burden themselves with technical details. Facebook is just perfect for this, especially when combined with services for streaming and buying music.
The situation is similar for many companies with a strong location focus. The website is often superfluous, as the company profiles on GoogleMaps / Google + can already display all relevant information and are also easier to find.
To finally answer the question: I don't think web designers will become redundant in the future. But there will be shifts.
Small, technically uncomplicated projects are covered with construction kits, online profiles, or themes. Tailor-made solutions are so complex that several different professional groups oversee the project permanently.
In Your Experience, What Are the Most Important Success Factors for Web Designers?
A web designer should not be too guided by his taste or design trends.
A website is a marketing tool with a clearly defined goal. This goal must be achieved, then the customer is also satisfied and recommends the Web Designer to others.
It's really bad when a designer pulls through his style without questioning whether the look fits the project or not. This is exactly where I see the great danger of certain trends.
Flat design, for example, is such a trend. Sure, flat design has very clear advantages and I expressly welcome the trend. Nevertheless, there are far too many designers who are currently completing every project 100% in a flat look. The personal handwriting should already be recognizable, but not at the expense of the customer.
From a technical point of view, a web designer should of course be up-to-date. However, it is not necessary to master every technology perfectly. You should concentrate on the areas that you find particularly interesting and try to keep as good an overview as possible of the other topics.
You should be able to judge which technology makes sense, which is out of date, and which is not yet operational. This makes it much easier to familiarize yourself with new technologies.
Finally, there is the range. A solid presence on the internet is important to be noticed at all. But to do this, interesting content must exist and be regularly updated and supplemented. And that takes time and, above all, patience.
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