With new procedures and techniques emerging everyday, web design and development are always changing. This puts us in a constant struggle to make sense of how to prepare our core interests. Organization and education in the field of web design will benefit just about anybody looking to start or maintain a business of any sort.
With that in mind, we are going to explain 5 essential design and development skills worth looking into. Even if you are already familiar with them, there’s always more to learn and more ways to further your knowledge of each skill.
1.) CSS Grid
Often times there’s a little anxiety that comes with utilizing new CSS stuff. You want to use the most recent features, but at the same time there’s the dread of forgetting clients that have adapted to older, more traditional tech. However, eventually there will come a point where you simply have no choice but to exploit something that is superior to what you’ve been used to utilizing.
Without a doubt it is time for CSS Grid to be embraced. The latest versions of most popular web browsers all accept CSS grid. In addition to that, the benefits of utilizing it are simply so extraordinary, that they’re impossible to overlook.
CSS Grid makes even the most complex designs comprehensive without the requirement for excessively entangled code. The linguistic structure takes some getting used to, however it is very straightforward once you’ve adjusted to it. CSS Grid is not going away anytime soon and will be an essential tool for web developers for many years to come.
2.) JavaScript
JavaScript has been with us for a very long time. It’s a dialect that is successful because it has so many different faces and prominent structures. But it’s becoming more and more essential as some new instruments are bringing it further into the spotlight.
For one, the new WordPress Gutenberg editor heavily depends on JavaScript for the creation and usage of custom substance “squares”. Javascript also provides the foundation for several other web applications.
This makes it harder to choose where you want to invest your energy. A few applications have adapted to particular frameworks (for example, React or Vue). Thus, where you invest your energy should be relative to what you need to achieve. If your desired skill set requires specific knowledge then that should give you an idea of what direction you need to head in.
3.) Micro-Interactions
One of the more specific approaches to design involve micro-interactions. These are subtle visual cues that come with various webpage interactions. It can be a simple effect you see when you click a button, providing visual confirmation of what you just did, or it could be as simple as a progress bar that fills up as you proceed through a multi-step task. These micro-interactions are small in stature but can go a long way when it comes to a user’s experience. They give the viewers of your webpage confidence and will encourage them to visit your site again in the future.
4.) Design Systems
Often times it’s hard to build consistency in the style of your webpage. Design systems are perfect for addressing this issue. Also known as a “pattern library” or “styleguide”, a design system is a visual language that helps you to document UI elements so that they can be utilized again. This guarantees that text styles, colors, shapes, symbols, and so forth are consistent over all stages. It is most crucial when you are collaborating as a team on larger projects. This way designers do not have to worry about creating their own solution when they run into problems, because the design is standard and consistent. Many times we will design things one at a time as we need them and this just isn’t practical in the long run. While it may work well on occasion, everyone will benefit from an effective design system. Essentially, the better your work is organized the better your product will be.
5.) Typography
So many designers nowadays have taught themselves everything they know and as a result there are many vital elements that people may not be knowledgeable of. We’ve based things off of what looks acceptable to us when in reality there is always more we could be improving on. Something every designer should be implementing is responsive text. You’d be surprised how far different fonts can take you. Take some time with it, and don’t be afraid to experiment a little. The world of typography is huge and the possibilities are endless. Many people feel text is such a little thing but it can revolutionize the way people interpret your personality through the web.
All in all, the list of web design strategies goes on forever, but these five tips and tricks are definitely some of the most essential. It never hurts to take time to go back and re-learn the basics. Because web design is a very fast growing field it is always nice to be on your toes and improving yourself any way you can. For more helpful information like this be sure to check out all of our other blogs here.
