Learn More About Web Design Classes in Seattle
Web design is the art of improving the user experience aspects of website and app development rather than software development. A Web Designer works on a website’s appearance, layout, and content, with a focus on creating a positive user experience through navigation, layout, SEO, and more.
Web design has been around since the launch of the Internet. The first website was created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1991, igniting the spark for the lightning-fast development of the online world, virtual retail, and digital marketing. Landing pages sprouted up around 1993 and drew users in with enticing invitations to “Click Here to Enter” or “Sign Up Now, ” the original “call to action” strategy.
According to Forbes, 71% of businesses now have websites, making web design professionals indispensable for modern commerce. As a Web Designer, you could be a vital part of a brand or company’s success, utilizing both your creative and strategic skill sets to solidify the brand’s online presence and increase engagement and sales.
What Can You Do with Web Design Training?
As a web design professional, you’ll be able to conceptualize and craft elements such as color schemes, typography, images, and graphics. You’ll also be able to strategize navigation, ensuring that your intended user can effortlessly find what they’re looking for. Creating a cohesive and engaging user experience, whether that’s on a website or an app, is crucial to effective web design, but you’ll also be able to create various visual assets like logos, icons, illustrations, and images.
You could use all of these skills to give back, helping a nonprofit or local community organization create or update its website. Or you could build your own website, completely customized to your goals and personality, showcasing whatever you may be passionate about. Other possibilities include creating an ecommerce store that can become a full-time business, serve as a creative outlet, or provide supplemental income. You can even develop features that help optimize a website or application. Web design skills can lead to both a fulfilling hobby and a successful career, and choosing between the two is entirely up to you and your goals.
What Will I Learn in a Web Design Bootcamp?
Web design is equal parts creative and technical, so you’ll study a wide range of subjects and skills in whichever course you choose. Whether you attend in-person, live online, or on-demand, you’ll work through real-world examples and hands-on projects to become an expert in web design. Below are the top skills you’ll learn in a web design training.
Programming Languages
Most courses will cover at least a few programming languages, such as HTML to mark up content, CSS for styling, and JavaScript to add interactivity. These programming languages will be used to build your designs, bringing your creative vision to life. While it isn’t necessary to master all of them, knowing the basics of one or two will be extremely helpful.
Content Management Systems
You’ll also typically master at least one content management system, like WordPress, and you’ll probably learn how to design webpage layouts in Figma as well. Content management systems like these will help you with things like website copy, SEO content, and webpage layout and design.
UX Skills
The basics of UX (user experience) are typically covered in a web design course. You’ll learn about topics like responsive design, wireframing, prototyping, user research, usability testing, visual design, and user interface design. These skills will help you create a more user-friendly and engaging website, improving the experience of your target audience.
Communication
A Web Designer needs the ability to talk with a company about what they want, ask questions about the intended audience, and convey their ideas for an effective site. Being able to communicate is just the start; companies want a responsive Designer, too. A responsive Designer keeps a company or client informed, explains issues as they arise, and discusses deadlines.
Digital Marketing
Knowing the basics of digital marketing will be extremely helpful as a Web Designer. Both web design and digital marketing focus on the user (or customer) experience, but they each have their own touchpoints. Digital marketing focuses on tactics like articles, emails, social media, text messages, and app pushes. It also has some overlap with web design, specifically when it comes to writing content for websites and web pages. Having a general understanding of the basic principles of digital marketing will help you to design from a more holistic perspective, creating websites that are easy to navigate, visually enticing, and help your brand or business engage with your target audience.
How Hard Is It to Learn Web Design?
It’s a common misconception that web design is complicated to learn, due to its association with programming. In reality, learning web design is fairly simple. As a Web Designer, your focus will be on creating the visual layout and seamless navigation of a website, so you’ll rely on Web Developers for all things programming. Learning a new skill or subject always has its challenges, but with the right curriculum, an expert instructor, and ongoing support from a quality training program, anyone can master web design.
What Are the Most Challenging Parts of Learning Web Design?
For many, the hardest aspect of learning web design will be in the early stages when students are navigating the field. Web design projects are rarely the responsibility of a single person, and complicated projects involve large teams of dozens or even hundreds of specialized professionals. Learning how to properly collaborate, including how to effectively communicate and receive feedback, can be challenging for those without previous experience. Additionally, most students won’t know what they want to do as Web Designers, so the early process may involve a lot of trial and error. If you’re willing to tackle this initial learning curve and have the right amount of passion and dedication, learning web design shouldn’t be too challenging overall.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Web Design?
The amount of time it takes you to learn web design will depend on several factors. Firstly, having previous experience with similar subjects (web development, UX/UI, etc.) may help you learn web design faster than someone entirely new to all things web. How much time you can dedicate daily will also impact how long it takes you to master web design. Are you able to commit to full-time hours, or can you only manage an hour in the evenings outside of work? The more time you can commit per day, the quicker you can gain mastery.
Generally speaking, web design bootcamps typically take 3–4 months to complete and teach all the skills you need to qualify for a Web Developer job. Learning web development from less intensive online courses could take anywhere from a single month to several years, depending on how much time you devote to your courses.
Should I Learn Web Design In Person or Online?
There are many factors to consider when answering this question. Firstly, you’ll need to decide what learning environment is best suited for you. Do you excel in a collaborative environment that allows you to interact with your peers and receive instant feedback from your instructor? Or, do you prefer a more solitary learning environment, perhaps one where you can learn at your own speed?
You’ll also need to decide how much time you can commit to your education and what level of flexibility your schedule requires. Are you looking to dive deeply into an intensive program? Do you work full-time and require your classes to be scheduled for evening and weekend hours?
In-person classes offer face-to-face interaction with your fellow students and your expert instructor. This collaborative environment is available for both full-time and part-time classes and provides structure and accountability, two things that can help you succeed. Online courses may lack this in-person interaction, but they make up for it with increased flexibility. Live virtual courses still offer instant feedback from your instructor and interactions with other students, while on-demand virtual training allows for the most flexibility since you can decide where and when you learn.
What Should I Learn Alongside Web Design?
A few programming languages will be essential to any Web Designer: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These languages, however, are only the basics. To create compelling websites or web apps, you’ll need the assistance of additional web development languages like PHP, Python, and/or Java to enhance the content and structure. Don’t worry about mastering all of these before your training—most classes will cover at least a few of these. Having experience with any of them will give you an advantage in a web design training course.
User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) are crucial to web design and development. UX design involves attending to how the experience makes the user feel and how easy it is for the user to accomplish their desired tasks. UI design considers all the visual and interactive elements of a product interface, including buttons, icons, spacing, typography, color schemes, and responsive design. While these will often be specific roles within a company, having experience with both will be extremely beneficial as a Web Developer.
It’s important to know how visual design works because being able to tell the difference between good and bad design will make learning web development and design significantly easier. It’s helpful to know things like the rules of composition and understand how elements like shapes, space, color, and geometry come together. Having a keen eye for formatting, color schemes, and typography can help you create more visually appealing and engaging websites.
Seattle Industries That Use Web Design
Home to Pike Place Market and the Space Needle, Seattle is a popular destination for both visiting and daily living. An ideal combination of bustling urban city and easy access to incredible natural locations, Seattle boasts a variety of successful sectors, each of which has a high demand for professionals skilled in web design. Read below for more information.
Aerospace
Greater Seattle and Washington State are home to over 1,350 aerospace-related companies, and are responsible for 95% of all commercial airplane production in the United States. The state’s aerospace companies produce approximately 1,400 aircraft annually, including nearly 700 commercial and military jets and 700 unmanned aerial vehicles. Companies in the region supply a wide range of products and services, from aircraft interiors and composite structures to the giant machines that craft wing panels.
Life Sciences and Healthcare
The greater Seattle region is among the top five largest life science clusters in the country. One out of five positions offered in Seattle stems from medical ventures, so the industry can claim a whopping 90,000 professionals who generate an impressive $4.2 billion in wages every year. Plus, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projections, healthcare jobs will grow by 13 percent between 2020–2030, so Seattle’s life sciences and healthcare sector is only going to grow from here.
Maritime and Logistics
With a strong commitment to its maritime industrial economy, Seattle is positioned as one of the key gateways for global trade on the U.S. West Coast and continues to lead in total exports after Los Angeles/Long Beach. Consisting of shipbuilding, fishing, recreation, tourism, passenger transportation, domestic and international maritime logistics, and shipping, Seattle’s maritime industry is annually worth nearly $45.9 billion. Additionally, the state’s maritime sector encompasses 2,300 companies that employ approximately 62,000 workers. Across Washington, maritime and logistics are the backbone of many other industries, and their importance in Seattle cannot be understated.
Technology
With a legacy rooted in software, retail/ecommerce, gaming, and more recently AI, machine learning, and AR/VR, Seattle’s tech industry is alive and well. Seattle has nearly 290,000 tech workers, ranking in the top 10 metros for tech employment, just behind San Francisco, which has more than 350,000 tech workers. The industry accounts for nearly 30% of the Seattle-area economy, making Seattle one of the top three cities for tech job growth in 2022, according to a recently released report by CompTIA.
Web Design Job Titles and Salaries in Seattle
Web design is a little bit of a “jack-of-all-trades” field. You could work in a variety of industries, housed within a wide range of departments. This adaptability, coupled with high demand, also means that there are several job titles you could possess as a web design professional. Some of the most common titles you’ll see are listed below, along with a brief description and what you can expect to earn in each of these positions. Remember, this isn’t an exhaustive list, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for other titles when you begin your job search.
Web Designer
Web Designers craft the visual appearance and workings of a website. Using their understanding of both visual design and technical design principles, they create functional web layouts. Web Designers often work remotely and enjoy the flexibility of freelance work or the stability of working for agencies or businesses. Good Web Designers have the experience and foresight to anticipate the end-user experience and design for ease of use and navigation. On average, you’ll make around $77,000 starting out as a Web Designer in Seattle, with the potential to earn much more as your career progresses.
Web Developer
Web Developers build web pages using coding languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. They also program functionality and identify or troubleshoot errors in code. Opportunities exist in front-end, back-end, and full-stack development, and Web Developers usually make around $123,000 in the Seattle area.
Front End Developer
A Front End Developer builds the client-side of a website or application and may even update current websites to meet modern standards, create prototypes from wireframes, and create design comps for their employer or client. They usually work alongside Back End Developers, Designers, Project Managers, and Product Managers to maintain, troubleshoot, and build websites and web platforms. You can make $124,000 in this role.
UI Designer
UI Designers are the masterminds behind how an application or webpage looks and feels. UI stands for “user interface” and is the point of contact between humans and computers. Using colors, fonts, patterns, textures, icons, and buttons, UI Designers work with UX (user experience) Designers to improve websites. Some UI Designers may also touch on user experience design issues by using prototyping and user testing to analyze the effectiveness of messaging and ease of use. UI Designers make approximately $93,000–$150,000 per year.
Web Design Classes in Seattle
Noble Desktop offers several courses online and at its Manhattan location that may meet your needs. Their courses often come with additional benefits like 1:1 mentoring, interview prep, portfolio creation, and more. Listed below are several of the course offerings, which are offered both virtually and in person.
Web Development with HTML & CSS
This course will teach you to code web pages using HTML and CSS, from structuring and tagging content to styling and making the pages responsive. You’ll gain hands-on experience coding websites from scratch, from uploading to making the site live. You’ll study CSS so you can style the content, create centered page layouts, add background images, style navigation, and make the page responsive so it adapts to various screen sizes using media queries. You’ll also study HTML and learn best practices for structuring and tagging the content of your web pages and how to create web pages with text, images, and more. This course comes with free setup assistance, one optional retake, and a bonus 1:1 training.
Advanced HTML & CSS
This course will help you take your coding skills to the next level. You’ll learn to take full control over the layout of your web pages through an alternate box model called border-box, use vector graphics (SVG), and create visual effects such as CSS gradients, shadows, and transparent colors (with RGBA). You’ll also explore how positioning works (relative, absolute, fixed), target elements with advanced CSS selectors, and learn the power of CSS variables. This course builds upon Noble’s Web Development with HTML & CSS and is the second class in their Web Design & Web Development Bootcamps.
Flexbox, Grid, and Bootstrap
This in-depth training will teach you how newer CSS techniques are useful and when to use them. CSS Flexbox and CSS Grid are two powerful ways to lay out content on a webpage. Flexbox and Grid are newer CSS layout technologies aimed at making it easier to create responsive layouts that are optimized for any size screen. Bootstrap uses Flexbox to rapidly code up pages without having to write as much CSS. Throughout this course, you’ll learn how to use CSS Flexbox and Grid to lay out and align webpage content and make it adapt to different screen sizes.
JavaScript for Front-End
Geared towards programmers, this class will teach you the fundamentals of JavaScript code to create stunning animations with GSAP, equipping you with the skills to transform your web projects into complex, interactive designs. Throughout this hands-on class, you’ll write simple JavaScript and learn how to use pre-made JavaScripts (slideshows, tabbed panels, etc.) to save yourself time and be able to quickly add amazing functionality with relatively little work. You’ll also learn to animate just about anything on a webpage with the GreenSock Animation Platform (GSAP), like scrolling animations (including parallax effects), animated logos, banner ads, and much more. This advanced course is for those with previous experience coding web pages. You should feel comfortable coding HTML and CSS and have knowledge equivalent to their Advanced HTML & CSS class.
Web Development Corporate Training in Seattle
If you’re looking to offer in-person or online training to your office or team, Noble Desktop can help. It offers a variety of corporate training programs, including in social media marketing. You can order vouchers in bulk at a discount, choose which courses are available to employees, and even let your employees choose their own schedule. Plus, you can choose to have your training hosted at a location of your choosing, live online, or at Noble Desktop’s Manhattan office.
With a top-notch customizable curriculum and instructors who are experts in their industries, Noble Desktop’s corporate training is designed to cater to your business or organization’s needs. For more information or to schedule a free consultation, you can reach out to Noble Desktop at corporate@nobledesktop.com.
Learn From Noble Desktop’s Experienced Web Design Instructors in Seattle
The professional community in Seattle is thriving, with many businesses and startups appearing all the time in downtown Seattle, South Lake Union, and the Eastside region of the city. In particular, many major companies in fields related to software, cloud computing, ecommerce, and biotech appear in the region, giving ample reason to learn relevant skills in subjects related to design, tech, business, and data.
Web design is essential for Seattle’s businesses, startups, and nonprofit organizations looking to create modern online experiences. At Noble Desktop, you can explore a range of courses and training options delivered by experienced professionals in their field. These instructors understand the specific job, the field, the industry, and the local economy, and will be able to impart their knowledge to you in an interactive, seamless way. Their combined experience spans decades, so you’ll know you’re working with someone who can genuinely provide the ins and outs of the field and career path of your choice.
Deanna Larson
Dr. Deanne Larson is a leading figure in data analytics, with over two decades of experience across Fortune 500 companies. As the founder of Larson & Associates LLC, she has helped organizations develop AI strategies and design large-scale data systems that power business transformation. Her portfolio includes overseeing data platforms serving over 225 million consumers and developing advanced governance frameworks for cloud and blockchain technologies. Additionally, Dr. Larson is an experienced educator who has served as an Adjunct Faculty Member at City University of Seattle, mentoring doctoral students and designing graduate-level programs in analytics. Holding multiple doctoral degrees in Computer Science (AI), International Management, and Management, along with a master’s in Business Analytics from NYU, she brings practical expertise to her teaching in AI, Python, machine learning, data analytics, and project management.