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Web designer

Web designers use their creative and technical skills to design new websites and redesign existing ones.

Annual Salary

£18,000 to £40,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

37 to 39 a week

You could work: as a contractor / self-employed; as customers demand

2.4%
Future employment

There will be 2.4% more Web designer jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

You could:

  • take a lead in maintaining and developing a site
  • attend meetings with clients to plan and develop website style and appearance
  • use content management systems (CMS)
  • analyse statistics about who is using the website
  • write reports for managers, clients and partners
  • report technical problems to IT support staff

Working environment

You could work in an office, from home or at a client's business.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
University

You could take a higher national diploma or degree in:

  • web design and development
  • multimedia design
  • digital media development
  • interactive computing

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
  • university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/
College

You could take a college course to learn some of the skills you need for this job, for example:

  • Level 3 Certificate in Web Design and Development
  • T Level in Digital Production, Design and Development
  • Level 4 Diploma in IT Web Design

Entry requirements

You may need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
  • 1 or 2 A levels, a level 3 diploma or relevant experience for a level 4 or level 5 course
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to T Levels|https://www.tlevels.gov.uk/
  • funding advice|https://www.gov.uk/further-education-courses/financial-help
  • search for courses|/find-a-course
Apprenticeship

You could take an apprenticeship, such as:

  • Content Creator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Junior VFX Artist Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
  • Creative Digital Design Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Work

You could start working as a design assistant or web support assistant and train while you work.

Volunteering and work experience

You could volunteer for a local community group or charity and create a website for them. Any experience you can get will be helpful when applying for jobs.

More information

Career tips

You'll need a portfolio of work that shows employers your creative design skills.

To make sure that you're up to date with the latest trends, features and design software you can:get involved in free webinars or online training courses; sign up to free online magazines; read the latest industry blogs for news and tips

Further information

You can get more advice about careers in web design from techskills.

You can also find out more from Discover Creative Careers.

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With experience you could:become a lead web designer or manager; work as a freelance web designer; set up your own web design business

Tech Future Careers and The Chartered Institute for IT has more information on tech roles including web design. 

The UK Web Design Association (UKWDA) and Bubble Jobs have more information about becoming a web designer.

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Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • knowledge of computer operating systems, hardware and software
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to write computer programs
  • persistence and determination
  • analytical thinking skills
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • maths knowledge
  • to have a thorough understanding of computer systems and applications
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