Tips : A web designer learns code

Ever felt that all you need to be is a web designer who only designs uncoded web templates or a coder who only codes those uncoded web templates? Well, here thee I tell yee, you're wrong. A mistake many newcomers to the web development industry take is just that. Going along with their niche, be it coding or designing, they think they can make big bucks by sticking with it. Are you one of them? Then you definitely gotta listen (see : read) to this web design tip.

Well, I definitely do not deny that you can make money by being either one only but if you do so, you're going to be that ONLY. Get my point? I'll elaborate. As a budding web designer, you start to get to know sites such as Sitepoint, which is the perfect spot for you with its uncoded web template contests. What have you got to lose? You only need to design a layout, throw in a bunch of graphics and voila, you got yourself an uncoded design template awaiting a win from the contest maker. Lets say that you indeed win(miraculously), all you have to do is to provide the client with the neccessary files needed(.psd, .eps, .gif, etc2) and await the financial transaction and you're done. No more hassles of staying in contact with him or such. You can move on to a new contest or better still you might have a few contests being done at the same time! Easy life? You bet.

Now, my dear budding web designer/coder , thats where you're wrong. Tell me, how far do you think you can go by being just an uncoded web template designer? Dont you think you think you'd earn more by being the coder to that design as well? Make sense? "I'll learn it in the future when I get better at designing" or "Coding is not for me, I'll hire a coder and split profits with him" is probably what some of you might say or justify yourself with as being a web template designer.

Well let me tell you one thing, you can get absolutely NO WHERE by having that mentality. Sure, you can charge like maybe 1k for a simple 1 page design and split it with your coder and you can earn a profitable living by sticking with what you do best. But why stop there? Why stop at earning 50% for every project you do? Why not earn 100% and if opportunity comes by, you might be able to start up a whole project from an idea you generated and hey, 100% all yours baby.

What I've just explained to you, is in fact, the financial benefits of learning to code your design. Basic common sense that you can earn double from what you might be earning by simply learning another skill and that is to code. Not a difficult thing to do with the vast amount of resources/tutorials available for you on the web. There are sure to be a web design tutorials or web design coding sites suited for you just like this web design tips and tutorials site. Get up there and find it.

Maybe you indeed have read all those other tutorials and you understand what they're talking about. BUT you simply cant put your fingers to actually coding designs because somehow, someway, you just suck at code. Well, here's some other important reasons for making sure reading that tutorial isnt a waste.

• Your coder would have an easier time coding
• You'd know the limits to a web design to make it validated code
• You'd know to optimize your design for faster loading time
• You'd have an idea on how complex a code is going to be and can gauge pricing more effectively
• You would not get cheated by your coder who'd say that all your designs are practically uncodeable when they're just in actual fact, a few lines of extended code
• You would be able to skin web applications like forums, blogs, and maybe some Content Management Systems
• You can take charge of your business and be a web developing tycoon who owns several big sites
• You'll feel good knowing that you've just followed one of my wonderful web design tips. :)
  

See where I am getting at now? These tips, are to be hardcoded into your head(pun unintended) as I see many budding web designers not using their skills to the best of their ability. Remember, they're just tips to help you become a better web developer, not rules or laws.

As you learn more about web design, you'd realise how those web templates that you did in your younger days arent really useful but the code that you learn or your ability to make your design very easily codeable are what matters. You might not want to code your own design, but like I have emphasised earlier, its very essential that you at least know and comprehend it.

And trust me when I tell you this, learning to code is easier and faster then learning to design. No creativity is involved. No art is involved. Just code, code and more code. ;) So do the right thing and follow today's essential web design tip : Learn to code.