A person will not be called carpenter simply because he possess hammer, nail-gun or any other carpentry tool or a writer will not lose his essence of writing just because he switched from blue ink to black. We acknowledge the fact that tools are important to boost our capability but what is the use of them, if we do not know to exploit it deftly? This palpably clears our point that skill is more significant than tools.
Creative people like designers are not better at their work because of the tools; it is largely because of the creativity and their know-how about tools they use. A set of designers may be using same tool to create websites, but the outcome of each design is different, some may emerge as a great piece of art while some may be just mediocre. Why does this happen? It’s merely because some designers execute their assignment better than others, by using tools, more competently. Your creativity doesn’t end, if your tool stops functioning or if you do not possess latest version device. However it may hamper your work, but only for time-being.
Rather than being pessimistic about not picking up the latest or superlative tool, let’s focus on enhancing your designing skills.
Specialize in any particular tool:
Just because you possess the latest version of Photoshop doesn’t mean that you can come up with great looking websites. You cannot achieve your goal, until and unless your groundwork is strong. The more you learn about a particular tool, the more it is productive. Instead of using several tools, if you just focus on one particular tool and completely gain knowledge about that, you can create things in much less time and in a more efficient manner. Use the tool on regular basis and master it for best results.
Minimalistic approach:
Less is more in web-designing. Minimalism is much more appealing and helps to make the website easy to read, navigate and swiftly allows the user to fetch whatever he/she requires. Only focus on the important elements and create a beautiful looking website. Don’t overcrowd the website and confuse the users. Use skills as much as required, don’t overdo with your knowledge.
Skills essential as a web-designer:
- Usability principles:
Usability is the prime principle to pay attention to. The site is developed to be used practically hence proper testing and planning, before the site launch is quite vital. Designers should focus on the navigation effect, how the elements should be placed on the overall website and also ensure each element works effectively. Mostly usability principles comprise of wire-framing, prototyping, hand-sketching, A/B testing and other such practicalities.
- Typography principles:
If you want to create a website that will actually allow your visitors to enjoy or revisit your site, then pay heed to typography. Typography is a core principle for great design. It eventually determines the mood of your website, whether it is professional, entertainment or fashionable. Good knowledge of typography makes your web content clearer, readable and increases the user interaction.
- User-friendly experience:
For whom do you create a website? Of course for the users thus creating a user-friendly website should be the primary goal of every designer. Right from the initial stage of designing, web-designers should start thinking about how they can enhance the user experience. Will the users be able to navigate effortlessly from one page to another, will they get the required information quickly, will the design meet the needs of the users, all these questions should be answered. Use graphics, fonts and colors that will improve the site traffic.
Tools does not matter, developing skills is what ultimately matters. The tool which you are using is not working properly, you can replace it but if you do not have the skill, the clients will soon look for your substitute. So enhance your skills first than your tools.
