Are you a unicorn?
Who am i?
Mark Caron
UX/UI Web Designer
What is Red Hat?
Red Hat® is the world's leading provider of open source solutions, using a community-powered approach to provide reliable and high-performing cloud, virtualization, storage, Linux®, and middleware technologies.
What is web design?
Boring Definition:
Web design encompasses many different skills and disciplines in the production and maintenance of websites. The different areas of web design include web graphic design; interface design; authoring, including standardized code and proprietary software; user experience design; and search engine optimization. (Wikipedia).
Less Boring
Making websites.
Why is web design important?
Why is Web Design Important?
You get to help people and businesses get online and take advantage of a new and ever-expanding market.
Did you know?
- More than 80% of people online have used the internet to purchase something. [1]
- In 2013, there were $963 billion dollars in E-commerce sales. [1]
- 72% of all internet users are now active on social media. [2]
- 93% of Marketers use Social Media for business. [2]
- There are now over 1.15 billion Facebook users. [2]
-
Instagram with 150 million active monthly users. [2]
- 75% of Americans admit to bringing their phone to the bathroom. [3]
- As of 2012, 116 million Americans owned smartphones. [3]
What do you like about web design?
What do I like about Web Design?
Perfect mixture of design and programming.
How do you make websites?
What are some Web Technologies involved?
Technologies
- HTML
- CSS
- LESS or SASS
- JavaScript
- jQuery
- PHP
- Java
- Perl
- Python
- Grunt or Gulp
- Bower, Yeoman & Node
Skills involved
User Experience
Visual Design
Search Engine Optimization
Interaction Design
Programming
Front-end Development
Content Strategy
Social Networking
Presenting / Pitching
Information Design
Sketching
Business Knowledge
Information Architecture
in other words:
A UNICORN.
Source: http://images5.alphacoders.com/315/315844.jpg
But...
You don't have to be an expert in everything. You have a team.
how do you become a unicorn?
- Learn everything you can about a new skill.
- Practice, practice, practice.
- Deconstruct what others have done.
- Solicit feedback (and listen to it).
- Teach the skill to someone else.
Our Advice:
- Start now.
- Read books and articles, hack websites, practice.
- Get a degree (Graphic Design, Programming, etc.)
- Become a unicorn. But, mostly, be AWESOME at the skills you like the
most. - Summer internships - get experience.
- Do freelance work on the side (start now).
- Stay current. The industry is always changing.
Playgrounds
- Codeacademy (http://www.codecademy.com/)
- Codrops (http://tympanus.net/codrops/)
- JS Fiddle (http://jsfiddle.net/)
- CodePen (http://codepen.io/)
- CSS Deck (http://cssdeck.com/)
More Resources
- A List Apart (http://alistapart.com/)
- Smashing Magazine (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/)
- Unicorn Institute (http://unicorninstitute.com/)
- CSS-Tricks (http://css-tricks.com/)
Books
- A Book Apart (http://www.abookapart.com/)
- Dan Cederholm (http://simplebits.com/#books)
Inspiration Sites
- Awwwards (http://www.awwwards.com/)
- Web Creme (http://www.webcreme.com/)
- Site Inspire (http://www.siteinspire.com/)
Questions?
References:
Thanks!
Follow me:
heyokadesign.com@heyoka
Are you a unicorn?
By heyoka