As a seasoned web designer, you may reach a point of boredom or complacency. While you repeat the same 3-5 layouts and designs on every site you create, the industry advances and new trends appear. If you want to keep up with the times, you need to diversify your portfolio and improve your talent.
If you don’t know where to start, try these website design challenges to boost your skills. They work for both experienced designers and creators who only have a few pages under their belts. Read on to discover how you can become a better web designer!
There are no downsides to challenging your current level of design and creativity. In the end, websites are a major source of growth for a business, so you get the option to ask for higher payments on all upcoming projects.
Why you should take a web design challenge
There are plenty of reasons to keep your web design skills up-to-date. You can choose any or all of the challenges in this article to:
- Get a better understanding of the ongoing industry changes
- Build up a versatile portfolio
- Compete with more talented designers
- Get better at some of your current skills
- Have a higher chance to work on high-end projects
1. Choose new colors to define your style
If you have been in the website designing business for a while, you have surely cemented a style of your own. Most creators settle on a couple of color schemes that they use on almost every project to save time and reduce workload.
You can challenge your skills by working with completely new colors. If the project does not ask for specific hues, you should ditch your regular approach to color and embrace innovation. It will open the door to new and exciting possibilities.
2. Create something completely new
Just as it is the case for color schemes, you probably already work with preset layouts that you repeat on multiple projects.
You can become a better designer by trying to create a website from zero using new layout formats. Try building a split-screen layout site or a three-column website. One popular design nowadays is the full-screen responsive background image which looks great on both large screens and portable devices.
3. Learn to design by using new tools
Every web designer has their favorite tools. Whether they are file managers or text editors, these helpful instruments help them complete difficult actions quickly and easily.
You can sharpen your skills by trying to create a new website from scratch with tools that you have never used before. This way, you can diversify your abilities to use different software. You can also boost your knowledge of different creation instruments, and even discover a side of your creativity that you didn’t know existed.
4. Get inspired by intricate designs
Spending several years in web design can run your creativity tank dry. You may lose inspiration, ambition, and even motivation to come up with something new.
To break the cloud of monotony in your work, you should look for inspiration in more complex and more intricate designs. Look for award-winning site designs and layouts. Discover what elements you can add to your style, or try to recreate those websites from scratch.
5. Look for industry tutorials
When was the last time that you followed a tutorial for building a website? It might have been when you were first starting in this line of work.
It may feel weird following step-by-step instructions now, after several years in the industry and numerous projects. However, in the meantime, the tools and techniques of web design have evolved. You can update your skills by watching the tutorials made by other creators out there.
6. Change your workflow
Sometimes, creating a website may become boring and tedious, especially if you always follow the same methodology. You can refresh your skills and make the entire job more pleasant by changing your workflow. Organize the stages of the project differently from before, and challenge your ability to adapt.
7. Redesign one of your first projects
Last, but not least, to boost your web design skills, you should try redesigning one of your first projects. See how you could have done it better. Discover your progress throughout your creative career, and get the chance to improve on one of your earliest creations.
Interesting related article: “Setting up a website design business.”