How Much Money Is In It?

[homer15]

hey everyone,
i was sort of wondering if there is any money in web design. i really enjoy designing sites, and i wouldn't mind making a profession out of it... but before i invest more time into it, is it worth it? i mean, i'm not looking to be a millionaire or anything, but i don't want to be a "starving webguy"

[mairving]

Everybody and his brother can build a website. Few can actually design a site though. If you are skilled and willing to learn new things, you can make all the money that you want. I would advise you to differenciate yourself from others by picking out a niche area or category. It can either be that you only do websites for doctors or it could be that you are a database guy or it could be that you are a programmer extradordinaire. Or you could be a great artistic designer or flash guy. I guess the point is to specialize in something which will set you out above the crowd.

Getting starting you should do any website for any price just to build up your portfoilio. Once you have enough clients that love your work, they will advertise for you.

[homer15]

how would you suggest i go about getting started?

[mairving]

Sorry, but I was in the middle of posting a couple of hours ago and got interupted. Anyway in answer to your question, first you need to know your stuff. Learn HTML, learn Photoshop, learn some kind of scripting language. Then build up a portfoilio. Build sites cheap or free if you need to just so that you can show someone what you can do. Then once you have enough clients that are pleased with your work, then they will refer people to you. It is the best form of advertising.

[homer15]

i've already got the knowledge. i know html, java, flash, fireworks, photoshop... i've got it all down. but how do i advertise that i want to build a site for someone?

[mairving]

Like I said, build sites to build up a nice portfoilio. Consider that everyone that you build a site for is a potential saleperson for you. It takes a little while to get started but it will happen if you hang with it. It may also help to get someone to help you sell sites. Give them a commission of the design fee if necessary.

[shecky981]

I agree with everything Mairving said, but i have a few things to add.

To genereate business you will need to work for less than you are worth, which, in some cases, especially at the begining, is free. take ANY job you can do no matter how small or how large, so long as you can do it, even if the pay is nothing. Eventually, as stated above, you will be able to charge more and more.

You will also need to be flexible in your rates. For example, in the past 6 months, i have done projects for: free; for $25/hour; for $90/hour; for a flat sum up front; for a flat sum after launch; for a small fee up front and a percentage of the sales made off the site; and last, but not least, for nothing up front, and for a percentage of overall business profit for the next 5 years (project i am just about to start as we speak, meeting with the lawyers on Thursday)

Good projects will advertise themselves, one thing I do in every project is to make the client agree to a link to myself on EVERY page, preferabbly with a logo on the 1st page.

As already stated, use these sites to make a nice portfolio, I would suggest you have a portfolio online, on CD, and in print for different clients.

Last but not least, and I cannot stress this enough, as mairving said already, just because you can BUILD a site does not mean you can DESIGN a site. Now, when i do sites that involve any database or dynamic content, i farm that work out to someone else, becuase i cannot build it on my own. However, my skills in design and user interface are excellent, so, I use that to my advantage. What i am saying is look at your skill set, if you can whip off HTML without thiunking about it, but have trouble understanding why you should use one font instead of another, or what colors to make your highlite, or whatever, then you should consider programming sites but hook up with a designer to do the actual design. Not understanding this difference is why 95% of sites suck.

Good luck!

[shecky981]

by the way... this is a good indiciator of typical income for certain jobs in the USA.

Salary Finder

[mairving]

I have a tendency to prefer the programming end more than the design end. I like doing the design but it seems to me the more sites I do the harder it becomes to design a unique (as if there is such a thing) site. Whereas, the programming gets easier and easier as I reuse code.

Another thing is to see what others think of your work. This gives you perspectives that you often don't see. There are several good forums for this.

[shecky981]

see, i am the exact opposite mairving, i MUCH prefer the design and user experince aspect of websites than the programming, which i personally find tedious and boring (probbally because i am not good at it). To me, finding new soloutions of design problems is what makes it so exciting and interesting, creating environments and experiences is to me the essence of design, and lets me create an entire 'information world' in a way.