Creative gateways

Website designing has two aspects – creative and technical. The creative side involves visualisation and conceptualisation while the technical side involves converting layouts into HTML and giving effects with help of Java Script.

The lowdown
Website designing has two aspects – creative and technical. The creative side involves visualisation and conceptualisation while the technical side involves converting layouts into HTML and giving effects with help of Java Script and AJAX. Web designers can surf the internet for design ideas or can bank on their creativity to make a template. Once a client approves the template, the technical work begins

HT Image

Clock Work
10am: Start work – browse the net to check the websites of the client’s competitors, make a template and show it to the boss for approval 1.30 to 2.30pm: Lunch 2.30pm: If the client does not like the design, redo it. If the delivery deadline is on the same day, work late to complete project

The payoff
The average starting salary of web design graduates is about Rs2.5 lakh a year. However, those without a degree make about Rs10,000 to Rs15,000 a month. At the middle level management, the pay is around Rs5 lakh to Rs6 lakh a year. At the senior level, the pay averages around Rs12 lakh a year. A graphic head can get as much as Rs24 lakh to Rs26 lakh a year

Skills/TRAITS
. Lots of imagination, willingness to experiment and learn
. Ability come up with original, creative ideas for a brief and bring them alive on the web
. Ability to sit at the computer for long hours
. A fun-loving attitude

Getting there
After Class 12, you can join a web-designing course offered by various institutes. You need to learn about the web, HTML (HyperText Mark-up Language), PhotoShop, software like Dreamweaver and Flash, CSS (Cascading Style Sheet, for managing content formatting) and at least one programming language such as ASP, ASP.NET or PHP

Pros and cons
. You get to learn the latest technology
. Most of your time is spent on the computer
. Interesting, creative job