{"id":8057,"date":"2017-08-05T00:11:50","date_gmt":"2017-08-05T00:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/?p=8057"},"modified":"2017-08-05T21:46:33","modified_gmt":"2017-08-05T21:46:33","slug":"skills-independent-web-designer-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/design\/skills-independent-web-designer-need\/","title":{"rendered":"What Skills Does an Independent Web Designer Need?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Working as an independent web designer requires more than just visual skills if you\u2019re going to keep things running on the business side of things. You\u2019ll need to work on all of the basics of entrepreneurship, including managing your time effectively, mastering the art of negotiation, and investing in appropriate tools for invoicing, budgeting, and more.<\/p>\n

Not sure if you\u2019re ready to conquer the world of entrepreneurship? We can help. Here are 5 skills and tools every independent web designer can benefit from.<\/p>\n

Manage Your Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

Time management is at the heart of independent business management because there\u2019s no one to keep you accountable. This is especially true for web designers who work from home – our homes are traps of distraction with chores, children, and pets. Blocking these things out can be a real challenge.<\/p>\n

One option for entrepreneurs who are struggling to stay on task is the Freedom internet blocker<\/a>. Freedom is the perfect tool for web designers who need to step away from the web, or just from specific sites and apps. As designers surely observe, our willpower is limited<\/a> and it\u2019s hard to break bad habits like shifting from work to check our email. Rather than trying to resist temptation alone, let Freedom do it for you.<\/p>\n

In addition to using Freedom or another internet blocking tool to manage your time, it\u2019s important for entrepreneurs to recognize a key distinction about time that escapes many: the difference between clock time<\/a> and real time. Clock time doesn\u2019t mean much \u2013 we don\u2019t live by it even if we schedule things around it. Instead of focusing on the number of minutes spent on a task or what the clock says, focus on using your real time, your experiential time, on productive activities. If something is slowing you down or distracting you, cut it off.<\/p>\n

Invoice On The Go<\/strong><\/p>\n

Invoicing is one of the most tedious parts of business management. When you\u2019re an independent owner, you can\u2019t just shift this task over to accounting. Add clients to the equation who don\u2019t pay their invoices on time, or who need to be invoiced multiple times as you chase down payment, and it can turn into an endless cycle.<\/p>\n

In order to simplify the invoicing process and use your time more productively, consider investing in Billdu<\/a>, a simple invoicing suite for small businesses. Billdu offers an invoice app<\/a> that allows you to invoice on the go, so the next time you\u2019re waiting in line for coffee or stuck at the mechanic, you can be sending out invoices from your phone. Working on the go is another part of the time management equation.<\/p>\n

Keep Up To Date<\/strong><\/p>\n

Web design is a rapidly changing field so it\u2019s important that you stay up to date on advances, new coding tools, and software. Plan to make serious financial investments to stay ahead of the competition. One good strategy in today\u2019s Software as a Service marketplace is to subscribe to Adobe Creative Suite<\/a> rather than owning a static version of it. The subscription will auto-update with new features and will ultimately be less expensive for you as a professional designer.<\/p>\n

Another important investment you can make as a web designer is in advanced design tutorials. Though you\u2019ll likely pick up new skills as you go, undertaking a tutorial in web animation or parallax <\/a>can be a more efficient way to learn how other designers are negotiating a changing design landscape.<\/p>\n

Get Certified<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anyone can be an entrepreneur, but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t enhance your skill set to give yourself a better chance of success. If there\u2019s a particular skill you want to strengthen, consider getting a certification. Many schools offer certificates in entrepreneurship<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also sign up for more targeted classes online, such as courses in budgeting for business or business communication. Whether you consider these weak points or you\u2019re just feeling industrious, advertising your business certifications can make your brand more appealing.<\/p>\n

Negotiate For Your Life<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally, you won\u2019t get far as a web designer if you can\u2019t sell your services for what they\u2019re truly worth – and that means learning how to negotiate. Unfortunately, like many creative fields, people seem to think web design skills aren\u2019t worth much. Strong communication skills<\/a> will get you a long way towards earning what you deserve.<\/p>\n

When negotiating, work on removing barriers to understanding. Discussing the technical aspects of a project isn\u2019t likely to get you far with a client who thinks you\u2019re just obfuscating to overcharge them. Instead, use clear language to describe the time and effort spent on a project and make comparisons to other services a client might pay for. Also, don\u2019t hesitate to request a deposit on design work. This, too, may require negotiation but you\u2019ll benefit from being upfront when you get an especially challenging client.<\/p>\n

Running your own web design business can be very rewarding, but it\u2019s also a lot of work. Prepare yourself for the work ahead by lining up all the tools and skills you\u2019ll need to succeed. It\u2019s an exciting time to work in web design, but an even more exciting time to work for yourself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Working as an independent web designer requires more than just visual skills if you\u2019re going to keep things running on the business side of things.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":799,"featured_media":8058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[418],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Skills Does an Independent Web Designer Need? - DesignCanyon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/design\/skills-independent-web-designer-need\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Skills Does an Independent Web Designer Need? - DesignCanyon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Working as an independent web designer requires more than just visual skills if you\u2019re going to keep things running on the business side of things.…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/design\/skills-independent-web-designer-need\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"DesignCanyon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-08-05T00:11:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-08-05T21:46:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/What-Skills-Does-an-Independent-Web-Designer-Need.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"698\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"320\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"najam\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@shafiq\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"najam\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/design\/skills-independent-web-designer-need\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/design\/skills-independent-web-designer-need\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"najam\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c65dfa1cc5b68df3651dbe202cf446bb\"},\"headline\":\"What Skills Does an Independent Web Designer Need?\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-08-05T00:11:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-08-05T21:46:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/design\/skills-independent-web-designer-need\/\"},\"wordCount\":895,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Design\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/design\/skills-independent-web-designer-need\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/design\/skills-independent-web-designer-need\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/designcanyon.com\/design\/skills-independent-web-designer-need\/\",\"name\":\"What Skills Does an Independent Web Designer Need? 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