Tag: web

Research Finds Web Designers Feel That Their Work is

Amel
Research Finds Web Designers Feel That Their Work is

NOTTINGHAM, England, Oct. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Research from web host 20i has revealed frustration among web designers over their clients’ attitudes towards pricing.

The survey of 500 web designers found 87% believe clients often underestimate the cost of web design, and only 12% think they charge enough for their work. The survey indicates that the average annual income for a full-time web designer is approximately £23,000/$32,350.

These findings place web design behind many other professional services in terms of annual earnings. The sector falls below the £29,600-£31,400 UK average annual salary for full-time workers and the income commanded by other creative and tech spheres, such as graphic design at £28,900 and web development at £34,000. A career in web design is a popular choice, so there’s fierce competition, driving down fees.

This high competition does foster creativity, with 43% of web designers producing web design-focused content like blogs, videos and podcasts to help stand out. Their need to keep appraised of rapidly changing technologies and design trends is clear: nine out of 10 make a conscious effort to keep up with industry developments.

On a more positive note, the survey also reveals a growing optimism amongst web designers towards the future of their industry, with 65% finding work as easy to come by as they did a year ago. This suggests that they have been relatively isolated from the rollercoaster economic effects of the lockdowns.

In fact, their outlook is very optimistic, with only 13% believing work will be more difficult to secure in the next 12 months, and 70% of those surveyed are as excited about being a web designer now as they were a year ago.

Jonathan Brealey, 20i Director, says, “I understand web designers’ frustrations when it comes to their clients not appreciating the amount of work that goes into a modern website. While the ‘look’ of a website is important, non-technical clients may not fully grasp the complexities of performance optimisation, security and other functional elements.

“Even so, I’m happy to hear that despite this, most web designers are positive about their future in the industry and are still enjoying their work.”

About 20i

20i is one of the UK’s leading web hosts and domain registrars. Currently rated the #1 web host on Trustpilot and the only UK host to be rated ‘Top Tier’ WordPress host by Review Signal, our Reseller Hosting, WordPress Hosting and VPS are the perfect choice for agencies, businesses, freelancers and side-hustlers.

Our mission is to provide world-class hosting experiences that surpass our customers’ expectations, by developing easy-to-use, intuitive and high-performance products backed by an expert support team.

To learn more about the company, visit www.20i.com. Press contact: [email protected]

Related Images

Image 1: Web Designer Survey

The 20i Web Designer Survey asked web designers about wages, fees, the tech they use, how they promote themselves and much more.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/10/27/2321815/0/en/Research-Finds-Web-Designers-Feel-That-Their-Work-is-Undervalued.html…

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Gatsby makes a new approach to web development easy

Amel
Gatsby makes a new approach to web development easy

Commentary: Jamstack’s modern approach to web development used to come with a caveat. With Gatsby 4, that caveat is gone.

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Image: NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock

Must-read developer content

So much of what we consider enterprise software today was once derided as hobbyist toys. Though it’s not exclusively an open source phenomenon, it’s perhaps most obvious in open source projects like Linux or MySQL, which seem so inappropriate for serious enterprise use at first, then grow to become defaults for enterprise use. Something similar is happening in web development. 

SEE: The best programming languages to learn–and the worst (TechRepublic Premium)

Not so long ago, static site generator (SSG) frameworks like open source Gatsby were considered limited to simple applications like blogs or documentation sites. The problem was performance. SSGs were lightning fast because they rendered websites as files, but that speed broke down once a website moved beyond 10 to 1,000 pages and scaled to 10,000 or 100,000 pages. Suddenly the compilation process got really slow. 

Well, that was then, and this is now.

Projects like Gatsby increasingly challenge the notion that enterprises would need, much less want, a heavy-duty, all-in-one-but-master-of-none CMS like WordPress or Sitecore. Not when they can get best-of-breed: a headless CMS like Contentful as a back-end, API-driven content store; Stripe for payments, Gatsby for front-end presentation, etc. Indeed, this relatively new Jamstack approach may be setting a new standard for web development. Perhaps most importantly for developers, with Gatsby 4, there’s no longer a need to bet on SSG over server-side rendering (SSR). With Gatsby 4, you can have both.

Start small, go big

But that’s not where developers start. The world has lived in traditional CMSes for so long that developers will usually turn to something like WordPress for their work projects. WordPress, for example, is the CMS behind 39.6% of websites. When developers build for fun, however, they look to something like Gatsby, an open source framework for building websites with React. Gatsby is also the name of the company that does most of the development on the project, while also offering a cloud service to make it easier to get started with Gatsby, and also to keep going. 

SEE: How to build a successful developer career (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

As Gatsby project and company co-founders Kyle Mathews and Sam Bhagwat explained in an interview, the company keeps pushing to make Gatsby easier and more powerful to use.

On the “easier” side, for years the company has offered Starters, which are open source, pre-built Gatsby sites with dummy content to enable a developer to start using Gatsby with minimal learning curve. How useful are Starters for a would-be Gatsby user? “That’s where everyone starts,” Mathews noted. “They’re like, ‘What’s this Gatsby thing? I’ll rebuild my portfolio.’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, that was fun. I’ll suggest it at work.’ That’s a story we hear over and over again, and it’s not going to stop.” 

To ensure developers don’t choose Gatsby for its ease of use

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Why should I opt for a custom web design?

Amel
Why should I opt for a custom web design?

Having a website has become essential if you want your business to thrive in the modern world. The best part about this is that business owners can make the most out of custom web designs. But why should we go for custom-made designs when templates are available for the users at a cheaper rate. Let us get right into it. 

But before we begin, let us first take a look at the types of web design that are available.

There are only two types of web design that are known to the technical world. Website templates and custom web design. The majority of the audience goes for website templates as they like to save money and also avoid the effort it takes to find the right web designer and a great web design agency. 

Although website templates may come at a cheaper rate, a custom design still has a lot more to offer. 

Let us get to know what makes custom web designing the need of the hour. 

Why should I choose custom web design?

Personalization 

Website templates do not offer you the creative license to add or remove something on your own. On the other hand, a custom design offers you the option of adding a certain flair to it, helping you to leave an ingenious impression on the customers. Custom-made websites are far more customizable when compared to website templates. 

Having a unique design also helps you to stay ahead of the curve in the competitive market. Personalization makes it possible for you to define exactly what your business is about without any stress. 

Adds to the picturesque view

It is common knowledge that website templates don’t have much to offer when it comes to color, font, and designs that can be used. It is also no secret that your website can perform better on the internet if it is visually appealing since it is the very first thing that customers keep an eye on whenever they visit a website. 

This is why it is important for you to be selective with your design, even if it gets you a bit behind your schedule. Hiring a web design agency for custom designing offers you the liberty to experiment with as many colors, fonts, and designs as you want. You can choose from a wide range of selections so to find the theme that best suits your business. 

You can also opt to be creative to give the website an innovative overall look. All you have to do is to share your vision and ideas with the agency and you are good to go. 

Monetary benefits

Contrary to popular belief, custom web designs can save you tons of money as it is a one-time investment alongside getting positive results for you and your business. Often small business owners tend to cut costs which is why they go for website templates, but to the surprise of everyone, you can get a great web design agency at your service and it

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