Results 1 to 19 of 19
  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    82

    Exclamation Web Designer. Is it a profitable Job today???

    I was simply wondering if anyone of you managed to earn a living from his/her passion for Computers and Internet.

    Is it a profitable Job today to be a web designer? Are there any decent available jobs?

    Personally I would like to have a job like this but I need to wait a bit more until I gain all the necessary knowledge and experience.

    Cool!!!
    Thanks

    ALex

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Scotland
    Posts
    52
    Yes and no. If your really really good at design and you have a very good base knowlege of site asthetics and layouts. Your also going to have a damm good knowlege of programming, unless you were going to get contracted programmers which tend to be expensive.

    I remember a few years back when sites were a lot more simple, it was like everybody was a designer. That picture of the tramp with will code HTML for spare change sign springs to mind. Nowadays everythings got loads of flash effects, so your going to need some damm good graphic design skills if your going to make a career out of it. Because most people will make the sites themself (or steal someone elses) your going to have to be a lot better than the average punter.

    There are really good design companies out there, for example

    http://www.pixlebrick.com
    http://www.chunkideas.com

    I know that chunk has an office with about 4 employees, they do lots of work for the BBC too, so they must be making an allright bit of cash.

    There are some err, not so good design companies like

    http://www.webzit.co.uk

    Webzit I presume (and hope) is just some guy trying to make an extra bit of drinking money, by designing sites that dont need badass effects to stun the users. e.g local taxi company or something.

    My business is basically hosting, but I do some site design, I am not too hot with graphics as you can see from my site, so I get buy with bog standard layouts. If somone wanted me to do them a site, I would show them what I can and can't do and if they want better then I do my best to refer them to a more capable designer. As for making a profit, after all the overheads are paid...I make enough to fuel my smoking habbit, pay my parents digs and goto college. I dont put half as much work into my business as half these guys on the forums do, so its just a matter of how hard you work and how much you want to sucseed.

    If I were you, I would get stuck in right now and gain some experience. Design a few sites for free and build up a portfolio.

  3. #3

    yep

    I think you can make a decent living out of doing it full time if you package it right.
    I am just starting to scratch the surface as far as webdesign/webhosting goes and it has been good to me so far. I don't think you can charge 1000s of $ anymore for a brochure type website but you can make up for it by providing hosting and maintenance. just to give you an idea, I charge between 200-500 for a website plus some hosting through a reselller account and about $100 in maintenance a month(low end spectrum).
    It is not my main source of income right now but I have been considering the switch more and more lately. and LOCAL businesses are the key to growth.
    just my $.02

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    1,337
    Fragtech means http://www.pixelbrick.com
    Ronny Fang
    Linux Problems Solved. | Built for the Hosting Industry
    Server Management. Node Management. Helpdesk Management.
    ( AcuNett, Est. 15 Years, RateLobby 5 Stars )

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Philadelphia, PA
    Posts
    2,517
    If you are looking to make alot of money, web design is not the field to enter. There is alot of stiff competetion, www.wwwcomm.com, which is a local web design firm, the second largest growing business in south jersey. Only hires degree backed web designers at around 30k a year. While the wifeys father, works at a large networking/system admin firm, and hires at 65k for degree backed network specialist.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Aussie Land
    Posts
    162
    Well, to me it's not all about money... if you love your job, go for it, even if it doesn't make you millions, it will keep you happy.

    I love my job as a web developer/programmer/designer/project mgt... and so on... though I'm not getting paid heaps, I love that job and I love to help people out (that's why I'm working for basically nothing when I'm helping others develop their huge websites)... well, not really nothing, but a share of the company...

    I'm working for a share of the company with no guarantee of success... but in my mind, I'm having fun

    If the company takes off, then I guess I'm one of the lucky ones

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Posts
    5,383
    Originally posted by dragonhawk
    Well, to me it's not all about money... if you love your job, go for it, even if it doesn't make you millions, it will keep you happy.
    I absolutley agree
    Clustered Hosting With Continuous Data Protection (CDP)
    http://www.solidinternet.com
    8 Years of hosting excellence!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Nahariya, Israel
    Posts
    170
    I don't truly agree.
    This is where I seperate job and hobby.

    Job will be something to earn good money, support my family, something that will fit my abilities whether if I love it or just like it.
    Of course I won't take a job I hate to do - but most [not artistic] jobs get eroding after a while.

    Hobby will be something that I like to do a lot, even something that might bring money. Something that I don't have to be succesful at but I like to do - such as drawing. I am a terrible painter, but I still like to do it.

    Sometimes the two collide, it depends on the person.
    Sometimes the hobby doesn't have artistic of it's nature (For example, my dad is a dentist but his hobby is to buy and sell stocks).


    I shall be telling this with a sigh
    Somewhere ages and ages hence:
    Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
    I took the road less travelled by,
    And that has made all the difference.
    -Robert Frost

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    1,700
    Its like any other job. If your good at it you will be successful. I think the funniest thing I see if people who go out and buy FrontPage or something like Trellix and they call themselves designers. The market is saturated with designers however, the good ones stand out.

    I think the most important thing to know is something that I read on a website that I think is so true:

    "If you can't program an entire website in notepad, then you shouldn't start a company"
    Remember that a designer can use programs and understands the other languages.

    Thanks

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Orange County, CA
    Posts
    3
    I was simply wondering if anyone of you managed to earn a living from his/her passion for Computers and Internet.
    The short answer - YES! The long(er) answer - When I started (1996) it was rough, but I think that's the case with any SOHO business short on funds. Through dedication, education, previous marketing experience and hard work, I won out in the end and make a very nice living now.

    Are there any decent available jobs?
    This will depend on your level of experience and how you define decent. I'm constantly on the lookout for "new talent", but my main requirement is that the new talent has to be setup to work as an independent contractor.

    Personally I would like to have a job like this but I need to wait a bit more until I gain all the necessary knowledge and experience.
    With your attitude, I would say go for it! In time, you will discover the three most important factors - Do I actually like what I'm doing? - Am I good at what I'm doing? - Do I make enough money to support myself and my family?

    I would say that you are wise to gain as much knowledge in your chosen field as possible - do this by constantly staying on top of the myriad of knowledge available out there and read as much as you can, however, IMHO, one of the best ways to gain this knowledge is to jump in and start doing it - not without some kind of a plan though. Start simple and work your way up.

    Good Luck!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Posts
    272
    Imho, web design is quite profitable...

    We go for the local small business sector and charge $75.00 per page, hourly for scripting, databases, shopping cart installation etc. and make a bit off of hosting, and domain reg...

    We make an average $1,500. to $7,500 per build, or just sell the templates at $75.00 +

    The problems we run into are;
    1. Our clients consider us their personal pc geeks and call to ask how to get rid of the preview pane in outlook explorer or to walk them through upgrading their os.

    2. We get a lot of referrals, therefore we don't even have the time to finish our websites (customers always come first!).

    3. Clients keep sending us viruses, thanks to Norton utilities we don't get infected but of course there goes three days on the phone helping them repair their systems!

    4. We havn't had a propper vacation for three years now(arrghh)


    Mass venting, I feel much better, I wont need a break for another three years.

    Back to work...

    Mj.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Posts
    61
    I think there is still plenty of money in web design. However many web designers are only good at the design and not so much sales and marketing, etc.

    A really good idea is to partner with someone who can handle the sales and marketing (and bill collection too) while you do the design work.

    Otherwise you may find yourself fighting with clients to get payment and worrying about finding new sales and not enough time on the actual designing of websites.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    242
    If you want design work, i highly recommend you go to elance.com and setup an account... There are tons of projects that you can bid on, build what you want, get paid what you want. What's better than that?

  14. #14
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    82
    Thanks for your contribution.

    Any more views of the issue??

  15. #15
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    65
    elance? there are so many people bidding there and at such rediculous prices that it is hard to compete.. I mean, people bidding to do a 50-page site with complete database for 200.00? Hard to fathom the idea..

    tried elance and after paying what they want monthlt, received nothing in return. heard the same from many others as well.

    just my experience...

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    242
    If you are good, you can make a killing on elance.com

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    New England
    Posts
    409

    Talking The SECRET to UNLIMITED Profits for Web Designers

    Fact: There are UNLIMITED number of hosts who will give a web designer free hosting accounts for even the most mediocre web design.

    So, all the designer has to do is pump out an UNLIMITED number of mediocre designs for web hosting companies, and get those UNLIMITED hosting accounts. Then, sell those hosting accounts, and rake in the profits. Since the designer's cost on the hosting account is zero, and the host has to provide the support, the designer can take the UNLIMITED profits right to the bank.


    /sarcasm off

  18. #18
    Originally posted by kevinwholder
    elance? there are so many people bidding there and at such rediculous prices that it is hard to compete.. I mean, people bidding to do a 50-page site with complete database for 200.00? Hard to fathom the idea..

    tried elance and after paying what they want monthlt, received nothing in return. heard the same from many others as well.

    just my experience...
    "received nothing in return"...

    did the clients refuse to pay up after you did the work ? please clarify?

    still zapped hearing this
    Chang Lee - Professional Designer
    (for Print, Television & Internet media)

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Posts
    56
    The problem with elance is that you're competing against people worldwide for project bids. You just can't match the low rates some of the people based in India or Pakistan offer if you live in the US.

    The trick to success is to differentiate yourself somehow other than on cost. Customer service is perhaps one avenue.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •