If you have a creative flair and want to be part of the design of websites then stick around. Are you able to use technology and want to add your own spin to different websites? Web design could be exactly what you’re looking for.
What is web design?
Web design is the production of websites through different skills and disciplines including graphic design, standardised coding and software. It is the display of imagery and text on a website that is placed and written a certain way in order to be pleasing on the eye to site visitors.
What third level courses are available?
Universities and colleges in Ireland are offering courses in the following subject areas:
- Digital Marketing and Web Design (PLC)
- Digital Media and Web Design (PLC)
- IT, Web Design and Multimedia (PLC)
- Software and App Development with Web Design (PLC)
Studying web design in college
The majority of courses in Web Design are PLC courses and are often studied with other subjects such as seen above for example, multimedia and digital marketing. PLC courses will generally be 1 year long.
PLC courses will give you a strong foundation in the area of web design and allow you to gain all the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to design websites and allow them to be visually pleasing and efficient. In a course like this you will gain an understanding and competence in a broad range of subjects that are related to web design.
Course content will differ from course to course especially as each course can be studied with different subjects. For the most part, you will become familiar with screen graphics, website designing, animation and you may even become familiar with photo and video editing techniques and skills. You will also learn to identify formats including texts, graphics and ensure a clean, appealing and efficient website layout.
An important part of web design is to learn to use various different servers and tools especially as online and social media continues to grow and evolve, the look and efficiency of websites is massively important especially to businesses and organisations.
Career options
PLC courses give you a strong grounding of the subject of your interest and can help you to understand the area and decide if you want to continue on with your studies at undergraduate level. Following on from your undergraduate studies you may continue to postgraduate level and specialise in a particular area.
The area of technology and design is quite broad and offers different roles and work across many disciplines and in many fields. Working as a web designer would be one of the most obvious roles there are many more to choose from that you could branch into which are listed below. There is also the option of working in research and teaching classes/lecturing.
Important skills and qualities to have in this area include the ability to work with IT, an eye for detail, an eye for layout, creativity, the ability to work well with others, patience, organisation, time management skills, imagination, analytical skills and strong communication skills.
Related Jobs
- Web designer
- Applications developer
- Multimedia programmer
- SEO specialist
- Games developer
- Web content manager
Further Study
Visit postgrad.ie for more information.
FAQ
Different courses and different colleges will have different entry requirements. It’s always safest to check with the individual higher education institution which is available on their websites. As a general rule Leaving Cert students should have a minimum of six subjects which should
include: Two H5 (Higher Level) grades and Four O6 (Ordinary Level) grades or four H7 (Higher Level) grades. Subjects must include Mathematics, Irish or another language, and English.
PLC courses will accept Leaving Certificate results. Specific courses may have their own requirements. For example, some courses may have a certain interview process or expect a portfolio of sorts so it is always important to look into these things in depth.
Where can I study?
For other courses in the area you would like to explore, you can do so here.
Did you know?
- The average attention span has decreased from 12 to 8 seconds of web users
- Website visitors are more likely to read and engage with content that is in a bullet point format rather than a long paragraph
- An average of 2.9 billion Google searches are carried out every single day
Resources
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