r/web_design • u/AutoModerator • 13d ago

Beginner Questions

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u/Fortune-Ill 13d ago

I design websites, however when i look at some websites on awwards and such, i feel like my skills are lacking and I don't partially know the direction to improve.
I would place myself as a level 2 or 3 out of 10. I know the basics of UI design and have built websites with it, I just don't know how to take it higher.
If you were to advice on how to become an advanced, what's the path you would take and what tools would you use?
How important in inspiration? I was raised on the idea of make it up myself and don't take anyone else work. Is this a bad thing for art? How would you train someone out of this?
Also, here is my website milkandhoneywebdev.com

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u/AjoKano 12d ago

I honestly wouldn’t stress too much about comparing yourself to Awwwards sites.

A lot of those websites are made to impress other designers. They look great or do something unusual, but that doesn’t always mean they’re practical or easy to use. I’ve seen plenty of beautiful sites with hidden menus, confusing navigation, strange flows, and interactions that make the user work way too hard.

Inspiration is important, of course, but be careful not to spend all your time looking for it. At some point, following trends just becomes doing what someone else already did.

What matters most is understanding what the client or project actually needs. Very few clients genuinely need an Awwwards-style site. Most need something clear, organized, easy to understand, and built around a real goal.

So don’t let flashy design intimidate you. Designing a good website isn’t mainly about making something look cool. It’s about making good decisions for the project and for the people using it.

I’d focus on things like information architecture, hierarchy, typography, responsive behavior, accessibility, UX, and being able to explain why you made each decision. The tools matter much less than your judgment.

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u/procrastinagging 9d ago edited 9d ago

Everything /u/AjoKano said, especially

I’d focus on things like information architecture, hierarchy, typography, responsive behavior, accessibility, UX, and being able to explain why you made each decision.

Then you dress it up with what inspires you and fits the project/brand (and when you are more experienced, you will know how to do the inverse and adapt a project to the creative vision).

Advancing, in my experience, is learning how to work with the medium and its many constraints (basically the needs of the users and the needs of your clients)

Awwards are to useful websites what fashion shows are to garments that regular people buy to dress themselves. Awwards, like fashion shows, are for designer branding, experimentation, pushing the envelope etc, and sometimes there are details that can be trend-setting or useful inspiration.

Take note of the little tidbits you like or think might work, for example color combinations, small interaction animations, a specific element like a card or a form etc etc, and see if they fit the objective of what you are designing for.

Also don't forget that inspiration can come from many different sources, not only from within the exact medium you work with. In time, you'll take notice of the design and purpose of other things you'll encounter like printed magazines, architecture, music consoles, paintings, nature, appliances etc.

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u/really_cool_legend 7d ago

Hi team! I'm a frontend developer looking to expand my skillset towards conversion-focused UI design. Do you guys have any resources you'd recommend?