What Does a Web Designer Do? (Key Responsibilities)

Introduction

A web designer blends creativity and technical skills to craft the look, feel, and usability of websites. In simple words, a web designer designs a website! 

In this article, you’ll learn exactly what a web designer does day‑to‑day and which responsibilities you’ll take ownership of when you step into this role.

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User Interface (UI) Design

Web designers set the visual tone of a site and ensure every interface element aligns with brand standards and user expectations. The following are some of the key responsibilities you will need to tap into: 

Visual Layout and Composition

• Grid systems: Establish columns and gutters for consistency across breakpoints.
• Hierarchy: Arrange headlines, subheads, images, and CTAs so users scan pages intuitively.
• Whitespace: Balance content and empty space to reduce cognitive load.
  

Typography and Color Schemes

• Font selection: Choose typefaces that convey brand personality and maximize readability.
• Hierarchy scales: Define size, weight, and spacing for headings, body text, and captions.
• Color theory: Develop palettes that reinforce mood, ensure contrast ratios meet accessibility standards, and guide user attention.

You will also need to pay attention to other elements like the website’s tone, brand consistency, site usability, etc.

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User Experience (UX) Collaboration

Even though UX experts usually do the research, web designers help them by turning ideas into real page designs and buttons people can use.

• Semantic HTML: Structure content with appropriate tags (e.g., <header>, <nav>, <article>).
• Responsive CSS: Write media queries and leverage flexbox or grid to support multiple device widths.
• Basic JS interactions: Understand event handling (e.g., open/close menus, tabbed content).
  

Wireframing and Prototyping

• Low‑fidelity wireframes: Sketch page structures to validate layout ideas without distractions.
• Interactive prototypes: Use tools like Figma or Adobe XD to show how the website will work and ask others what they think.
  

User Testing and Feedback Integration

• Usability tests: Facilitate sessions with representative users to uncover friction points.
• Iterative design: Make your website sketches and designs better by using test results, data, and ideas from the client.

Testing is an important stage. You can’t just design a website and sit there waiting for visitors to come in. You would need to improve the areas where visitors are bouncing off the website. 

These areas can be detected using different statistics, such as visitor bounce rate, CTR, average session duration, and others. 

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Front‑End Basics and Tools

While this is the job of web developers, web designers need a working knowledge of front‑end technologies to create realistic deliverables and communicate effectively with developers.

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Fundamentals

Design Software and Version Control

• Industry standards: Master tools such as Sketch, Figma, or Adobe XD for mockups.
• Asset management: Export optimized images and SVG icons; maintain organized layers and naming conventions.
• Collaboration platforms: Work within Git-based environments to hand off style guides and specs to developers.

If you are looking to design websites for small businesses, you might not need coding experience. These websites (web stores) can be easily designed on Shopify, WordPress, and Wix. These three are some of the non-code, widely used website builders.

However, having some coding experience is never bad. 

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Accessibility and Performance

High‑quality web design isn’t just about aesthetics. It must be inclusive, fast, and reliable.

ADA Compliance and Inclusive Design

• Contrast ratios: Ensure text and non-text elements meet WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
• Keyboard navigation: Design focus states and logical tab order for users who rely on keyboards or assistive devices.
• Alt text and ARIA: Specify descriptive alternative text and ARIA labels for meaningful non‑text content.
  

Site Speed and Optimization

• Image optimization: Choose appropriate formats (WebP, SVG) and dimensions.
• CSS/JS minification: Collaborate with developers to reduce file sizes and HTTP requests.
• Lazy loading: Design placeholders for below‑the‑fold media to improve initial load times.

What a web designer does to a site’s speed and responsiveness directly affects the website’s rankings in search engines. Google considers website speed optimization and mobile responsiveness major factors in its algorithm. Website infrastructure is also an important ranking factor.

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Client Communication and Project Management

Beyond pixels and code, you’ll own the relationship with clients and keep projects on track.

Gathering Requirements and Setting Expectations

• Discovery workshops: Lead sessions to clarify goals, target audiences, and brand guidelines.
• Creative briefs: Document scope, deliverables, timelines, and success metrics in a clear one‑pager.
  

Progress Updates, Reviews, and Revisions

• Milestone presentations: Showcase wireframes, mockups, and prototypes at defined checkpoints
• Feedback loops: Incorporate client and stakeholder comments methodically, tracking requests in tools like Trello or Asana.
• Final handoff: Deliver a comprehensive style guide, design assets, and documentation to the development team

Though slightly off-topic, here’s a great tip to keep projects on track. After a meeting, ask the group (or the person) this question: ‘So, what’s the next action?’ Once that’s clear, follow up with, ‘Whose responsibility is it to get it done?’

Describing the benefits would be beyond the scope of this discussion, try it and discover the benefits for yourself!

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Conclusion

By now, you have a clear picture of what a Web Designer does: shaping interfaces, bridging UX insights and front‑end realities, ensuring accessibility and performance, and managing client relationships from kickoff to launch. As you prepare to apply, highlight experiences where you’ve handled these core responsibilities and demonstrate how you’ll add value from day one.

*Any information in this article is to the best of my knowledge 

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