How to Become a Web Designer (With No Degree)

How to Become a Web Designer (With No Degree)

If you're reading this, you're probably wondering if you can really become a web designer without a £30,000 piece of paper that says “BA (Hons) in Digital Media.”

The short answer is yes.

The long answer is that it's harder, but in many ways, it's better.

As the founder of Inkbot Design, I've hired designers. I've reviewed thousands of applications. I can tell you unequivocally: I have never made a hiring decision based on where (or if) someone went to university. I've hired brilliant self-taught designers, and I've let go of university-educated designers who couldn't solve real-world problems.

A degree is a signal. A self-taught designer simply needs a stronger, more distinct signal. That signal is your body of work.

This guide isn't a fluffy “follow your dreams” post. This is a business-centric framework for building a career in web design. For entrepreneurs and small business owners reading this, this is also a peek behind the curtain at what separates a professional from a hobbyist.

Before we start, let's clear the air. I have a few pet peeves about this industry, and they're all traps for new designers.

My Pet Peeves (Or, ‘How Not to Fail')

1. The “Tutorial Clone”: I see it constantly. A collection of work filled with five identical-looking “minimalist” websites, all copied from the same YouTube tutorial. It shows me you can follow instructions, but it doesn't show me you can think. It shows zero personality and, worse still, zero problem-solving ability.
2. The “Format-First” Designer: This is the person who obsesses over their creative CV but has no work to back it up. A flashy CV is useless. A simple PDF that links to three brilliant case studies is all you need.
3. Ignoring the Business: This is the big one. A designer who doesn't ask “why.” Why does this business need this site? What's the primary conversion goal for the Homepage? Who is the target audience? A designer who just wants to make “pretty pictures” is an artist. A designer who solves a business problem is a professional.

This guide is designed to help you become a professional.

The Elephant in the Room: Does a Degree Even Matter?

A university degree is not about learning web design. It's about (supposedly) learning how to learn, critical thinking, and theory. However, in the fast-paced world of digital design, a 3-year curriculum is often outdated by the time graduation rolls around.

Businesses don't pay for theory. They pay for results. They have a problem—not enough leads, a

confusing visitor experience, a dated brand—and they are hiring you to solve it.

This is where the entire debate about education misses the point. The only thing that matters is proof of work.

Some people derive value from formal certifications or online training courses, but these are supplements, not replacements for tangible skills.

This is critical to understand. You are not “at a disadvantage” without a degree. You are simply on a different path, one that requires you to be more disciplined, more proactive, and more focused on building tangible assets.

A customer hires a designer because they understand the importance of web design for their bottom line. Your job is to prove you're the person who gets that.

Here is an honest breakdown of the two paths.

The Degree vs. The Self-Taught Path: An Honest Comparison

The takeaway: The self-taught path has a lower barrier to entry but a higher barrier to completion. It requires immense self-discipline. But the result—a portfolio of real-world solutions—is infinitely more valuable.

Step 1: Pick Your Lane (The ‘Web Designer' Label is Broken)

The term “Web Designer” is overly broad. It's like saying you're a “Doctor.” What kind? A brain surgeon? A podiatrist?

When a small business owner says, “I need help with my website,” they may be referring to one of five different individuals. Your first step is to decide which one you will be.

• UI (User Interface) Designer: This is the specialist responsible for visual design. You live in tools like Figma or Sketch. You obsess over typography, colour palettes, spacing, and interaction animations. You create the pixel-perfect “look and feel.”
• UX (User Experience) Designer: This is the architect. You create wireframes, plan the Sitemap, and build visitor flow diagrams. You conduct research. You don't care “if the button is blue,” you care “if the visitor can find the button.”
• Front-End Developer: This is the builder. You turn the UI design into a functioning website using code. Your primary languages are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• The CMS & Platform Specialist: This is a huge opportunity. This person builds and customises sites on specific website-building platforms. This could mean being a WordPress expert, a Squarespace guru, or a Showit designer. You do less “code” and more “configuration,” but it's a highly in-demand skill.
• The No-Code/Visual Developer: This is the new standard. Tools like Webflow and Framer allow you to design (UI) and build (Front-End) visually. You still need to understand HTML principles, but you're not writing JavaScript all day.

My advice?

Start by aiming for UI Designer + Platform Specialist.

Focus on visual design fundamentals first, then learn a platform like WordPress or Webflow deeply. This combination enables you to serve a significant portion of the market, delivering a finished, high-performing product.

Step 2: Build Your Non-Negotiable Skills

You don't need four years, but you do need to be methodical in your approach. Here is the actual curriculum.

The ‘Hard' Skills (The Toolkit)

1. Design Fundamentals (The Real Education): This is what separates pros from amateurs.
   • Typography: How to choose fonts, pair them, and set type for readability.
   • Colour Theory: How to build a palette that evokes emotion and guides the eye.
   • Layout & Composition: Grids, spacing, visual hierarchy. How to lead a visitor's eye.
   • UX Principles: Don't Just Make It Pretty. Make it usable. Learn about visitor flows, information architecture, and create a Sitemap.
   • Responsive Design: How to make your design look and work perfectly on a desktop, tablet, and mobile phone. This is non-negotiable.
2. The ‘Code' Question (The Honest Answer):
   • HTML (HyperText Markup Language): Yes. Non-negotiable. This is the skeleton of every single website. You must understand basic HTML tags and Markup, even if you use a visual builder.
   • CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): Yes. Non-negotiable. This is the “skin”—the colours, fonts, and layout. You must understand the box model, flexbox, and grids.
   • JavaScript: …Maybe. This is the “behaviour” (sliders, pop-ups). You don't need to be a wizard to be a successful designer.
3. The Tool Mastery (The ‘Hammer'):
   • Your Design Tool: Figma is the industry standard. However, the Adobe Creative Suite (including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe XD) is also powerful. Even Canva is a great starting point for basic visual design and layout ideas. Pick one and learn it.
   • Your Build Tool: This is where you choose your path.
     • CMS: WordPress powers over 40% of the internet. Learning is a license to print money.
     • Website builders such as Squarespace, Wix, and Showit are ideal for smaller, design-led businesses.
     • Visual Development: Webflow and Framer offer pixel-perfect control without (much) code.

The ‘Soft' Skills (The Money-Makers)

• Communication: Can you listen to a customer's request, understand their real problem, and explain your solution in simple terms? This is 80% of the job.
• Business Acumen: Understanding why the business is spending this money. A new Homepage isn't the goal. More leads are the goal. Your design must serve the company's marketing strategy.
• Problem-Solving: The customer gives you a blurry logo and 10 pages of disorganised Word documents, and says, “Make it look good.” That's the job.
• Project Management: Can you set a deadline and hit it? Can you manage scope creep when a customer says, “Can we just add a whole e-commerce shop?”

Your Body of Work: The New Certificate

Your collection of work is not a gallery. It's a business proposal.

It is the only thing that matters to a potential employer. It's your new degree, your resume, and your sales pitch all in one.

This is where 90% of new designers fail. They show what they made. They need to show why they made it.

Do not just show a pretty screenshot.

You need to present each piece as a case study.

• The Problem: “The business, a local bakery, had a 10-year-old website that wasn't mobile-friendly and had no online ordering.”
• The Solution: “I designed and built a new, responsive design on WordPress, focused on a simple online ordering flow.”
• The Process: “I started with wireframes and a Sitemap to map the visitor journey, then moved to Figma to create a visual identity.” (Show the wireframes, show the style guide).
• The Result: “In the first month, online orders increased by 300%, and mobile traffic now has a 50% lower bounce rate.

Even if you have to guess the results, thinking this way is the key.

The “No-Degree” Collection in 6 Months

“But I don't have customers! How do I build a portfolio?”

You don't need paid work. You need problems.

Here is my “3-Case-Study” framework.

1. The Passion Piece: Find a local non-profit or community group. Offer to do their site for free or at a very low cost. Why? Because it's a real business. You'll have to deal with real feedback, bad assets, and a real deadline.
2. The ‘Redesign' Piece: Find a local business (or even a big brand) whose website is terrible. But don't just “make it pretty.” Solve a business problem. “I redesigned [Local Pizza Shop]'s online ordering because their current flow is 8 clicks. My new design is 3 clicks.”
3. The “Dream” Piece: Create a web design from scratch for an imaginary Client. But make it real. “Case Study: ‘Roast,' a subscription coffee box. I designed their e-commerce Homepage, user dashboard, and checkout flow.”

With these three examples, you demonstrate you can handle real feedback, fix real business problems, and execute your own creative vision.

Step 4: How to Get Your First Customers

You have the skills. You have the 3-case-study collection. Now you need money.

• Go Local: Small business owners trust local. Go to your local Chamber of Commerce meeting. Tell people, “I build websites for local businesses that need more leads.”
• The “Foot-in-the-Door” (FITD) Offer: Don't sell a “£5,000 website.” That's a huge commitment. Sell a “£150 Website Audit.” This is a small, paid product where you record a 15-minute video reviewing their current site, highlighting 5-10 areas for improvement (e.g., SEO, mobile speed, or confusing navigation).
• Subcontracting: Find a web design agency (like us!) or a busy freelancer and send a sharp, professional email with your creative CV and a link to your work. “I'm a designer proficient in WordPress and visual design, and I'm available for overflow work.” This is how many designers get their start.
• Apprenticeships: Look for formal programs, such as the Creative Digital Design Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship. These are rare but incredible opportunities to get paid while you learn from pros.

Eventually, your business will come from referrals. The hard part is just getting the first five.

The Action Plan: Your 12-Month Sprint

This all boils down to an actionable plan. Here is your roadmap.

The ‘No Degree' Designer's 12-Month Sprint

Final Thoughts: The One Thing That Actually Matters

I've seen designers with 10 years of experience get surpassed by hungry, self-taught individuals who seem to grasp it instinctively.

“It” isn't the degree. It's not the tool, and it's not even the code.

It's taste and problem-solving.

• Taste is the visual design sense you build by studying the greats, practising every day, and learning why a design feels right.
• Problem-solving is the business sense of examining a complex, chaotic problem and devising a clear, straightforward, and elegant solution that works.

This career path isn't easy, but it's simple. It's open to anyone, regardless of their background, who is willing to put in the work. The proof is in the work itself. The rest is just noise.

So, what's next?

If you're an entrepreneur who just read this and thought, “My god, this sounds like way too much work… I just want the result”—then you're exactly why our industry exists. You value your time, and you'd rather hire a professional. If that's you, let's talk. Explore our web design services and discover the level of quality you should expect.

If you're on this journey to become that professional, good luck. It's the most rewarding career I know.

Now, go build something.

How to Become a Web Designer (FAQs)