COVID-19 has transformed our daily lives for the better or worse. It has had a significant impact on many industries and the global economy. Businesses and people had to adapt to a completely new lifestyle within days of the pandemic happening.
It’s been more than four months since COVID-19 was declared as a global pandemic, and life changed for everyone since then. Major industries are undergoing a huge transition to overcome the financial crisis.
Retail, food, manufacturing, agency, and business sectors took a major hit when more than 850 million jobs were affected. Salaries were deducted, unemployment took over, and businesses went bankrupt due to fewer resources. The design industry, however, faced a lot of uncertainty in terms of the present and future.
The Increase in Demand of Web Designing Agencies
Because of the pandemic, all business and technical needs have shifted online. Most businesses depend on a single web designing agency to successfully carry on their marketing activities. A business has needed to be fulfilled around the clock. 24/7. With everyone working from home, under quarantine, maximizing productivity and maintaining the quality of work has become an utmost priority.
Every company wants to make sure they serve the digital needs of their clients effectively, specifically during such difficult times. While other areas in the technology industry have inevitably suffered, e-commerce, web, and app development have seen a significant boost. Businesses and startups are serving their clients through a digital portal, either their app or their website.
In such times, aiming to build a consumer-oriented brand is a struggle, but it’s not impossible. Many entrepreneurs are forced to redefine and put a halt on their marketing strategies as they have to adapt to an agile business model. Since web design agencies are anticipated to build the client’s brand identity, create digital marketing strategies, and improve web development, they work relentlessly to make sure the process runs smoothly.
Before we dive into the details of how the design industry is affected by the pandemic, let’s talk a bit about the skills of a designer and how they’re adapting to the new shift.
The Effect of The Pandemic on Designer Skills
Although in recent years, web designers and app developers have grown in numbers, the pandemic has pushed web designers and developers to stand out from the competition. If you want to stand out, you need to be the best. Improving and polishing your skillset is the first step to become the best.
As technology advances, the client needs change too. Innovation and creativity transform the needs and wants of the client. A web designer is no longer limited to product design only. Being a one-stop solution means becoming a pro at everything that involves design. In order to stay relevant in the industry, adapting to change is necessary.
Becoming a full-stack designer means conceptualizing and visualizing all stages of engineering a product. From web design to app designing, a talented designer is responsible for delivering promising user experience.
Unemployment and remote working have enabled people and businesses to adapt to an agile lifecycle. Since everyone is going digital, the demand for web designers and their skills in the market has increased quite significantly. Therefore, many people build a graphical skill set to enter the market and make the most out of the opportunity. Let’s take a look at the requirements of web designers in current times.
- A strong portfolio of demonstrable graphic design skills.
- Long-term experience in building storyboards, wireframes, process, and user flows and sitemaps.
- Expertise and experience in graphic designing software such as Illustrator and Photoshop.
- The ability to produce prototypes through CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and Bootstrap.
- The capability of working in an agile development life cycle.
- The ability to think creatively and visualize conceptual ideas.
- Updated with the latest tools, technologies, techniques, and trends
The internet has opened a new window of opportunities for us through online courses and certifications. Many people took this opportunity, and all the time they had in quarantine to improve and broaden their skill set. Other than graphical skills, a web designer is also required to excel in project management, time management, customer service, and SEO.
These soft skills help a web designer win over clients and build a loyal customer base, which has now become a priority to survive in the pandemic.
Rising Demand of Designers in The Pandemic
Businesses and startups specifically are re-evaluating their current digital strategies to build a more sustainable future. A web designer’s job is primarily capitalistic. If there’s a recession going on, which there is, then people won’t buy the product, and if no one’s buying the product, there’s no point in selling the product, and then there’s no need for a designer and marketer to work on anything.
A tight spending budget leaves little room for new innovation and new products. Existing businesses are looking for new ways to dive back stronger into the market.
Ecommerce Web Development
Online shopping has seen increased demand in the past few months. Businesses now are understanding the factors that affect the growth in demand for online services. In times of crisis, people can’t leave their homes and therefore rely on online shopping services to buy essentials stock up on supplies.
The e-commerce sector saw a significant spike in market revenue and sales in the past three months, which have greatly helped web designers get back in the game.
UX/UI Design
UI/UX designers are superheroes of the corporate sector. They’re responsible for making lives easier by improving the user experience through a better user interface. The growing demand for mobile apps and websites has enabled designers to take control and create apps and websites driven by convenience in such difficult times.
What’s Going to Happen to Designers Post-Pandemic?
The uncertain pandemic of 2020 has changed too many things at once, including the life of graphic designers. It’s difficult for the world’s population to not be affected by the virus and face the challenges post-pandemic.
Most people believe that things will move towards automation, and brands will have the option to outsource graphic designing requirements as well. It will eliminate the need for hiring an in-house resource, which means more people will be out of jobs; however, the silver lining is they can use the opportunity to join design industries. The curse of the COVID’19 has opened a gateway to endless possibilities; it has led to the creation of numerous virtual graphic designing platforms.
Let’s look at some pros of using a virtual graphic designing platform:
- It can be used to keep track of all the requests.
- Customers can add several requests,
- Most websites are subscription-based that offer unlimited revisions and requests.
- Brands can discontinue subscriptions without making someone losing their job.
As businesses move forward to outsource their graphic designing requirements, designers must rethink their career path. Here’s what designers can do stay in the game:
- They can expand their portfolio to attract more customers online.
- Build a website where they can showcase their best work and cater to client needs.
- They need to use their social media profiles to promote themselves and their work.
- If they offer to market competitive prices with quality work, they’ll attract more customers.
- They should provide clients with authentic references that ensure their professionalism.
- Designers need to stay up-to-date on the latest designing trends to create quality work.
- They should expand their skill set and learn to use different and trendy techniques.
What can Designers do?
Designing trends aren’t permanent; they evolve with the changing market trends and designing needs of brands worldwide. The task is to prepare for the changing times and staying ahead of them to deliver high-quality work. The best course of action for designers is to explore trends that will help them and their career in the long-run.
While many trends evolve with time, there are also some that are constant. Designers can work on perfecting such skills so that they can implement them in their work better than before. Businesses have shifted online, and their operations have become digital; that’s what designers need to work on; getting digital.
The online market is booming, and it offers a wide audience to cater to the needs of; being a designer, you need to follow the right strategy. Start by creating your own brand, making a marketing plan, and then showcasing your skills on online platforms. Some social media platforms have forums where freelancers can connect with potential clients to offer them their services. Focus on improving your agility so that you can retain customer requirements and approach them in unique ways.
The Future of the Designers in the Light of the Pandemic
The uncertainty of the next step is difficult, but as the world inclines towards a digitally-driven landscape, more and more opportunities are coming to light. Web designers and developers are all set to meet the requirements and demands of the ever-changing industry. Good luck with reshaping your designing career!
About the Author!
Munis khan working as a digital marketing executive at Designster. He is very dedicated to his work always come with new ideas and plan worthy marketing startegies to promote ther company and products. Also love to share desiging related knowldge information platform like ibrandstudio.
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