Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his famous “I have a dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington in 1963. If you have your own dream to study in the US capital, surrounded by world-class museums and bustling and diverse city streets, then a web design course in Washington, DC, might be for you.
Enjoy the city’s architecture, visit the US Botanic Garden, or study outside on the grass at the National Mall as you get inspired while learning about web design. As a student in the city, you can visit the Lincoln Memorial, beautifully lit up at night, and check out the city’s booming restaurant scene for places to eat, drink, and study during the day.
Washington, DC, is a creative hub for artists and tech enthusiasts, and students would find it difficult to be bored in this city. If you are interested in discovering the best web design classes Washington, DC, has to offer, then keep reading.
What Does a Web Designer Do?
There are two fields of web design: UX design and UI design. UI, or user interface design, is all about choosing colors, fonts, buttons, and iconography to make a website’s user interface visually appealing and engaging.
UX, or user experience design, ensures each web component of a website is functional, serves a purpose, and looks desirable. User experience is about putting the user first. Below are some examples of what a web designer does on a daily basis.
Interface Design
UI design is about more than making a website look pretty. It’s about creating an end product that is intelligent, memorable, and meaningful. UI designers adjust fonts, colors, and images to convey a particular emotion. This type of design can also be used in other software or machines, rather than only on a website.
Designing Wireframes
A wireframe is a mock-up of the visual flow that a user will see on a digital interface. A UX designer will usually use UX design tools to create a prototype of the user experience, choosing to focus on specific elements, for example, a user-friendly button.
User Research
A UX designer does a lot of user research, including interviews, observing people using interfaces, documenting their behavior, and data research.
Information Architecture
Information architecture is the process of designing how a website will be navigated to promote positive user experiences. Think of it as using logic to create a page’s structure to benefit the user.
Working With Developers
A UX designer may work in a team alongside web developers to act as a kind of translator. They will explain to the developer what experiences will have the biggest pay-off for the user to help shape the developers’ creation.
User Testing
As a user experience designer, user testing is a smart way to validate your work. Finding out if your UX design tool works the way you want it to is a big part of the career. Thus, user testing ensures you are creating responsive websites.
Best Web Design Courses in Washington, DC
There are several ways you can gain web design skills. Whether you choose a coding Bootcamp, an online community college program, an online class with a live instructor, or traditional in-person training is up to you. See our list below to decide which web design course in Washington, DC, is the best for you.
American Graphics Institute
Where: Washington, DC
Course: Responsive Web Design Training in Washington, District of Columbia
Level: Intermediate
Price: $495
In this American Graphics Institute course, you will learn how to create sites that function across mobile, tablet, and desktop formats using CSS, fluid grids, and flexible foundation. Students will need foundational knowledge in HTML and CSS to join this class.
George Washington University
Where: Washington, DC
Course: Learn UX/UI in 24 Weeks (Bootcamp)
Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Time: 24 weeks
This GW Bootcamp offers hands-on training for web design students. Students will learn interface design, design research, visual prototyping and wireframing, visual design theory, story-boarding, HTML5, CSS3, and interaction design with JavaScript and jQuery.
Softech Services Inc.
Where: Washington, DC
Courses:
Introduction to Adobe Dreamweaver
Getting the Most Out of HTML and CSS
"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"
Venus, Software Engineer at Rockbot
Level: Beginner-Advanced
Time and Price: 1 to 2 Days
$350
Softech in Washington offers great short courses on web design fundamentals and tools. In just one or two days, students will learn everything they need to know from instructors who have at least 10 years of experience. This is an exciting and affordable option for anyone looking to build skills fast.
Future Media Concepts, Inc.
Where: Washington, DC
Classes:
Responsive Web Design with HTML5 and CSS3
Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Times: Varies
FMC offers great beginner courses and professional development classes. You can browse the course list by topic or by software manufacturer. They offer a lot of useful courses that will set students up for success. Plus, students can choose if they want to learn online or in a classroom.
Springboard
Where: Online
Courses:
UI/UX Design Bootcamp: Become a UI/UX Designer
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Time & Price: 55+ hours/nine months
Free – $10,000
Springboard has more than 55 hours of content on UX design learning. This course will teach you everything you need to know about how UX works, from the elements of user experience to human-centered design and customer journey mapping.
The online learning platform’s UI/UX bootcamp takes nine months to complete and covers everything included in the free UX course and much more.
Future Learn
Where: Online Courses
Courses:
Digital Skills: User Experience
Introduction to UX and Accessible Design
Digital Media Analytics: Social Media Research Plans
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Time & Price: 2 weeks/3 weeks
Free
In these free Future Learn courses, students can learn about visual design, website structure, wireframes and interactive prototypes, data analysis, interactive design, and even social media analysis skills.
Thinkful
Where: Online Bootcamp
Courses:
Level: Intermediate
Time & Price: 20 weeks/ 24 weeks, $7,000 – $12,150
Thinkful has a range of web design bootcamps and other useful courses that are worth checking out. Possible courses include digital marketing, data science, data analytics, web development, and full-stack development.
General Assembly
Where: Online Bootcamps and Classes
Courses:
UX Design Immersive in LA (Bootcamp)
Getting Started With WordPress | Los Angeles
HTML, CSS and Web Design Circuit
Learn User Experience Design Online
Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Time & Price: Varies
General Assembly provides great online courses for students anywhere in the world. It offers a range of web design courses designed by and for professionals, experienced mentors, and issue a certificate of completion at the end of each course. Students can learn all about design and create professional portfolios to get a head start in their careers.
Should I Take a Web Design Course in Washington, DC?
A web designer earns a median salary of $82,370 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you would love to study how to create responsive and exciting web designs in a beautiful city, the nation’s capital could be right for you.
Consider whether you are interested in taking development courses that teach the intricacies of web design and programming languages to build functional websites. If you are, the web design classes in DC could be a step toward making your design dreams come true.
We hope this article has helped you gain an idea of what Washington, DC, has to offer for aspiring web design students.
Check out these other posts if you are interested in further exploring the difference between UX and UI, between UX and graphic design, or if you want some web design portfolio tips.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
