Web Design Courses

Good design is the difference

Plenty of websites work. Far fewer are a pleasure to use. The gap between the two is design — how a page is laid out, how easy it is to find things, how it reads on a phone, how the images and video carry the message without getting in the way. That’s the craft these courses teach, and it’s what separates a site people tolerate from one they come back to.

Where to start

Begin with the CIW Site Development Associate — it covers how websites are actually built, so everything after it makes sense. From there, the User Interface Designer teaches you to design the experience, Advanced HTML5 & CSS3 turns designs into polished, responsive pages, and the Multimedia Specialist covers using images, audio and video well.

Web design or coding?

It’s worth knowing the difference, because they sit side by side. Web design is about how a site looks, feels and flows for the person using it. Coding is the logic underneath — mostly JavaScript. The strongest web people understand both, but if your interest leans towards writing code rather than designing the experience, our coding and web development courses are the better fit.

Vendor-neutral foundations

These are CIW certifications, which are vendor-neutral — they teach the open web standards (HTML, CSS, usability principles) that apply on any platform, rather than one company’s tools. For a beginner that’s a real advantage: the skills travel, and they stay relevant as the tools change. CIW is recognised internationally by employers and academic institutions.

How the exams work

Your course covers the training and full exam preparation; the official CIW exam is sat separately with CIW, and we help you arrange it. Each exam currently costs around US$175 and is computer-based, with your score shown the moment you finish — online with remote proctoring or at a test centre. CIW certifications are valid for three years.

Careers in web design

These courses point towards roles such as web designer, UI/UX designer, front-end designer and digital designer. Most people pair a certification with a small portfolio of their own work — the certification gets you in the door, and the portfolio shows what you can make.

Related courses

• Coding & web development courses — JavaScript and the code side of the web
• All CIW courses — the full range of web and design certifications
• All IT courses