How to become a professional web designer?

Question

User interface

Hello everyone!
I've been into web development since I was 13, I've mastered more or less HTML and CSS thanks to free website builders. While studying in college, we had design classes where we studied Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, after which I became more interested in web design than website layout. I spent the last 2 years studying this design direction: I learned how to create landing pages in Photoshop and XD, watched tutorials on YouTube, read articles, followed trends and was inspired by other people's work on Behance, Dribbble, Pinterest. During these 2 years, I even completed several orders from 3 to 25 thousand rubles per project. Of course, it took too long, and I didn't really advance in web design. Probably because I took it lightly, as a hobby. But now I'm determined to do professional website design.
Only I have a few questions for experienced web designers. I ask, please, for your advice, as a novice website designer.
1. What software to use for design? I really liked Figma. I worked with XD and Photoshop, but XD is still a very inconvenient program, some functions are missing. Photoshop - there is Photoshop, it is not intended for design, but I'm afraid that I will wean myself from Photoshop, and many customers or employers require PSD. What do you think, is it worth focusing on working in Figma? After all, this service is an ideal option for website design and interface.
2. If you use Figma, how is the transfer of the project to the layout designer or customer? Will it be convenient for a layout designer who works with bootstrap to typeset a site in Figmo's format? What are the nuances?
3. In Photoshop, when creating the layout of the landing page, I use a width of 1400 pixels. and the bootstrap grid, as I often saw this resolution in tutorials from Western designers. But in Figma or XD it's always different: someone uses 1280x800, someone 1440/1400 by 800, others 1920 by 1080 + 12 column grid, not 8. What is the best resolution to set and how to properly set up the grid?
Thank you very much in advance for your answers and for taking the time to read my questions.

Answer 1

The question of which tool to choose was not started with that - a secondary question, the design is not laid in the tool, a good layout can be drawn anywhere, even on a drink - the question is how it will be typeset later.
Now you are faced with the question - how to become better, and for this, I have a short formula that will more or less help improve skills:
1. YouTube content is not the best way to gain knowledge, given that all current content is intended for start, more complex issues are usually not discussed there. I recommend following some cool designers on Medium, Habr and Twitter. Read what they say, what methods they use, don't be lazy to use new techniques in design - test until you come to one that is comfortable for you.
2. Do not forget that any design is based on the analysis of competitors and related sites, if you start working on some kind of layout - study everything that is already on the market, look at their solutions, sometimes you can even save some elements to your layout , in the form of a screenshot, so that the idea does not get out of my head. And when you find 5 - 6 similar solutions, you can come up with your own.
3. As an icon - behance, look at the work of others every day, for 30 minutes a day. Just open and analyze, memorize their decisions - only in this way, you can understand the culture of web design.
4. Books on UX are a mandatory step for any interface designer, I published a list of useful books here: What books would you recommend to a novice web designer?
5. Well, and most importantly - practice, do not forget to do your projects, create a technical task for yourself and complete it. In any free time - just create.
Regarding your questions:
1. Any, I have been using Figma for two years, I have not had any problems with clients, although I have been freelancing for a long time.
2. Throw him a layout for viewing and that's it, Figma has made a convenient interface for the layout designer, he will figure it out.
3. If the content area is defined, what difference does it make what resolution you set? I recommend setting it to 1920 - this way it will be easier for the layout designer to see the full picture.

Answer 2

1. Use Figma if you like. When XD develops enough, it will be possible to switch to it without much difficulty. The principles of work are the same. There is no point in drawing layouts in Photoshop now. Developers are happy to switch to Figma if they are shown how to work with it, it is much more convenient than Photoshop for everyone who works on the project.
2. You send the developer a link to the project and that's it. The client can also export layouts to png.
3. Permission depends on the target audience. The grid depends on the project, there is no universal one, but there are many training materials on this topic.

Answer 3

1.
>many customers or employers require PSD
They just haven't heard of anything else. Show them Figma and that's it. On the other hand, FS will not go anywhere, because you need to collage photos all the time, and neither Sketch nor Figma can handle it.
2. The layout designer needs to send a link to the project.
Bootstrap has nothing to do with Figma.
3. I do 1280 or 1440 depending on which monitor I work on. It does not matter.
You don't have to be a hostage to the grid, much less a hostage to the Bootstrap grid. Design, don't dance to grid geometry.

Answer 4

What difference does it make which program? When I need to draw, I use XD, all the necessary functions for web design are there. Personally, Figma didn't work for me.
Now there are programs that make the work of designers and layout designers easier - Zeplin / Avocode, you can throw both .psd and .xd and others into them, and there the layout designers will be able to do everything they need.
Why are you only relying on Bootstrap? Do you want a joke? There are sites built without it. And grids on these sites are not always available.

Answer 5

1. Work hard
2. Find pros and work with them
3. Work hard again! Well, watch more ( :