Behind the Screens
When people hear “web designer,” they often picture someone staring at a glowing screen, clicking away on a fancy laptop, surrounded by coffee cups and lines of code. While there’s some truth to that, there’s much more to a web designer’s day than pixels and caffeine.
Whether you’re curious about the career, considering hiring one, or just wondering what we actually do all day, here’s a peek into a typical day in the life of a modern web designer.
8:30 AM – Starting the Day
Most web designers don’t start at the crack of dawn (unless deadlines demand it!). After a coffee or a scroll through design blogs or Instagram for inspiration, the day officially begins by checking emails, messages from clients, and any overnight feedback on current projects.
We prioritise the day’s to-do list:
Ongoing client projects
Website updates or bug fixes
Design drafts to finalise
Zoom or in-person client meetings
Time for testing and revisions
9:30 AM – Creative Deep Work
The morning is prime time for creative work — designing layouts, choosing colour schemes, arranging typography, or wireframing a new website. This part of the day is all about creativity and flow.
Using tools like Photoshop, or Figna, we turn ideas and goals into actual visual structures — considering user experience (UX), navigation, mobile responsiveness, and overall feel.
Designing isn’t just about looking good — it’s about making websites functional, accessible, and intuitive.
11:30 AM – Client Meetings and Feedback
Time for a quick Zoom with a client. They might want to:
Review a homepage draft
Ask for new features
Discuss branding updates
Communication is a huge part of a web designer’s job. We translate technical jargon into plain English, ensuring the client feels confident and included in the process.
1:00 PM – Lunch & Inspiration
Break time! A walk, listen to some music, go for a wander to the shop as forgotten lunch as always or a browse through sites like Behance or Dribbble often spark ideas. Inspiration comes from everywhere — from nature to packaging to other websites.
2:00 PM – Development & Tweaking
In the afternoon, we switch hats and dive into development. If the designer also handles the build (many of us do), we use platforms like WordPress, often with Elementor and for eCommerce, working away on WooCommerce
We test:
Mobile responsiveness
Speed and performance
Cross-browser compatibility
Accessibility (like screen-reader support)
And we fix bugs if need be!
4:30 PM – Admin, Reports, and Project Updates
As the day winds down, it’s time for:
Updating project timelines
Scheduling blog content or SEO tweaks
Sending off design drafts for review
Good web designers aren’t just artists — they’re project managers, communicators, marketers, and technicians all rolled into one.
6:00 PM – Sign Off (Sort of)
The workday ends, but design doesn’t exactly switch off. Ideas come while watching TV, scrolling social media, or out for a walk. The brain is always processing — sometimes the best design decisions come after work hours.
Final Thoughts
Being a web designer is a mix of creativity, logic, empathy, and detail. Every day is different — one minute you’re choosing colour palettes, the next you’re debugging code or explaining domain renewals to a client.
It’s rewarding, sometimes chaotic, and always evolving.
So next time you land on a beautiful, easy-to-use website, know that behind the screen was likely a web designer with a strong coffee, a cluttered desktop, and a real passion for bringing ideas to life.
