How to start your Ecommerce digital design career!

What is required to get you into that Ecommerce Digital Design job?

Whether you are finishing college or just about to leave University, it is difficult to know straight away what is necessary to get you into a digital design career. None of us starting that chapter in our lives can know exactly what we need, especially when there are different avenues to explore.

From a recruitment agency and a brand / company’s perspective it is your skill set and practical knowledge that puts you on the radar (tailored work history to a specific area or specialism gets an extra thumb’s up!). So how can you know what path to take and how to make the most of your career time? There is nothing worse than staying in a role and discovering your time could have been better spent elsewhere.

This blog will explore the primary focus of roles within Ecommerce digital design and provide information on skills required, qualifications needed, desired technical knowledge and what your salary expectations can be. The daunting prospect of leaving education to begin your Ecommerce career can be made a little less scary with some proper guidance!

As an aspiring Ecommerce Digital Designer – what roles are available to me?

This is a good question! It is easy to know what broad area you wish to work in, but what role will utilise your passion, interest and most importantly – talent.

We will focus on four roles in Ecommerce digital design that are high in demand, always a requirement and are constantly growing in their specialisms and experiencing some very exciting advances.

1) UI Designers

2) UX/UI Designers (Hybrid)

3) Integrated Designer

4) Graphic Designer

What do I need to be noticed for these positions and what can I expect from my starting salary?

The 2 fundamentals when considering any new ecommerce design position; What do I need to do to get the job? What can I expect to be paid?

It is important to know from the beginning that the size of a brand / company will always impact title and salary. In smaller companies your job title may be more senior as you will find more responsibilities fall to you, but, upon joining a bigger brand you may fall down the ladder slightly in title but do not fear – it is not a step back!

For salary expectations it can vary mostly dependent on title and practical experience:

Junior Digital/Graphic Designer: £18k - £27k

Junior UX Designer: £30k - £40k

Mid-Weight Digital Designer: £28k - £35k

Senior/Lead UX Designer: £50k - £90k

Lead / Head of Digital Design: £45k - £90k

For full salary benchmarks within digital design, download a free copy of our 2018 ecommerce salary survey & insights report.

There are many times that we have looked at a job description and been confident we can do everything they are asking for. We send off our CV and can already imagine what it will be like working there. So, when we get that email to say we have been unsuccessful, it makes no sense! To clarify what clients are really looking for and how you can get noticed, our resident Design, UX/UI panda recruiter Ben has provided the below information!

Got to love a bit of coding!

HTML/CSS and even JavaScript are usually associated exclusively with UX/Front End Developers/Back-End Developers, but we have seen a bit of a shift in the market as clients now seek a Basic/Intermediate knowledge from their UI Designers as well. This is primarily so that UI designers can communicate/verbalise their ideas (in a technical way) to Developers/UX teams and ensure their UI designs translate properly.

First impressions count!

If I had a penny for every person who sent me a CV without a Portfolio site or sent me a Behance/Instagram link as their portfolio…. Well, I would have about 10/20 quid, but the point is - this isn’t enough! Particularly in the creative industry, CVs are almost irrelevant – it’s all about the portfolio. So, take some time, think about what should go in it (don’t just throw in everything you have ever done, make it targeted) and make it look AMAZING! That’s how you will stand out from the masses.

Integrated (Print/Digital) Doesn't hurt to know both!

Many companies nowadays are looking for people who have varied skill sets. People who can work, not only in their specialist area, but also in other areas when required to.

Keep up with the times!

The digital design world is constantly changing and there are constantly new applications/technologies being introduced which will change the way companies operate e.g. AR/VR, Online Automation/AI, Blockchain, GDPR. Hence, it’s important that you, as the creative champions for your respective companies, stay relevant. Particularly with the advent of GDPR (I know, I said it…. Yawn), it means that companies are having to innovate and think of new ways to attract/retain their customers. So, keep reading, investigating and studying!

There is never an age to stop learning!

Following on from the previous point, we are constantly learning and re-educating – every day’s a school day, right? But there are some places which are great schools of knowledge for creatives. E.g. General Assembly, Red Academy, London Academy of IT, School of UX etc. These companies offer short and long courses (UX, UI, Development etc.) from industry experts, giving you relevant and hands-on experience of the current market. Many of these courses are highly regarded by employers, plus it’s a great little extra to have on your CV.

It is now skill time…

If you have just finished studying digital design then, you will know better than anyone how technically experienced you need to be. As much as a creative mind is important, it is crucial to know going into such a career that there will be many requirements expected of you. Just as a marketing executive will have to spend time doing the usual administrative tasks – designers do some repetitive duties also.

The primary requirements for an ecommerce digital career would include a degree in Graphics or Digital Design. All professionals in the industry need experience with Adobe Suite (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design etc.), and now HTML/CSS is often an essential, even at the basic level!

Need more advice, then give us a call!

Ben here is our pro when it comes to digital, UX/UI specialisms so why not give him a call or drop him an email to find out more information. Whether you want to send through your CV, so we have you on our radar, or have seen a digital design role you wish to apply for then do not hesitate.

Starting a career is a huge step in your life, so it is important to choose wisely, utilise your time in each role as best you can and above all else get your name out there! There is nothing wrong with standing out from the rest of the candidates.