Web Designer Cover Letter

Web design is a complex and broad field that requires both creative and technical talent. It allows professionals to showcase their work to thousands (or sometimes millions!) of Internet users. If you have an eye for detail and want a career in web design, read on. This article aims to help you get started in this incredibly rewarding and lucrative field.

Having all the web design experience in the world and knowing every tool like the back of your hand is useless if you don’t get invited for an interview. This is where the cover letter comes in.

A well-crafted cover letter helps your application stand out. It lets you highlight relevant information about yourself in a clear and concise way. A web designer cover letter should tie together your design skills, experience, portfolio, and CV. When it's done right, a cover letter can significantly boost your chances of getting hired. Here are our pro tips for the kind of cover letter that will earn a job offer in the web design field.

Why Write a Cover Letter?

As an aspiring web designer, think of it this way: a cover letter is similar to a landing page of a website. It’s written with the specific focus or goal to market yourself to your potential employer. Like a landing page, a cover letter must be uncluttered, direct, engaging, and as short as possible. It must show the employer that the job is perfectly suited to you.

A web designer’s cover letter is different from a resume. Rather than simply listing facts and figures about your employment history, a cover letter should use a human touch to tell your story. It should bring together all the things you have done and accomplished as a professional. It can be the determining factor as to whether an employer will look at your resume or not.

Tips for Writing a Web Design Cover Letter

Now you know why it’s so important, let’s now focus on how to actually write an impressive cover letter:

Style and Heading

The style and heading of your cover letter may seem trivial, but since you’re pursuing a career in web design, it shouldn’t be overlooked. If your styling is inconsistent and lacks structure it shows a lack of effort and commitment. The formatting, in terms of fonts, colors, and text alignment should match your resume.

You must include correct headings with information like your contact details (name, email, phone number), and URLs (to websites, blogs and your LinkedIn profile). Remember that if you send a cover letter in the form of a document, this information must be at the top. If it’s an email, the information must be a part of the footer.

Start with a Warm Greeting

It’s recommended to start your cover letter with a personalized greeting. For example, writing ‘Hi Reema’ is much better than writing ‘Dear Sir’ or ‘Dear Madam’. Also, it’s a good idea to mention the role you’re applying for. This will give your cover letter a professional touch.

For example:

Hi Reema,

I’m writing to submit my resume to be considered for the position of Web Designer at ABC firm.

Tell Your Story

“Tell your story” doesn’t mean describe your life events and struggles! Instead, write a professional summary highlighting relevant skills and accomplishments.

Your cover letter should be an introduction to your professional work. It’s advisable to read the complete job description before you get started. You can then include relevant keywords from the description in your letter.

Remember, the cover letter needs to be tailor-made for the specific job you’re applying for. For this reason, a unique letter needs to be written for each application.

While writing the cover letter, don’t forget to emphasize your web design skills and achievements.

Explain Your Worth

While writing a cover letter, remember that you’re marketing yourself through your work experience and skills. It’s important that you emphasize what you bring to the table. This part of the letter must be carefully crafted as it’ll help you stand out from the crowd.

You can talk about previous projects and sites you’ve worked on and how these experiences have developed you as an individual.

A Gracious Closing

To wrap up your letter, choose some kind and honest words. The way you sum up your story will remind the employer why you're a good fit for the job and the organization as a whole.

You can use the following phrases to end the letter:

• Learn more about my work in the attached resume
• Thank you for your time
• Looking forward to hearing from you
• Please find my resume enclosed with this email
• I would love to chat with you about my skills and expertise

Web Design Cover Letter: Frequently Asked Questions

If you’ve still got some uncertainty on how to write a stand-out cover letter, this section will address some of the commonly asked questions:

What Shouldn’t Be Included?

It might sound obvious, but if you're writing a cover letter for a web design job, it’s important to actually stay on the topic of web design! While it’s ok to mention some transferable skills like communication, leadership, and teamwork, any irrelevant experience should be avoided.

It’s vital that you use appropriate tone and vocabulary. Avoid showing any unnecessary interest or dismissal. Here are some topics to avoid in your cover letter:

1. Too much personal knowledge

2. Something unflattering about your past organization

3. Salary figures

4. Off-topic skills and experience

5. Lies about your credentials

What Skills Should Be Included in a Web Designer Cover Letter?

A cover letter for a Web Designer should highlight the following skills:

• Use of basic web-designing tools
• UI/UX and visual design knowledge
• Languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
• Web Server Management
• Creative thinking
• Communication skills
• Team collaboration

How Long Should a Cover Letter Be?

A cover letter should be no longer than one page, or 400 words. Try to shorten sentences wherever possible, and use paragraphs to break up the content. Let your portfolio of web design work speak for itself.

Remember that your future employer is a very busy person and it’s likely they have dozens of applications to process. If they’re faced with a big block of text, chances are they’ll quickly move on to the next letter.

If you can communicate the same point in fewer words, then do it!

What Format Should Be Used?

The specific formatting you use for your web design cover letter isn’t so important, as long as it’s clear and easy to read. What’s more important is to keep the formatting consistent throughout the document.

Here’s a good formatting standard you can use:

• 1.0” to 1.5" "margins
• Don’t use a font smaller than 12-point. Below 12 is difficult to read and can cause eye strain.
• Arial, Helvetica, and Calibri are good fonts to use for your cover letter.
• The paragraphs should be kept left-aligned.

Even though you’re hoping to land a web design job, you can leave out any elaborate formatting features, which might distract your reader from the actual content.

Land Your Dream Web Designer Job

Hopefully this article has helped you understand what’s involved in crafting the perfect web designer cover letter.

Remember, an engaging cover letter aims to communicate your passion for web design and sell your talents to your prospective employer. It provides you with an opportunity to tell your story, connect with the recruiter, and stand out from the crowd. It certainly shouldn’t be overlooked and can often make the difference between success and failure.

If you’re serious about web design and want to kickstart your career consider enrolling in our web design bootcamp. You’ll learn all the skills needed to get hired by a leading company. Our professional mentors will support you every step of the way as you follow our expertly-designed curriculum. Schedule a call with one of our experts to see how you can land your dream job in web design.

Alternatively, to read more on web design and other tech-related topics check out our blog.