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The article contains some great interviews with some of Ireland’s top designers, some info about what’s happening across the island and a showcase of some top notch websites.

Read the full article here.

p.s. sorry if none of your sites are featured – don’t take it personally, there are only so many I can fit in.

Submit your site to WebDesignire so I can feature it next time ;-)

Keeping an eye out for your career’s future is important for everyone.
However, for web designers, looking forward may be even more important than for many other professions. Many web designers are freelancers, or work for more than one company at a given time. Jobs can be short or long term contracts, so looking for the next job is often not too far out into your future.

What A Career Blog Can Do For You

In today’s business world, networking, whether online or in person, is an important part of keeping your career fresh and keeping an eye out for the next job. Career blogs are just one of the ways web designers and other freelance professionals can keep abreast of who’s hiring,
what’s hot in the industry and which skills they should be adding to their portfolio.

Following you’ll find five career blogs that are essential reading for web designers. They’ll provide insight on how to keep your career fresh, as well as give you important tips on finding your next job and marketing your skills appropriately.

1. Krop

This is an all around good site for web designers. Their blog is very informative, providing information about some of the most important sites on the web, including how they’re created. They also offer articles on job hunting and staying marketable. In addition, Krop offers a large database of available jobs, so it’s a great place to search for your next gig.

2. Smashing Magazine

Smashing has one of the largest design related blogs on the web, so you’ll find lots of useful information on their site. They also offer tutorials on lots of design programs. Their job database is quite large and is segmented into full time and freelance positions, making it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for.

3. AIGA

AIGA is the professional association for designers, and is one organization all designers should join. Their website has a great job bank, along with plenty of other resources for designers. Their “Voice” section is a great interactive blog that explores all aspects of design and encourages reader feedback. When job hunting, keep in mind that many large companies advertise first and foremost through AIGA.

4. AG Design

This site, known as All Graphic Design, offers lots of articles and advice for graphic designers, including a great design gallery. Their blog is a great resource for finding graphic design jobs and for keeping your skills sharp. In addition, there’s a design forum for addressing all sorts of questions and issues facing graphic designers.

5. A Digital Dreamer

One of the best sites for graphic designers, Digital Dreamer offers general information for all sorts of graphic designers, as well as some specialized categories, suited to specific types of designers, such as video game designers or animators. The career articles are particularly good for beginning designers who are still in the early stages of their career.

These sites are certain to be helpful to graphic designers in any stage of their career. Keeping up with these sites and reading their blogs regularly is sure to help any graphic designer keep abreast of all the changes and job opportunities in the graphic design field.

About the author

Mary Ward is a freelance author and writes about design job topics, such as how to choose a web design school, artist career tips, and more.

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Feedback appreciated.

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