Web design work hasn&#x27;t really dried up, they just call themselves UI&#x2F;UX designers now. And they work on designing and prototyping applications instead of building brochureware sites for small businesses. The skills required are a bit different because technology has changed.<p>Web designers are like photographers. Camera technology advanced so that anyone can now be a mediocre photographer, just like anyone can now be a mediocre web designer. Until recently the technology (for both photographers and web designers) was difficult enough to use, that just knowing how to use it was a valuable skill.<p>But, software is still eating the world, and it won&#x27;t be done doing that for long while. All that software still needs people who are experts in human machine interaction--UI&#x2F;UX designers.<p>On another note, I think that companies having easier access to VC money may have encouraged some of them to hire full time designers where they used to use short term contractors.