Web design work hasn't really dried up, they just call themselves UI/UX designers now. And they work on designing and prototyping applications instead of buildi

Web design work hasn't really dried up, they just call themselves UI/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. 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. But, software is still eating the world, and it won't be done doing that for long while. All that software still needs people who are experts in human machine interaction--UI/UX designers. 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.