How to be a good web designer

Discussion in 'HTML & Website Design' started by yenvee, Oct 13, 2009.

  1. #1
    Hi there,

    I'm thinking of learning web designing. But the problem is that I don't know where to start. It would be great, if someone assist me on how to start and what to learn first. I already know a bit of photoshop - yup just that.


    Cheers
     
    yenvee, Oct 13, 2009 IP
  2. Chris Neitzer

    Chris Neitzer Active Member

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    #2
    Hello, I started learning CSS first. I also knew a bit of Photoshop when I started out, which was helpful.. But CSS is where it's at! You use google to find tons of free tutorials and guides on CSS. I also recommend reading the Opera Web Standards Curriculum. It's a great series of articles that explains why things are done the way they are in web design. I can't post links yet, but just google "Opera Web Standards Curriculum" and it is the first link.

    I hope this helps and gets you started!

    -Chris
     
    Chris Neitzer, Oct 13, 2009 IP
  3. Masterful

    Masterful Well-Known Member

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    #3
    Your first point of call should be W3 Schools. You'll find some very simplified tutorials there, intended for newbies.

    Start by learning HTML, then move on to CSS. You will also need to learn JavaScript, PHP and MySQL. But take your time and enjoy the learning process. Don't feel overwhelmed. Take one step at a time.
     
    Masterful, Oct 13, 2009 IP
  4. aldld

    aldld Peon

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    #4
    DO NOT use a WYSIWYG editor like Dreamweaver. These produce horrible code, and you learn nothing from them.
     
    aldld, Oct 13, 2009 IP
  5. claire0917

    claire0917 Peon

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    #5
    I started by learning HTML and CSS.. after that I learned photoshop so I can create my own images. As for where to get inspiration, I use google :p
     
    claire0917, Oct 13, 2009 IP
  6. forextrendalerts

    forextrendalerts Guest

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    #6
    Good Web design, perhaps even more than other type of design, is about information. One of the biggest tools in your arsenal to do this is precedence. When navigating a good design, the user should be led around the screen by the designer and it's about how much visual weight different parts of your design have.
     
    forextrendalerts, Oct 13, 2009 IP
  7. abdelmomen

    abdelmomen Peon

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    #7
    any way if you wanna be a web designer get away from tables layout,
    concern into divs and spans layouts
     
    abdelmomen, Oct 14, 2009 IP
  8. stevestuff

    stevestuff Well-Known Member

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    #8
    Be careful about the advice here -
    "DO NOT use a WYSIWYG editor like Dreamweaver. These produce horrible code, and you learn nothing from them."
    Dreamweaver is the high quality standard software for professional designers - I would be lost w/o it.

    What I did was to start with W3Schools, and from there, I realized that formal college classes at my local community college was necessary. Learning via your own agenda can be biased, undisciplined, and presumptuousness.
     
    stevestuff, Oct 14, 2009 IP
  9. thebillkidy

    thebillkidy Peon

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    #9
    know everything there is likes html, xhtml, css, php and java and then master them

    start with html because it's the easiest then xhtml -> css -> java and then php because php got many commands
     
    thebillkidy, Oct 14, 2009 IP
  10. Bex7175

    Bex7175 Peon

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    #10
    It can seem like an incredibly daunting thing to do, learning how to create websites. There's so many different languages floating around, not to mention added complexities like databases!

    I was fortunate in that I had some programming experience already when I first set out to learn how to create websites. However, as the majority of people here have stated, starting out with the basic HTML language is the best place. Once you've mastered it you'll find the other languages easier to understand. There's a lot of really basic HTML tutorials out there that will literally take you step by step through what you need to know. You won't be an expert overnight, but if you've got the patience and the drive to keep on practising and learning you could be making some great websites in no time.

    As for editors such as Dreamweaver I think they can be very useful in the learning process. I've always preferred to get back to basics as it were and create really neat and orderly code, but sometimes if I didn't have time to look through Google for the answer of how to put something into my website I could just hop onto Dreamweaver, try it out and then see the generated code. Although that generated code might have been horrendously ugly I was able to pick out what I needed and use it to learn how to create that thing on my own next time.
     
    Bex7175, Oct 14, 2009 IP
  11. Program-Ace

    Program-Ace Guest

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    #11
    First of all You should study HTML and CSS, then move to XHTML/DHTML, PHP and Java. Muster your knowledge of Photoshop if You want to make really good design. And let the inspiration be with You :)
     
    Program-Ace, Oct 14, 2009 IP
  12. leebari

    leebari Peon

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    #12
    Get a good editor and start by editing some examples. It is very important to organize each line of code with [tab] spacings (for novices) to see tree structure.
     
    leebari, Oct 14, 2009 IP
  13. EternalFury

    EternalFury Peon

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    #13
    XHTML and CSS can very dry to learn.

    Are you a graphics artist?
    Start to visualize your site in graphical terms. Make a comp in PhotoShop.

    From there, learn how to slice your comp.

    Then, figure out how you can piece your slices together using XHTML and CSS.

    If you do it this way, you will be able to see your progress as your first site comes alive.
     
    EternalFury, Oct 14, 2009 IP
  14. speakeasy602

    speakeasy602 Active Member

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    #14
    Learn the basics of HTML markup, learn how to attach style sheets, and go from there.

    You can do it the easy way and get the sitegrinder plugin for photoshop and export HTML/CSS directly from your photoshop comps. It's like $250, but worth it if you want to save a lot of time.

    I personally prefer Fireworks for CSS exporting, but either way, you'll save some time.
     
    speakeasy602, Oct 14, 2009 IP
  15. dafty

    dafty Member

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    #15
    TBH a lot comes down to straight up design skills (fonts / colors / layout) that kinda stuff. Just because you know everything there is to know about HTML / CSS / JS / Illustrator / Photoshop by no means makes you a better designer. These are just tools that assist. So although most people are saying learn HTML / CSS i would maybe think about learning to actually design a website 1st in say photoshop or Illustrator. Then learn how to transfer to the web. Just my opinion.
     
    dafty, Oct 15, 2009 IP
  16. Kerosene

    Kerosene Alpha & Omega™ Staff

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    #16
    Dreamweaver is fantastic, as long as you NEVER EVER go anywhere near the design editor - which is probably not easy for people who are new to HTML. I use the DW code editor nearly every day, and I love it. And also kinda hate it :p

    Alternatively, PSPad is a wonderful FREE code editor that does pretty much everything that the DW code editor does. You can even run it from a USB stick! :)

    Agreed. BUT... as soon as the light bulb goes on, learning HTML/XHTML/CSS/whatever is great fun. Coding can be just as much fun as creating stuff in Photoshop. These days I actually dread the design stage of a job, and just want to get into the coding/nuts/bolts :D

    @ yenvee - don't start too big when learning how to write HTML. Try making really simple stuff, and keeping it all VALID. Install the Firefox HTML Validator addon, and set the accessibility level to 'normal' - this is a great way to learn how to write valid code.

    "Designing" a web page is only half the battle. I can "design" a house by drawing a few lines on a napkin, but I sure as hell can't build one. If you want to be a web designer, you need to know how to design, engineer, and build.

    :)
     
    Last edited: Oct 15, 2009
    Kerosene, Oct 15, 2009 IP
  17. dafty

    dafty Member

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    #17
    I used to use Dreamweaver all the time. Now i find i more stripped down editor better to use. SKEdit is my choice and it runs much faster. But i think to learn, i would start with dreamweaver and then think about moving on to something else, once you are confident in what your coding and not copy and pasting.
     
    dafty, Oct 15, 2009 IP
  18. SeoStuff

    SeoStuff Peon

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    #18
    I cant think of life without Dreamweaver.But still as starter you need to learn HTML first.then CSS,php and other stuff.
     
    SeoStuff, Oct 16, 2009 IP
  19. xhanch

    xhanch Member

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    #19
    First of all, you should learn various of web page concepts and structure and color determination. You can do this simply by visiting lots of web pages. The coding and the graphic designing will not be a big problem. The hardest part of web designing is to produce an eye-catching, reader friendly, search engine friendly and creative web pages.
     
    xhanch, Oct 16, 2009 IP
  20. xhanch

    xhanch Member

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    #20
    BTW, I never use S/W like Dreamweaver. I prefer a simple text editor like editplus.
    Have your own coding style and formatting.
    Coding is also a kind of art....
     
    xhanch, Oct 16, 2009 IP