Basic site design using dreamweaver templates

I've got dreamweaver and am teaching myself basic web design. I keep my sites simple with 2 and 3 column template designs with header and footer. They seem to look OK.

Is it worth getting a bit more 'arty' or should I stick to clean simple but effective pages?

 

Start off with something simple and effective, then make something more designy every time you make a new site. The more sites you make the better the designs will start to look.

 

Clean and simple is what works. I have seen sites that are so minimal, yet be so effective in branding. If the site is user-friendly, and informative but clean and simple I think you are heading in the right direction. The more you work in dreamweaver and incorporate other programs such as Fireworks the more you become as a designer in whole.

 

Thanks for that chaps. I'll keep doing what I'm doing and slowly improve my knowledge.

 

I would recommend taking a look at free css templates . You can learn so much from them . Sites like oswd.org , http://openwebdesign.org/ and many more .