Web Design.

[Baz Hillen]

Hi

What are the best ways of learning web design ? I'm thinking of learning but have almost no technical knowledge! What ways did all you designers use ? college courses ? books ? etc Would there be a particular path you'd recomend following ?

Regards

Baz

[MacMyDay]

I'd recommend reading some books, as most of the information you'll come across online won't be completely up to date or offer you the right information. I couldn't really offer any suggestions, as going for the books that teach you in depth XHTML/CSS use wouldn't be the best place to start, but they'd certainly help you learn it properly in the first place.

Amazon is always a good place to look

[ii3mhz]

If your talking about design then firstly you need the software able to do it. Usually a version of Adobe Photoshop but there is other software out able to do preety much the same thing.

Personally i feel there isnt really a set way to learning I mean sure you can learn the basics and ways of moving around the software but the real key is experimenting and time. Do tutorials (www.good-tutorials.com) and practise your skills in photoshop often.

[..DN..]

Baz,

My masters was in multimedia with a large part focused on online design so I have some insite and opinons.

There are hundreds of collage and university courses etc on web design and similar - some good, some bad. I would recommend looking at what area you want to get in to and then see if there is a course that fits. If the course is good then it will give you a good foundation - more importantly it will give you insite into what is possible, what the different technologies do etc. Its only a foundation as I said, so you will need to spend a lot of time yourself, learning skills and doing your own projects. Don't expect course to teach you everything, but they will open your eyes to what interest you and what you should learn - then its up to you to do that.

You could teach yourself with out a course as a lot of web designers have but I personally think that you are best to use a course for the theory side such as HCI, psycology, usability engineering, work flow / project management etc and the basic skills and programs - but go further in your own time applying these to projects and developing your practicle skills.

My best bit of advice would be to get general skills and overview and then specialise and so develop niche skills.

Hope this helps or gives food for thought.

DN

[Baz Hillen]

Thanks for the responses guys, some interesting pointers. I'll research local courses, check out some books and take it from there.

Cheers Merry Xmas

Baz

[JustOneUK]

Originally posted by ..DN..

You could teach yourself with out a course as a lot of web designers have but I personally think that you are best to use a course for the theory side such as HCI, psycology, usability engineering, work flow / project management etc and the basic skills and programs - but go further in your own time applying these to projects and developing your practicle skills.

My best bit of advice would be to get general skills and overview and then specialise and so develop niche skills.

eh ?

go to nvu.com download the software and start building

...or purchase frontpage and do the same, or dreamweaver.
One thing you will need to learn is mysql (for building databases) apart from that...it's read/practice/read/practice read/prac....adinfinitum

[Phil]

Originally posted by JustOneUK
eh ?

go to nvu.com download the software and start building

...or purchase frontpage and do the same, or dreamweaver.
One thing you will need to learn is mysql (for building databases) apart from that...it's read/practice/read/practice read/prac....adinfinitum

That is VERY wrong! Things like "HCI, psycology, usability engineering, work flow / project management" are extremely important and having those skills seperates you from the "bedroom designers" who know how to use Frontpage/Dreamweaver, and the professionals who know how to properly design and develop. I have a client right now who knew exactly what they wanted for their site, however their plans broke a lot of basic HCI rules. I pointed out to them that even though they liked their design, users may find it simply annoying and will leave the site, e.g. one rule of thumb in HCI is that a logo should always be in the top left - this client wanted it on the top right. (If you are a "designer" and don't know why this is wrong then you should go learn about HCI).

Therefore my knowledge of HCI, psychology and usability allowed me to consult with my clients to achieve a better final design.

It is also important to learn how and why XHTML and CSS work, how to program sites to meet legal requirements for access by the disabled, and how to optimise a site so that it can be easily categorised by a search engine.

[JustOneUK]

we will have to disagree (which is not a problem)

99% of webdesigners have only built a few sites, some have only made sites for their mum

People who can handcode php fluid websites with sql, xhtml, fully w3 compatible.. and all the toys, definately deserve some kudos, doesn't mean they know JS about marketing. Some of them don't even understand search engines...so it's pretty pointless getting them to build you a great site that no-one will find.

What are the best ways of learning web design ? was the question ...not how can i become a webdesign and marketing guru.

First step has to be learn the basics.

[Phil]

HCI is the principle of how humans interact with computers (in this case, websites). Psycology is how people perceive what they are shown and so what makes things aestetically pleaseing to the eye or not.

Part of web design is graphic design which is included in the above. So to be a good web designer, you also need to know how to be a good graphics designer - not necessarily know how to use the tools, just the theory behind it. Nothing at all about marketting, PHP, MySQL, et. al. there.

But being W3 compatible is definately a MUST. There's no point getting into bad habits right at the very start of learning.

And having the ability to read and write XHTML in a text editor definately has its advantages. Dreamweaver is great and I use it all the time, but sometimes things in the visual display simply will not work - a quick look at the source code can allow me to find and solve the problem in a jiffy


In answer to the question posted: I personally taught myself HTML (what was HTML 3.0 back in the day) by simply doign a few online tutorials, then viewing site source code to figure out what was going on. Just make sure you use simple sites to look at, not massive ones like MP3.com, BBC news, etc.

I then went on and did the same to teach myself CSS2 and PHP4, and kept myself up-to-date with the updates to HTML (now XHTML 1.0 is the standard).

In 2001 I went to Uni to do Internet Computer Science which taught me Java, as well as how to carry out what I was mentioning at the top of this post.

At present I'm now teaching myself PHP5 in an object-oriented sense so that my scripts are structured in a similar manner to a full application (i.e. one created in Java). Again I'm doing this by searching Google for examples of what I'm after, i.e. if I want to find out how to create a class in PHP5, I saerch Google for "class in PHP5", then look at any source code it throws back at me.

So to sum up I'm guessing "learn by example" is a good method I use.

[chris_1d]

I started with Frontpage, but am now well into using Dreamweaver/Fireworks and Flash. I just simply played about, making things that looked good and worked well. I also have a couple of books which were good for reference.

I love playing about, getting things to click. I'm now onto PHP and various other bits and pieces too!!

Chris

[Megalegs]

[quote]Originally posted by Phil

e.g. one rule of thumb in HCI is that a logo should always be in the top left - this client wanted it on the top right. (If you are a "designer" and don't know why this is wrong then you should go learn about HCI).

I am not a web designer but just wondered what the reason is for having the logo in the top lef?

Thanks
Megan.

[Martin]

[quote]Originally posted by Megalegs

Originally posted by Phil

e.g. one rule of thumb in HCI is that a logo should always be in the top left - this client wanted it on the top right. (If you are a "designer" and don't know why this is wrong then you should go learn about HCI).

I am not a web designer but just wondered what the reason is for having the logo in the top lef?

Thanks
Megan.

It's like having the steering wheel of a car on the right in the UK.... Most people expect it.

[Phil]

Originally posted by Martin
It's like having the steering wheel of a car on the right in the UK.... Most people expect it.

Exactly... and if it's not there the user gets a little annoyed - too many annoyances and they'll simply hit the back button and leave your site.

[Megalegs]

You are right - just looked at a few prominent sites on net & the majority have their logo in the top left corner - I found my eyes automatically go there once the page opens too! you learn something new everyday huh?! Thanks.

[amz]

Originally posted by Megalegs
I am not a web designer but just wondered what the reason is for having the logo in the top lef?

Thanks
Megan. [/b]

We read left to right
It would be another story in China or the Saudi for example.