Business of Web Design – Killersites Web Design Magazine

Video Blog – SSL Certificates Updates

Jody — Mon, 23 May 2011 11:00:43 +0000

In this quick video blog, Stef reminds you of a basic SSL(Secure Sockets Layer) process – you need to reinstall with a renewal!

To find more courses on Web Design and Web Programming, check out our Killersites Video Tutorial Library!

Note that all of our videos are in a higher quality when purchased from our Killer Video Store or by subscription to our Video Tutorial Library!

Thanks,

Jody
Killersites.com

Video Blog – Your Web Design Style

Jody — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:00:41 +0000

In this video blog, Stefan talks about how most web designers have their own style.

For more information on web design and web programming, check out our Killer Video Store and our Killersites Video Tutorial Library!

Note that all of our videos are in a higher quality when purchased from our Killer Video Store or by subscription to our Video Tutorial Library!

Thanks,

Jody
killersites.com

Outsourcing PHP Video Blog – Have No Fear!

Jody — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:00:09 +0000

In this video blog, Stefan talks about outsourcing and how small business web development is the key to financial safety these days.

For our Complete PHP Programmer Package or more courses on PHP, check out our Killersites Video Tutorial Library.

Note that all of our videos are in a higher quality when purchased from our Killer Video Store or by subscription to our Video Tutorial Library!

Thanks,

Jody
killersites.com

Killer Video Blog – Task Oriented Web Design Learning

Jody — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:00:39 +0000

In this video blog, Stefan goes over 2 major points:

1. Don’t get caught up in nerd-theory rabbit holes, that take up all your time on things that will have little to no impact on your day-to-day web programming or designing work.

2. Learn your nerd craft by creating things that people commonly want … things like shopping carts, customizing a blog etc …

For more information and video tutorials on web design and programming, check out our Killer Video Store and the Killersites Video Tutorial Library!
Note that all of our videos are in a higher quality when purchased.

Thanks,

Jody
Killersites.com

Web Design For Small Business Video Tutorial Package

Jody — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:24:36 +0000

We’re really excited to launch our new killer video tutorial package: Web Design For Small Business!

The Web Design For Small Business Package is specifically designed to teach business owners EVERYTHING they need to know to run a professional website for their business.

This is the first video tutorial package geared specifically for small business. With over 27 hours of training, spanning over 160 video tutorials, you’ll get training from experienced web designers who KNOW what is required to build and manage your commercial website.

In addition, you get nearly 2 hours of podcasts where Stefan Mischook teaches you what to look for and how to make the right decisions when creating a website for your business!

For more information and some sample videos, check out the Web Design For Small Business Package. You can also take a look at our other packages at the Killer Video Store!

Thanks,

Jody
Killersites.com

Stef’s Video Blog – How To Get Your First Web Design Jobs.

Jody — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:45:27 +0000

This time Stef gives you his top 5 ways to get new clients for all aspiring web designers and web programmers!

Note that all of our videos are in a higher quality when purchased from our Killer Video Store or by subscription to our Video Tutorial Library!

Thanks,

Jody
Killersites.com

The Dubious Advantages of a Web Design Degree

Stefan Mischook — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:12:24 +0000

I got a call last week from someone who was considering a three year college program in web design. The whole thing was going to cost him tens of thousands of dollars … and that’s just what you have to pay the school!

He called to ask about my video tutorial courses; he saw that we were covering much of the same material in about $80-$100 worth of videos!

… He was wondering what the heck was going on here? Do you really only need just a few video tutorials and perhaps a book or two? Could you get the same value as a college program, that cost tens of thousands … for so little?

Short answer: easily.

With a good set of videos as your base, a road-map and occasional help from a good web design forum, you can indeed develop marketable web design skills.

… I’ll be talking much more on that in soon to come videos, podcast and articles.

The Dubious Advantages of a Web Design Degree

The one thing that the college will talk about, is the nice piece of paper (degree) they will hand you after you’ve spent years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars (possibly), of your cash.

If you’ll remember anything, remember this:

The fact of the matter is that YOU WILL PROBABLY NEVER BE ASKED IF YOU HAVE A DEGREE in web design or web programming.

… The one exception is, if you are dying to work for a really large company where HR red-tape and bureaucracy rule. Other than that, your portfolio and work experience is all prospective employers (clients) will want to know about.

When I hire web designers, the last thing I look at are degrees and certificates. Instead, I look for talent and ability.

Are all schools bad?

Not at all. I am sure there are some great classes out there on web design and web programming. For some people, the structure and schedule that the college class provides, is what they need. Personally, I’ve always preferred the freedom of being able to learn when I was in the mood.

Final comment:

I would strongly advise that you think not twice, but ten times before you get yourself into big student loan debt. Student loans can easily become onerous, evil shackles about your neck.

There is a whole generation of student/slaves who have huge student loan debts that can never be forgiven (unlike a business that can go bankrupt) that are forever working to pay off massive debts – with interest!

In the middle ages, there was a class of slave called the serf, they were technically not owned by the Lord, but they were considered part of the land and could not leave.

… Today, students with unforgivable student debts, are not owned by the land … just by the banks who hold the loans.

Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com

Smart Web Designers Play to their Strengths

Stefan Mischook — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:38:34 +0000

One of the biggest mistakes people make, is trying to develop skills in areas that they suck in. For example, you maybe good at writing HTML and CSS code, yet you still have a terrible time at making your pages look good.

… Let’s face it, some people just don’t have that artistic/designers eye.

Play to your Strengths

A long time ago, in a sport far, far away … I once had a coach who one day pulled me aside and said:

“Stef, you’re good at playing to the outside and you can move, but your inside game is really pathetic. So, stop trying to play inside and concentrate on what you’re good at!”

My coach’s advice is to be heeded by all and applies to all professions … web design/programming is no exception.

The key to success is to figure out WHAT YOU’RE GOOD AT (design, code, structure, programming …) and then develop those skills to the point where you’re so good, that a shine will begin to radiate off you, and in time, your brilliance will cause people to have to look away … and (more importantly) pay you more money for your work!!

Final comment: yes I know this is a really short post … but sometimes that’s all you need to make a point.

Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com

Professional Web Designer’s Roadmap

Stefan Mischook — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:24:49 +0000

The skills of a professional web designer are constantly changing because the Web is constantly changing.

This fast-paced nature of the Web is considered good by some (because it opens up opportunity) while others hate it because you have to be ready to learn new web design skills regularly.

… Personally, I see it as an opportunity with a headache!

The following list details what you CURRENTLY need to know to be become a professional web designer.

Basic elements of the Web:

Domain names
Hosting
FTP and HTTP

Web design skills

HTML

The core tags
Basic HTML concepts – properly formatted tags, doctypes etc.
What tags to NOT use.
HTML tables
HTML forms
Proper page and web site structure

CSS

The core CSS properties – margins, floats, padding, z-index …etc.
Basic CSS principles

Adding CSS to pages.
The cascade in CSS
CSS page layout
Getting around CSS cross browser conflicts – IE conditional comments
Understanding CSS limitations

Misc. Skills

Basic design principles – white space, fonts, alignment
Image types used on the Web (JPG, GIF, PNG). The pro’s and cons’.
Basic image editing/creation for the websites – sizes and optimization. Photoshop is a good place to start.
Web site usability – how to make websites more user friendly.
SEO – making websites more search engine friendly.
Basic PHP
Basic Javascript – Jquery
Web design software: Dreamweaver or Expression Web .
Understand the web design work flow.

Optional Skills

Flash for Web animation and web application development.
Get to know a blog or CMS engine. For example: WordPress, Drupal, Joomla.

I will be fleshing this list out with podcasts and videos over the next little while.

Thanks for reading!

Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com

The Universal Principles and the Business of Web Design

Stefan Mischook — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:07:24 +0000

It has been a while since I’ve posted on this subject – I’ve been busy working on upgrading the clarity of my videos. You should see the results of that work soon enough.

What are the ‘Universal Principles’ … and how do they apply to the business of web design?

These are some of the principles that I have found to be true in all areas of life, business, web design, programming, eating, fighting .. whatever. They are:

Simplicity
Adaptability
Persistence
Balance
Timing
Luck

I’m not sure how much detail I need to give with regards to these principles .. so, I will give you a few examples and leave it to you guys to ask questions – if you are interested in more.

So let’s start with the principle of adaptability.

In web design, that means being flexible in terms of your skill set. Being able to learn new technology as it comes out to take advantage of it, while the competition is asleep. Adaptability also means being able to find different ways to approach a job so as to find the best way to accomplish it.

Simplicity means keeping your site design AND structure simple. Keeping the contracts between you and your clients simple and easy to understand.

… Unless you want to hide something from them!

Balance means keeping the site simple, but not too simple. Keeping the contract short, but not lacking in the details you need to have in there, to protect yourself and to educate your client about what he/she will be getting for their money.

Conclusion

In keeping with the principles of simplicity and another one of my principles not mentioned before: laziness, I will stop here with the examples. If you guys find this interesting let me know.

Stefan Mischook