web design – 1
artist block – 0
… And to that point, remember the top three rules of programming:
1. Reuse
2. Reuse
3. Reuse
So when it comes to design, use a template as a starting point and then work out from there.
Also keep in mind, that event the great artist of this world tend to have a particular style that they rare deviate from.
Stefan
]]>If you are in the US, be very sure to pay off your student loans! They never go away, so don’t mess around with that!!
“i already have some friends who are looking to start websites for their busines’ so maybe they can be my first clients.”
Fantastic! This is a great idea. You may for the first site or two have to work for free or at a discount while you develop your abilities … but it is well worth it because you will also be building your portfolio.
Stefan
]]>When it comes to the ‘design’ in web design, it certainly helps to have that artistic eye. That doesn’t mean you have to be able to draw though … it means you can look at a web page and know that it doesn’t look good.
But even if you don’t have the artist in you, you can still become a great web designer by leveraging other peoples design skills by using templates or just partnering with good designers.
For example:
I know someone who works with a great designer where the designer mocks up the pages in Photoshop and then he takes that and converts it into a web page. As you might have guessed, great web design goes way beyond making the page LOOK good. It also has to be functional and user friendly.
Web designers are hired based on a portfolio .. not a degree. When I hire web designers, I look to what they’ve done and if it looks good, I test them out. So the key to getting a job as a web designer is all about you building web sites and more web sites.
… Practice makes perfect!
Salary depends on your skills and your talent. The more skills you have:
– HTML, CSS
– Basic design, Photoshop, Illustrator etc.
– PHP
– Flash
– Javascript
… the higher your salary and the more likely you will find a job.
You don’t have to be a guru at all these things. But it is good to know at least a little about everything where you specialize in what you like. That’s why I put out my free videos on PHP at http://www.killerphp.com. I think every web designer should know at least a little PHP.
In web design you have a wide array of choices when it comes to the software you use. It can be dedicated web design programs like Dreamweaver or just a collection of simple things like notepad and your web browser.
I would just start with the basics of web design and once you have that under your belt, you will be able to make a better choice based on some knowledge.
.. It is hard to see where you are going when you’re blind.
Stefan
]]>Thanks for the kind remarks regarding killersites.com and killerphp.com – I try.
“having an understanding of basic concepts of space and dimension, color theory, and a general knowledge on the correct expression of visual communication is, if not somewhat important at the least very, very helpful in the field of web design.”
I agree, and I am even putting together a video on it. That said, you can get all this without having draw a line.
… I’ve known fantastic web designers who make stunning pages, but these same people couldn’t draw a tree if there lives depended on it!
Regardless, it is always good to learn more. So if you are so inclined, learn to draw. But, it won’t do much for your web design.
Stefan
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